Ze drôle

“Ze Drôle” is the only “children's book” published by the French author, François Mauriac, Nobel prize in literature 1952. It is the vivid story of the confrontation between a young troublemaker and the governess brought in to “tame” him. The encounter is both poignant and comical, employing themes common in Mauriac's work - solitude, revolt, the slow and difficult reigning in of a lonely heart. The little pest known as the “ze drôle” exhausts the time and energy of all those around him, demanding immediate satisfaction for all his whims, or else... or else he makes the lives of his family and governess a misery. Michel Suffran's illustrations breathe new life into the little tormentor who does what he pleases and who might even remind us of certain “charming” little boys who's natural habitation are the school playground or even our own homes. This short novel, out of print for many years and never translated into English, deals with themes that are now even more pertinent to the problems of society and education. François Mauriac's “ze drôle” will both amuse and “educate” children and parents alike.