Philippe Djian: "Betty Blue"
The book
Zorg and Betty get to know each other by the sea. The emotions override her like a huge band. Shortly determined, Betty moves in with Zorg. And he's getting ready to change his life and find a publisher for his novel. Zorg is entranced. But when Betty becomes pregnant and loses her child, she turns her anger against herself. After trying to mutilate, she falls into a coma. And Zorg has to do something he never believed to be capable of.
The author
Philippe Djian was born in Paris in 1949. He toured Europe, North and South America and stayed afloat with numerous odd jobs. He wrote his first novel as a cashier of a French tollbooth. His fourth book "Betty Blue" became a French cult novel in 1985. Philippe Djian is living in Paris again today.
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Sample "Betty Blue"
Thunderstorms were announced for the early evening, but the sky remained blue and the wind had subsided. I went to the kitchen for a moment to see if anything was patting in the pot. Everything great. I went out onto the terrace, a cold beer in my hand, and held my head in the blazing sun for a while. That was good, since a week I banged myself in the sun every morning and squinted happily, for a week I knew Betty.
I thanked the sky again and reached for my deck chair with a slightly pleased grin. I made myself comfortable. Like one who has time and a beer in his hand. All that week, when it came up, I had slept like that for about twenty hours, and Betty even less, maybe not at all, I do not know, she kept frightening me over and over again and again she had something better to do. Hey, you're not going to leave me alone now, she kept saying, hey, what's wrong with you, do not go to sleep. And I opened my eyes and smiled. A smoking, fuming or just chatting, I had a hard time not getting out of rhythm.
Luckily I did not need much effort during the day. If all went smoothly, I was through with my work by noon and rested for the rest of the day. I just had to stay in the area until seven o'clock and show up when needed. When it was nice, you could usually find me in my deckchair, so I could stay in it for hours. It seemed to me then that I had found the right balance between life and death, as if I had found the only clever employment at all. All you have to do is bother to think for five minutes, then you realize that life has nothing exciting about except a few things you can not buy. I opened my beer and thought of Betty.
? Good gracious! Here you are ... I'm looking for you everywhere ...!
I opened my eyes. In front of me stood the number three woman, a blond of forty kilos with a squeaky voice. Her false eyelashes clinked wildly in the sunlight.
? What's wrong with you ...? I asked. ? Nothing to me, gosh, but with this thing in the bathroom, it's over! Come on, you have to turn that off for me, ah, I do not understand, how can this happen ... !!
With a jerk I straightened up, I found it all but funny. One only had to look at the aunt for three seconds, then one realized that she was totally stupid. I knew she was going to break my balls, and then her robe was still hanging on her scrawny shoulders. I was k.o.
? I was about to eat, I said. Can not wait five minutes, do you want to be so nice ...? ? You're crazy ... !! That's just one catastrophe, just water everywhere. Come on, come with us, but dalli ...? First of all, what did you break? What is going on where ...?
She chuckled stupidly, standing in the sun, her hands in her pockets.
? So ..., she exclaimed. You know exactly ... that's the white thing that overflows. My goodness, everywhere this paper stuff ... !!
I tipped off a sip of beer and shook my head.
? Tell me, I said, do you realize I was about to eat? Can not you close your eyes for fifteen minutes, is that so hard ...? ? Are you crazy? I'm not kidding, I guess you'll come with me right away ...? It's okay, do not get upset, I said.
I got up and went back to my booth, first switching off the flame under the beans.They were almost ready. Then I grabbed my toolbox and ran after the madman. An hour later I was back, soaked from head to toe and half dead from starvation. I quickly held a match under the pot before jumping into the shower, and then I stopped thinking about the good woman, all I could do was feel the water pouring down my skull, and the smell of the beans crept into my throat Nose.
The sun flooded the shack, it was nice weather. I knew the trouble was over for the rest of the day, I'd never had two clogged crap houses in one afternoon, most of the time it did not happen, it was quiet, half of the bungalows were empty.
I sat down in front of my plate and smiled, because it was clear how it would go on. Food, then to the terrace and just wait until the evening, waiting for her to finally arrive and come to me with wobbly hips to sit on my lap. I was just removing the lid from the pot as the door opened wide open. It was Betty. Smiling, I put down my fork and got up.
