The Leopard Boy

Daniel Picouly

2016年1月 · University of Virginia Press

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October 15, 1793: the eve of Marie-Antoinette’s execution. The Reign of Terror has descended upon revolutionary France, and thousands are beheaded daily under the guillotine. Edmond Coffin and Jonathan Gravedigger, two former soldiers now employed in disposing of the dead, are hired to search the Parisian neighborhood of Haarlem for a mysterious mixed-race "leopard boy," whose nickname derives from his mottled black-and-white skin. Some would like to see the elusive leopard boy dead, while others wish to save him. Why so much interest in this child? He is rumored to be the son of Marie-Antoinette and a man of color--the Chevalier de Saint-George, perhaps, or possibly Zamor, the slave of Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV.

This wildly imaginative and culturally resonant tale by Daniel Picouly audaciously places black and mixed-race characters--including King Mac, creator of the first hamburger, who hands out figures of Voltaire and Rousseau with his happy meals, and the megalomaniac Black Delorme, creator of a slavery theme park--at the forefront of its Revolution-era story. Winner of the Prix Renaudot, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards, this book envisions a "Black France" two hundred years before the term came to describe a nation transformed through its postcolonial immigrant population.

CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French

關於作者

Born in France as one of thirteen children of his French Caribbean parents, Daniel Picouly is a prolific author whose books include the autobiographical Le champ de personne, winner of the Prix des lectrices d’Elle, and Paulette et Roger, winner of the Prix populiste. From 2005 to 2011, he hosted the French cultural television program Café Picouly, and he currently hosts Le Monde vu par... Jeanne Garane is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of South Carolina.