Across Paris, And Other Stories


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lummvi^B l^nvhxxt Sllasa 3' 7/ Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 littp://www.arcliive.org/details/acrossparisotlierOOayme Across Paris and Other Stories BOOKS BY MARCEL AYME: ACROSS PARIS (short stories) THE GREEN MARE THE SECRET STREAM [La Jumeut Vcrte) [Le Mouliti de THE SECOND FACE Sowdine) {La Belle Image) THE MIRACULOUS BARBER (Travelingue) THE BARKEEP OF ble'mont THE TRANSIENT HOUR la [Uranus) {Lc Chemin des Ecoliers) FOR CHILDREN: THE MAGIC PICTURES and THE WONDERFUL FARM {Les Contes du Chat Perche) Across Paris AND OTHER STORIES hy Marcel Ayme Translated from the French and with an Introduction by Norman Denny m t3 HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS New York ACROSS PARIS AND OTHER STORIES Copyright 1932, 1934, 1938, 1943, 1947, 1950 by Librairie GalUmard Printed in the United States of America All rights in this book are reserved. No part of the hook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written per- mission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in aitical articles and reviews. For information address Harper 49 East 33rd Street, New & Brothers York 16, N. Y. Library of Congress catalog card number: 58-12467 The following is a list of the volumes of Marcel Ayme's short stories, with their publication dates and the of the stories appearing in Le this selection: Puits aux Images {Paris igj2) THE PICTURE-WELL Le Nain {Paris 1934) THE DWARF A ROLL OF DAUGHTERS Derriere Chez Martin {Paris 1938) RUE DB L'ivANGILE MARTIN THE NOVELIST Le Passe-Muraille {Paris 1943) THE SEVEN-LEAGUE BOOTS THE WALKER-THROUGH-WALLS LEGEND OF POLDEVIA Le Vin de Paris {Paris 1947) THE WINE OF PARIS THE STATE OF GRACE DERMUCHE ACROSS PARIS En Arriere {Paris 1950) Enghsh titles Contents Introduction I 2 •3. Rue by Norman Denny de TEvangile page ix i? y The Wine of Paris M?.rtin the 36 @ Novehst The Dwarf 5 The State of Grace C\ The Seven-League Boots 7 Dermuche 80 4 8 \ A Roll of Daughters P JJO 143 "" 153 10 The Walker-Through-Walls The Picture-Well 11 Legend of Poldevia 192 12 Across Paris 203 vu 167 179 Introduction Unlike the novel, the of short collection never stories is conceived with an eye to the hlurb. Each of its separate pieces represents the idea and mood of a moment, and it not is possible to run up for the use of reviewers a very brief, very weighty summary which will save them the trouble of reading the book. THUS Marcel Aym^, in the signed blurb which he ran up ('trousser' is his own word) for the most recent of the volumes of short stories from which this selection has been made. But although the blurb amounts to an apology six for writing short stories at aU, since this (says longer done by the best writers, it hurdle that h