Author Paul Claudel's novel "By a Slow River" is the exploration of these four deaths and the slow revealing of the cause and effect of each.

Author Paul Claudel's novel "By a Slow River" is the exploration of these four deaths and the slow revealing of the cause and effect of each. A parallel theme is the neighboring slaughter of millions in the trench warfare that continued unrelentingly for four years, with its direct impact on lives in the village.

By a Slow River book. A bestseller in France and winner of the Prix Renaudot, By a Slow. Last week, coincidentally on Armistice Day, I unintentionally found myself reading Philippe Claudel’s WW1 related novel Les Âmes grises (translated into English as Grey Souls/ By a Slow River) for a second time, because my son for the first time had to He told me you couldn’t live forever in books. One day you had to take a firm hold of life and its beauties.

?;Philippe Claudel was born in 1962. Before becoming a novelist, he was a teacher and a screenwriter.

On a bleak winter morning in 1917, a ten-year-old girl is found strangled near a riverbank in rural France. ?;Philippe Claudel was born in 1962.

Two deserters from the 59th Infantry. They weren’t the first the mounted police had caught in their net. For several months now, things had begun to unravel. For several months now, things had begun to unravel ished into the countryside, at times preferring to die all alone in the thickets and copses than be blown apart by the shells. Let’s just say that these two could not have come along at a better time. It suited everybody: the army, which needed to make an example of someone, and the judge, who needed a culprit

In French the novel is called Les âmes grises-literally, The Gray Souls-an allusion to Joséphine’s words at a key point in the narrative.

A wild, Kafka-esque romp through a dystopian landscape, probing thedarkly comic nature of the human condition. The Investigator is a man quite like any other. He is balding, of medium build, dresses conservatively-in short, he is unremarkable in every way. He has been assigned to conduct an Investigation of a series of suicides (twenty-two in the past eighteen months) that have taken place at the Enterprise, a huge, sprawling complex located in an unnamed Town

By philippe claudeljuly 2, 2006.

By philippe claudeljuly 2, 2006. Continue reading the main story. Excerpted by permission. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. We’re interested in your feedback on this page. Tell us what you think. By a slow river,' by philippe claudel.

Although By a Slow River features several violent deaths and much emotional brutality . The book is narrated by the man who was a policemen there at that time, looking back upon events and the mysteries of those years.

Although By a Slow River features several violent deaths and much emotional brutality, and contains in its final pages a couple of shocking revelations, the novel is curiously undisturbing ) Claudel seems to want to investigate the very mystery of life, but he's too worried that we might not understand exactly what he's doing. Philippe Claudel's tale is made up of recollections, regrets and a set of melancholy memories which are unfolded chapter by chapter. A style of prose so replete with metaphors is difficult to translate.

By a Slow River – original title Les àmes grises – translated from .

By a Slow River – original title Les àmes grises – translated from French by Hoyt Rogers was the winner of th. This book was recommended to me by author Elizabeth Speller during a Twitter conversation about WW1 books. I have to confess I had previously not heard of either the novel or the author. Mierck an unpleasant, malevolent character, chillingly drawn by Claudel, is quickly called to the gruesome scene outside the chateau, and directs the start of the investigation. Before that moment we had all accepted Judge Mierck for what he was. He had his place and he held it, not liked much, but respected.

In this grave, achingly beautiful novel by Philippe Claudel, a village policeman writes out his sorrow-laden journal of the plague years. Their miasma envelops individuals' evils, decencies and mutual distances, and the deaths of four innocents.