Zazie in the Metro

Zazie in the Metro

First English version
Author Raymond Queneau
Original title Zazie dans le Métro
Country France
Language French
Published 1959 (Gallimard) (French)
Olympia (English)
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
OCLC 43955523

Zazie in the Metro or Zazie (depending on the translation of the original French title Zazie dans le Métro) is a French novel written in 1959 by Raymond Queneau, and his first major success.

Plot

Provincial pre-teenager Zazie stays in Paris with her Uncle Gabriel (a female impersonator) for two days, while her mother spends some time with her lover. Zazie manages to evade her uncle's custody, and métro strike notwithstanding, sets out to explore the city on her own.

Language

Zazie explores colloquial language as opposed to "standard" written French; Queneau referred to the language spoken by Zazie and the other characters as "neo-French". It is marked by colloquial diction and slang, by phonetic spelling, and by "the morpho-syntax typical of spoken French".[1] For instance, the first word of the book, the neologism Doukipudonktan, is a phonetic transcription of D'où (est-ce) qu'il pue donc tant ? ("From where does he/do they stink so much?"). In the English version of the novel, this is rendered as "Holifart watastink"; in the movie version the English subtitle reads "Whozit who stinks?"

According to a 1959 article from Elle, "to speak Zazie" was all the rage in France.[2]

Adaptations

In 1960 the book was adapted by Louis Malle into a film of the same name, starring Catherine Demongeot as Zazie and Philippe Noiret as Gabriel. In the film, Zazie is younger than in the book (where her mother is worried about Zazie's virginity). The book was also adapted for theatre and published as a comic book as well.

Publication details

See also

References

  1. ↑ Marnette, Sophie (2005). Speech and Thought Presentation in French: Concepts and Strategies. John Benjamins. pp. 264–65. ISBN 9789027253767.
  2. ↑ Laubier, Claire (2003). The Condition of Women in France: 1945 to the Present - A Documentary Anthology. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 9781134970032.

External links

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