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The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel…
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The Elegance of the Hedgehog (original 2006; edition 2008)

by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson (Translator)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
11,806652540 (3.78)2 / 934
The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu.
Member:whitsunweddings
Title:The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Authors:Muriel Barbery
Other authors:Alison Anderson (Translator)
Info:Europa Editions (2008), Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:**
Tags:France, Fiction, 2000s, Female Author, Philosophy, Silly, Read in 2011, 1001 Books, Class, Pretentious Waffle, Translation

Work Information

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (2006)

  1. 161
    The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (labfs39, chrisharpe)
    labfs39: Both have incredibly well-drawn, quirky characters that are lovable in their unique humaness. Both have highly intelligent characters that are vulnerable because of their very gift. In both books I learned things in fields not particularly close to me: math in Housekeeper and philosophy in Elegance.… (more)
  2. 64
    The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (lauranav)
    lauranav: Both show relationships and point of view of a young girl.
  3. 31
    A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé (morsecode)
    morsecode: The English-language editions (published by Europa Editions) of both novels are translated by Alison Andersen. There isn't a lot of similarity between the two novels (beyond the fact that both are quite literary), but I do think that someone who enjoys one will enjoy the other.… (more)
  4. 21
    Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (krist_ellis, tinyteaspoon)
    tinyteaspoon: Strong young female protagonist
  5. 10
    The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen (heterotopic)
  6. 54
    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (cransell)
  7. 10
    Seven Fires of Mademoiselle by Esther Vilar (sanddancer)
  8. 00
    The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes (bluepiano)
    bluepiano: Of no earthly relevance to the Barbery except that the death of the author is the death chosen by this author. Comment dit-on 'Look both ways before you cross' en français?
  9. 00
    The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers (klerulo)
    klerulo: Not so much the commonality of a French setting but that of a very enigmatic, obscure heroine who attracts the attention of others who are discerning and sensitive enough to perceive the hidden depths.
  10. 00
    Lovesong by Alex Miller (jll1976)
    jll1976: There is the obvious 'Paris connection'. But, also a similar slow almost dreamlike quality. About the beauty of a 'simple' life.
  11. 11
    The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt (camillahoel)
  12. 01
    Chocolat by Joanne Harris (hildretha)
  13. 01
    Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni (Nickelini)
  14. 01
    The Girl from the Chartreuse by Pierre Péju (bluepiano)
    bluepiano: Both are modern French novels written by philosophy teachers, both protagonists are awkward and isolated, both authors mask their sentimentality with a calm tone and both remind us that pedestrians should look both ways before crossing a road.
  15. 01
    A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (rocks009)
  16. 26
    Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (tandah)
  17. 18
    The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (albavirtual)
    albavirtual: Una historia oscura e intrigante y, al mismo tiempo, llena de profundas reflexiones sobre la risa, el arte y la libertad del hombre.
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» See also 934 mentions

English (531)  Spanish (32)  Italian (27)  French (25)  German (10)  Finnish (7)  Catalan (5)  Dutch (5)  Swedish (5)  Portuguese (Brazil) (2)  Hebrew (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (651)
Showing 1-5 of 531 (next | show all)
Drama
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
THIS is what reading is all about! A marvelous philosophical musing about art, beauty, social commentary, and the meaning of life. Redemptive, beautiful, and beautifully written. Kudos to the translator! ( )
  jemisonreads | Jan 22, 2024 |
I just finished this and I'm not sure what I think. I read it very quickly so that's a plus in that I wanted to find out how it ended. But I have a feeling the rave reviews raised my expectations to a level the book just couldn't reach. ( )
  ellink | Jan 22, 2024 |
I wanted to like this book so much that I read to exactly one-third of the way in before finally abandoning it. Actually, I think what I really wanted was to be able to cross another book off my 1001 list...

The book starts out making a pretty heavy statement about stigmas and clichéd behaviour. Renée's husband died, "depriving" her of his "lack of culture." Now she has to fake stupidity and simplicity in order to fit the mold she believes others have stuffed her into. I was intrigued that she'd prefer not to rouse suspicion about her intelligence and refined tastes. I thought I liked her at first. Later, I found her effluvium of sarcasm irritating and her narcissistic character became more obvious. I ended up not liking her.

Paloma bugged the heck out of me right from the start. She is selfish and doesn't seem to care at all about her family. She's pretty narcissistic, as well. In fact, she's pretty much Renée in child form.

I just have no interest to keep going with this one when there are so many other great books out there to spend my time on. Life's short---read great books! ( )
  classyhomemaker | Dec 11, 2023 |
I read a lot of mixed reviews and I was a little aprehensive about this one, but I have to say that I really loved it!

I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like it. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but anyone who likes to journey into the different ways that people think or interpret the world around them should read this book. ( )
  jskeltz | Nov 23, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 531 (next | show all)
Barbery’s sly wit, which bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations, keeps her tale aloft.
added by Nickelini | editthe New Yorker (Oct 20, 2008)
 
Le Figaro has described this book as 'the publishing phenomenon of the decade'. Elsewhere, there were comparisons to Proust. It sold more than a million copies in France last year and has won numerous awards. Does it match up to the hype? Almost. It is a profound but accessible book (not quite Proust, then), which elegantly treads the line between literary and commercial fiction.
added by Nickelini | editThe Guardian, Vicky Groskop (Sep 14, 2008)
 
Even when the novel is most essayistic, the narrators’ kinetic minds and engaging voices... propel us ahead.
 
Efter en något trög första del, förvandlades Igelkottens elegans till en liten pärla, till en bok som berörde mig. Och jag som sällan läser om böcker, funderar skarpt på att läsa om.
 
Därefter blir ”Igelkottens elegans” en fråga om ett ganska enkelt demaskerande och en ännu enklare trivialpsykologisk analys. Men fram till dess skrockar man förnöjt när Renée och Paloma var och en på sitt håll övertrumfar varandra i knivskarpa beskrivningar av den korkade och obildade parisiska överklassen och dess själsliv – tunt som en kålsoppa utan kål.
 

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Barbery, Murielprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Öjerskog, MarianneTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Anderson, AlisonTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Andersson, KerstinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Balžalorsky, VarjaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bonaiuto, AnnaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Borger, EduTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Caillat, EmmanuelleTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cardoso, ElisaCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Christov, PetrTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Company Gimeno, SalvadorTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Enqvist, HelénTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ergüden, IşıkTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
陳春琴Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Farkas, KikoCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Freire d'Aguiar, RosaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
González-Gallarza, IsabelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Κολαΐτη, ΡίταTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jensen, Kjell OlavTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Koff, IndrekTÕlkijasecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kokkin, JanneMedarb.secondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Krüger, ThomasTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lindblad, SiljeReadersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meilahti, Sanna-ReetaCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mikkin, DanKujundajasecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Morris, CassandraNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Poli, CinziaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Provily, PhilipCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ragnisco, EmanueleDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rohrwacher, AlbaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosenblat, BarbaraNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Saar, AntiToimetajasecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tótfalusi, ÁgnesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thalbach, AnnaSprechersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thalbach, KatharinaSprechersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Torcal García, AnnaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Viitanen, Anna-MaijaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Waals, Tessa van derCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zehnder, GabrielaÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zorec, MetkaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Dedication
For Stephane, with whom I wrote this book
A Stéphane, con quien he escrito este libro.
First words
"Marx has completely changed the way I view the world," declared the Pallieres boy this morning, although ordinarily he says nary a word to me.
Quotations
Thus, the television in the front room, guardian of my clandestine activities, could bleat away and I was no longer forced to listen to inane nonsense fit for the brain of a clam - I was in the back room, perfectly euphoric, my eyes filling with tears, in the miraculous presence of Art.
(p.17)
In the heat of the cinema, on the verge of tears, happier than I had ever been, I was holding the faint warmth of his hand for the first time in months. I knew that an unexpected surge of energy had roused him from his bed, given him the strength to get dressed and the urge to go out, the desire for us to share a conjugal pleasure one more time - and I knew, too, that this was the sign that there was not much time left, a state of grace before the end. But that did not matter to me, I just wanted to make the most of it, of these moments stolen from the burden of illness, moments with his warm hand in mine and a shudder of pleasure going through both of us...'
(p.71)
I flinched when she said bring and at that very moment Monsieur Something also flinched, and our eyes met. And since that infinitesimal nanosecond when - of this I am sure - we were joined in linguistic solidarity by the shared pain that made our bodies shudder, Monsieur Something has been observing me with a very different gaze.
A watchful gaze.
And now he is speaking to me.
(p.130)
What is the purpose of Art? To give us the brief, dazzling illusion of the camellia; to carve from time an emotional aperture that cannot be reduced to animal logic. How is Art born? It is begotten in the mind's ability to sculpt the sensorial domain. What does Art do for us? It gives shape to our emotions, makes them visible and, in so doing, places a seal of eternity upon them, a seal representing all those works that, by means of a particular form, have incarnated the universal nature of human emotions.
(p.199)
... αναλογίζομαι τελικά ότι ίσως αυτό να είναι η ζωή: πολλή απελπισία, αλλά και μερικές στιγμές ομορφιάς, στις οποίες ο χρόνος δεν είναι πια ο ίδιος. Λες και οι νότες της μουσικής έβαλαν μια παρένθεση στον χρόνο, μια αναστολή, ένα αλλού ακόμη και εδώ, ένα πάντα μέσα στο ποτέ.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu.

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Book description
Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society s expectations of what a concierge should be. But beneath this façade lies the real Renée: passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Renée lives resigned to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever.
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