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Peirene Press publishes series of world-class contemporary novellas. An annual subscription consists of three books chosen from across the world connected by a single theme.
The books will be sent out in December (in time for Christmas), May and September. Any title in the series already in print when you order will be posted immediately.
The perfect way for book lovers to collect all the Peirene titles.
£35 1 Year Subscription (3 books, free p&p)
£65 2 Year Subscription (6 books, free p&p)
£90 3 Year Subscription (9 books, free p&p)
Peirene Press, 17 Cheverton Road, London N19 3BB
T 020 7686 1941
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with secure online ordering facility
Peirene’s Series
FEMALE VOICE: INNER REALITIES
NO 1
Beside the Sea by Véronique Olmi
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter
‘It should be read.’ GUARDIAN
NO 2
Stone in a Landslide by Maria Barbal
Translated from the Catalan by Laura McGloughlin and Paul Mitchell
‘Understated power.’ FINANCIAL TIMES
NO 3
Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius
Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch
‘A small masterpiece.’ TLS
………..
MALE DILEMMA: QUESTS FOR INTIMACY
NO 4
Next World Novella by Matthias Politycki
Translated from the German by Anthea Bell
‘Inventive and deeply affecting.’ INDEPENDENT
NO 5
Tomorrow Pamplona by Jan van Mersbergen
Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson
‘An impressive work.’ DAILY MAIL
NO 6
Maybe This Time by Alois Hotschnig
Translated from the Austrian German by Tess Lewis
‘Weird, creepy and ambiguous.’ GUARDIAN
SMALL EPIC: UNRAVELLING SECRETS
NO 7
The Brothers by Asko Sahlberg
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
‘Intensely visual.’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
NO 8
The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul
Translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken
‘A brilliantly drawn character.’ TLS
NO 9
Sea of Ink by Richard Weihe
Translated from the Swiss German by Jamie Bulloch
‘Delicate and moving.’ INDEPENDENT
………..
TURNING POINT:
REVOLUTIONARY MOMENTS
NO 10
The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke
Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch
‘An extraordinary book.’ STANDPOINT
NO 11
Mr Darwin’s Gardener by Kristina Carlson
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
NO 12
Chasing the King of Hearts by Hanna Krall
Translated from the Polish by Philip Boehm
‘A remarkable find.’ SUNDAY TIMES
COMING-OF-AGE: TOWARDS IDENTITY
NO 13
The Dead Lake by Hamid Ismailov
Translated from the Russian by Andrew Bromfield
‘Immense poetic power.’ GUARDIAN
NO 14
The Blue Room by Hanne Ørstavik
Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin
‘Shrewd and psychologically adroit.’LANCASHIRE EVENING POST
NO 15
Under the Tripoli Sky by Kamal Ben Hameda
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter
‘It is excellent.’ SUNDAY TIMES
………..
NEW IN 2015
CHANCE ENCOUNTER: MEETING THE OTHER
NO 16
White Hunger by Aki Ollikainen
Translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah and Fleur Jeremiah
‘A novella that feels like a huge, great novel.’ SATAKUNNAN KANSA
NO 17
Reader For Hire by Raymond Jean
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter
‘A book that will make you want to read more books.’ COSMOPOLITAN
NO 18
The Looking-Glass Sisters by Gøhril Gabrielsen
Translated from the Norwegian by John Irons
‘Raw and dark and wonderfully different from anything else.’ DAG OG TID
Peirene Press is proud to support the Maya Centre.
The Maya Centre provides free psychodynamic counselling and group psychotherapy for women on low incomes in London. The counselling is offered in many different languages, including Arabic, Turkish and Portuguese. The centre also undertakes educational work on women’s mental health issues.
By buying this book you help the Maya Centre to continue their pioneering services.
Peirene Press will donate 50p from the sale of this book to the Maya Centre.
www.mayacentre.org.uk
About the Author and Translator
AUTHOR
Raymond Jean (1925–2012) wrote more than 40 books during his lifetime – novels, short-story collections and essays. He was awarded the Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle in 1983. His novella La Lectrice (Reader for Hire) became a cinema hit starring Miou-Miou. The film won the César Awards for Best Supporting Actor and was named the best feature at the 1988 Montreal World Film Festival.
TRANSLATOR
Adriana Hunter has translated over 50 books from French, including works by Agnès Desarthe, Véronique Ovaldé and Hervé Le Tellier. For Peirene, she has already translated Beside the Sea by Véronique Olmi (Peirene No 1), for which she won the 2011 Scott Moncrieff Prize, and Under the Tripoli Sky by Kamal Ben Hameda (Peirene No 15). Adriana’s work has been shortlisted twice for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.
Copyright
First published in English in 2015 by
Peirene Press, 17 Cheverton Road, London, N19 3BB
www.peirenepress.com
This ebook edition first published in 2015.
First published under the original French language title La Lectrice by Actes Sud, 1986
Copyright © Actes Sud, 1986
This translation © Adriana Hunter, 2015
Raymond Jean asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN 978–1–908670–23–6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Designed by Sacha Davison-Lunt.
Photographic image by Adrian Brockwell / Alamy
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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