Description
Fiction. Translated by Flavia Cosma. DEATH AT HALF MAST is the first novel by Denis Emorine. For him, this novel is a watermark of his work. He presents his favorite themes, especially love and death, which are brushing against, mingling, and confronting each other until the end. First and foremost, this book is a hymn to passion in any form and fidelity because the main character, writer Dominique Valarcher, belongs to one woman only, Laetitia. As long as he lives with this superior, intelligent and attractive woman, death is suspended, set back, even if, for him, death is an obsession he can't forget. Dominique is divided, sometimes excited and at other times, extremely sensitive. For him, important affective relations are with women because with her he feels like a privileged person. With each favorite lady friend, Dominique tries to find the sister he never had. The young women who like him consider him as a symbolic father. Of course, it's not quite safe. Valarcher is from Russian ancestry on his grandmother's side, and Laetita often tells him: "Your Russian side frightens me." Those contradictions are increasing his fragility as well as give him a particular inspiration. Meeting Nora Nemeth, a student, who is working on a master about his work, is a challenge for him. Could he overcome his weak character and, especially, his cowardice?
Author Bio
Denis Emorine is the author of short stories, essays, poetry, and plays. His most recent book of fiction is DEATH AT HALF MAST (JEF Books, 2019). He was born in 1956 in Paris and studied literature at the Sorbonne (University of Paris). He has an affective relationship to English because his mother was an English teacher. His father was of Russian ancestry. His works are translated into several languages. His theatrical output has been staged in France, Quebec, Canada, and Russia. Many of his books of short stories, drama, and poetry have been published in Greece, Hungary, Romania, India, Japan, South Africa and the USA. Writing, for Emorine, is a way of harnessing time in its incessant flight. Themes that re-occur throughout his writing include the Doppelgänger, lost or shattered identity, and mythical Venice (a place that truly fascinates him). He also has a great interest in Eastern Europe.
Author City: FRA