Georges Perec

Georges Perec was a French novelist, filmmaker, documentalist, and essayist. He was born on March 7, 1936, and died on March 3, 1982. Perec is best known for his intricate, playful use of language, and his works often demonstrate a fascination with formal constraints and patterns. His most famous novel, 'La Vie mode d'emploi' (Life: A User's Manual), is a complex, multi-layered narrative that tells the stories of the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment block. Perec was a member of the Oulipo group, which focused on using constrained writing techniques to produce new forms of literature.

Books

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Life, a User's Manual

    The novel explores the lives of the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment block through a complex, multi-layered narrative. It delves into the interconnected stories of the building's residents, revealing their secrets, desires, and disappointments. The narrative is structured like a puzzle, with the author employing a variety of literary styles and devices, making it a complex and intriguing exploration of human life.

  2. 2. W, or the Memory of Childhood

    "W, or the Memory of Childhood" is a unique blend of autobiographical recollections and fictional narrative. The novel alternates between two storylines: one describing the childhood of a Jewish boy during World War II, and the other detailing a dystopian society on a mysterious island known as "W". The book explores themes of memory, trauma, and the loss of innocence, while also offering a critique of totalitarian regimes. The two narratives gradually converge, revealing the traumatic underpinnings of the protagonist's life and the allegorical nature of "W".

  3. 3. Things: A Story of the Sixties

    This novel follows the lives of a young couple living in Paris during the 1960s. The couple, both freelancers, dream of a luxurious lifestyle filled with expensive goods and high-class culture. However, they struggle to achieve their aspirations due to their low income. The book explores themes such as consumerism, societal pressure, and the gap between dreams and reality, providing a critical look at the materialistic desires and ambitions of the young generation during the sixties.

  4. 4. A Void

    This novel is a unique and complex piece of literature, written entirely without the use of the letter 'e'. The story follows a group of individuals trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of a friend, while also dealing with their own personal struggles and existential crises. The narrative is filled with wordplay, puzzles, and allusions, and the absence of the letter 'e' serves as a metaphor for loss and absence in the characters' lives.

  5. 5. Species Of Spaces And Other Pieces

    This book is a collection of essays and musings that explore the concept of space in its myriad forms, from the intimate to the vast, the mundane to the conceptual. The author employs a variety of literary styles and devices to dissect the spaces we inhabit, such as the page upon which one writes, the bed one sleeps in, the apartment, the street, and the city. Through this examination, the work delves into themes of memory, absence, and the everyday, encouraging readers to perceive the spaces around them in new and thought-provoking ways. The text is both playful and philosophical, inviting a deeper reflection on the spaces we often take for granted and the ways in which they shape our experiences.