PEREC, Georges. La Vie mode d'emploi. Paris: Hachette. 1978.
8vo. Original cream wrappers printed in black and red; pp. [12], 15-699, [7]; wrappers slightly toned with a few spots and marks, slight creases to corners, spine creased with tiny indent; internally clean; overall very good.
First edition, the issue printed on ordinary paper, with the colophon dated ‘25 August 1978’, of Georges Perec’s most celebrated novel.
Dedicated to the memory of Raymond Queneau, La Vie mode d’emploi is described on the title page as ‘romans’ rather than ‘roman’, a subtle indication of the multiplicity of narratives that unfold throughout the text. Though frequently cited as a landmark of postmodern fiction, Perec resisted such labels; his principal literary allegiance was to Oulipo (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle), the group of writers and mathematicians dedicated to exploring the creative possibilities of formal constraint.
Set in a fictional Parisian apartment building at 11 rue Simon-Crubellier, La Vie mode d’emploi interweaves dozens of stories, characters, puzzles, and literary and historical references into an intricate narrative mosaic. The novel was constructed according to an elaborate system of constraints, most famously based on the movements of a knight across a chessboard, exemplifying Perec’s remarkable ability to combine formal ingenuity with narrative richness. Awarded the Prix Médicis in 1978, it was translated into English by David Bellos in 1987.
SKU: 2125440