PAUL WEST is not so much a fish out of water, as a fish about to be battered over the head, filleted and coated in breadcrumbs.
The hapless emigre has left Paris for a few sun-soaked days at the side of a beautiful marine biologist only to find himself embroiled in a plot to assassinate the French President.
And as if things couldn't get any worse, he's still got to prepare a banquet for what's rapidly turning into the wedding from hell.
Stephen Clarke has drawn on the evocative cine-history of the South of France for Paul West's latest adventure in
Dial M for Merde, which is bound to delight his legions of fans both sides of the Channel
In this OutLoud interview, he talks about the challenges of getting his first book published, his love of France, the perils of living in Paris, and gives a reading from
Dial M for Merde.
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Before publishing his 'Merde' novels, Stephen Clarke wrote comedy sketches and jokes and spent some years working in Glasgow as a bilingual lexicographer for HarperCollins. He then moved to Paris to work for a French press group, and stayed.
In 2004, Clarke self-published three novels,
A Year in the Merde,
Beam me Up or a Brief History of the Future, and
Who Killed Beano? A Genetically Modified Murder Mystery , planning to sell them via his website or to friends. It was a Year in the Merde which captured the imagination of readers and propelled Clarke up the bestseller lists.
Subsequent novels,
Merde Actually (2005) and
Merde Happens (2007) have cemented Clarke's international popularity. He has also published a guide to surviving in France,
Talk to the Snail.
Clarke still lives in Paris where he writes and tries very hard not to appear too English.
Dial M for Merde, £10.99, is published by Bantam Press, ISBN 978-0-593-05630-1Please use the commenting facility to let us know what you think of this book, using the following ratings:
1) Dull as dishwater
2) Okay, but could have been better
3) Pretty good, decent holiday read
4) Really liked it, can't wait for the next one
5) FANTASTIC - couldn't put it down! The full article contains 466 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
