Stephen Clarke (writer)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Clarke is a British author who lives and works in Paris and has declared and explained his love to France: "I love France because here you are working for a living and not vice versa". " His novel
A Year in the Merde established him as a writer of fiction, featuring a first person narrator named Paul West. His novels depict French life style from the personal perspective of a temporarily alienated, still increasingly emphatic English gentleman
who just tries to fit in but is confronted by prejudice. While ignoring political correctness
to the full, his alter ego
Paul West actually reveals ostentatiously how lost an emigrant can feel even if he only crosses borders within Europe. Hereby A Year in the Merde carries a very human message.
and comic-book stories for the U.S. cartoonist and comics artist Gilbert Shelton
. He spent several years working in Glasgow
as a bilingual lexicographer
for the dictionary firm HarperCollins
. He then moved to Paris, France to work for a French press group, and has now lived there for more than a decade.
On 1 April 2004 Clarke self-published
A Year in the Merde, intending to sell them through his website or give them away to friends. The book became en vogue in Paris after it had been reviewed by French journalists who were amused by what they recognised as English humour. Once French intellectuals thus had endorsed the novel Clarke sold the rights to Transworld
in the UK, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC in the United States, Penguin
in Canada and Random House
in Australia. It has since been published in about 20 languages, including German, Polish, Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Romanian, Portuguese, Thai, Chinese and Japanese.
The sequel Merde Actually (a reference to the romantic comedy
Love Actually
) appeared in 2005, and was followed by Talk to the Snail in 2006
, essentially a survivor's guide to the French language
and the French
themselves. At one point, it was the only title in Britain's top ten humour books that wasn't The Simpsons
-related.
The third novel about Paul West was published in July 2007 in Great Britain, and came out in the USA in May 2008: Merde Happens, and features the Englishman
Paul West, who accepts a job that involves him driving across the USA in a Mini
with, at various times, his French girlfriend and his American poet pal Jake.
His fourth novel "Dial M for Merde" was published in the UK on 10 September 2008. This book carries on where the previous one left off, and takes the central character to various locations in the South of France, via Paris.
" over the past ten centuries, and implies these negative memories explained "why, even when we are trying to do something friendly, the past will usually emerge in the end". Clarke reveals surprising facts about the French look on history, such as the true cause of Joan of Arc
's demise and how Napoleon very nearly became an English mariner, and looks into the true origins of thus "typically French" inventions as the guillotine
, the baguette
and Champagne which are not so French after all. In Amazon.co.uk's bestseller lists, at one point the book was simultaneously at number 4 in the history chart and number one in humour.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
A Year in the Merde established him as a writer of fiction, featuring a first person narrator named Paul West. His novels depict French life style from the personal perspective of a temporarily alienated, still increasingly emphatic English gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
who just tries to fit in but is confronted by prejudice. While ignoring political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
to the full, his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
Paul West actually reveals ostentatiously how lost an emigrant can feel even if he only crosses borders within Europe. Hereby A Year in the Merde carries a very human message.
Career
Before publishing his "Merde" novels, Clarke wrote comedy sketches for BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and comic-book stories for the U.S. cartoonist and comics artist Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton is an American cartoonist and underground comix artist. He is the creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, Wonder Wart-Hog, Philbert Desanex, Not Quite Dead, and the cover art to The Grateful Dead's 1978 album Shakedown Street.He graduated from Lamar High...
. He spent several years working in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
as a bilingual lexicographer
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
for the dictionary firm HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. He then moved to Paris, France to work for a French press group, and has now lived there for more than a decade.
On 1 April 2004 Clarke self-published
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
A Year in the Merde, intending to sell them through his website or give them away to friends. The book became en vogue in Paris after it had been reviewed by French journalists who were amused by what they recognised as English humour. Once French intellectuals thus had endorsed the novel Clarke sold the rights to Transworld
Transworld (company)
Transworld Publishers Inc. is a British publishing division of Random House and belongs to Bertelsmann, one of the world's largest media groups. It was established in 1950, and for many years it was the British division of Bantam Books. It publishes fiction and non fiction titles by various...
in the UK, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC in the United States, Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in Canada and Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in Australia. It has since been published in about 20 languages, including German, Polish, Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Romanian, Portuguese, Thai, Chinese and Japanese.
The sequel Merde Actually (a reference to the romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
Love Actually
Love Actually
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
) appeared in 2005, and was followed by Talk to the Snail in 2006
2006 in literature
The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
, essentially a survivor's guide to the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
themselves. At one point, it was the only title in Britain's top ten humour books that wasn't The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
-related.
The third novel about Paul West was published in July 2007 in Great Britain, and came out in the USA in May 2008: Merde Happens, and features the Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
Paul West, who accepts a job that involves him driving across the USA in a Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
with, at various times, his French girlfriend and his American poet pal Jake.
His fourth novel "Dial M for Merde" was published in the UK on 10 September 2008. This book carries on where the previous one left off, and takes the central character to various locations in the South of France, via Paris.
Significance for international literature
With hindsight Stephen Clarke's A year in the Merde has been a trail-blazing forerunner of a new "fish-out-of-the-water" genre. Since then many authors have published their own stories about "surviving as an international creative person". The German publishing house Ullstein for example, who released a German version of Clarke's A Year in the Merde, hosts in his programme several other novels on comparable European culture clashes: Tour de Franz (A French lady in Germany) by Cécile Calla, Fish and Fritz (A German in the UK) by Wolfgang Koydl, Arrivederci, Roma! (A German in Italy) by Stephan Ulrich, Spätzle al dente (A Sicilian in Germany) by Luigi Brogna etc.Unofficial ambassador for British-French amity
Stephen Clarke's second non-fiction offering, 1000 Years of Annoying the French, was published in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2010. It studies every conflict between the French and the "Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
" over the past ten centuries, and implies these negative memories explained "why, even when we are trying to do something friendly, the past will usually emerge in the end". Clarke reveals surprising facts about the French look on history, such as the true cause of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
's demise and how Napoleon very nearly became an English mariner, and looks into the true origins of thus "typically French" inventions as the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
, the baguette
Baguette
A baguette is "a long thin loaf of French bread" that is commonly made from basic lean dough...
and Champagne which are not so French after all. In Amazon.co.uk's bestseller lists, at one point the book was simultaneously at number 4 in the history chart and number one in humour.
Fiction
- A Year in the MerdeA Year in the MerdeA Year in the Merde is a comic novel by Stephen Clarke first published in 2004 under the pen name Paul West. In later editions, the author's real identity was revealed...
European Countries (2004) - Merde Actually (2005) - Known as In the Merde for Love in the USA.
- Merde Happens A roadtrip across Americas (2007)
- Dial M for Merde Based in the South of France (2008)
Non-fiction
- Talk to the Snail (2006) An ironical survival guide to the French way of life.
- 1000 Years of Annoying the French (2010) A satirical version of British-French history.
- Paris Revealed - The Secret Life of a City (2011) A behind the scenes look of Paris.
External links
- Stephen Clarke's official website.
- Lanie Goodman: "Merde Turns to Gold", The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
(June 29, 2004). The first newspaper article about Stephen in the British national press. - Stephen Clarke Interview: 1,000 years of annoying the French
- Stephen Clarke Interview: Paris Revealed - The Secret Life of a City