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Perfume (Paperback)
Patrick Suskind
1
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R311
R254
Discovery Miles 2 540
Save R57 (18%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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'Witty, stylish and ferociously absorbing' Observer Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille is abandoned on the filthy streets of eighteenth-century
Paris as a baby, but grows up to discover he has an extraordinary
gift: a sense of smell more powerful than any other human's.
Gradually he learns how to exploit this gift in the art of creating
the most sublime perfumes in France. Yet there is one scent he
cannot capture: the scent of an innocent young virgin. In order to
perfect his experiments, he must have this final ingredient, at any
cost. A cult international bestseller, Perfume is a bewitching,
darkly humorous fable of desire, obsession and death.
An erotic masterpiece of twentieth century fiction - a tale of
sensual obsession and bloodlust in eighteenth century Paris 'An
astonishing tour de force both in concept and execution' Guardian
In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one of the
most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack
of gifted and abominable personages. His name was Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille, and if his name has been forgotten today. It is
certainly not because Grenouille fell short of those more famous
blackguards when it came to arrogance, misanthropy, immorality, or,
more succinctly, wickedness, but because his gifts and his sole
ambition were restricted to a domain that leaves no traces in
history: to the fleeting realm of scent . . . 'A fantastic tale of
murder and twisted eroticism controlled by a disgusted loathing of
humanity . .. Clever, stylish, absorbing and well worth reading'
Literary Review 'A meditation on the nature of death, desire and
decay . . . A remarkable debut' Peter Ackroyd, The New York Times
Book Review 'Unlike anything else one has read. A phenomenon . . .
[It] will remain unique in contemporary literature' Figaro 'An
ingenious and totally absorbing fantasy' Daily Telegraph 'Witty,
stylish and ferociously absorbing' Observer
Patrick Suskind's Perfume is a classic novel of death and
sensuality in Paris, published as a Penguin Essential for the first
time. 'In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one
of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no
lack of gifted and abominable personages. His name was
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, and if his name has been forgotten today,
it is certainly not because Grenouille fell short of those more
famous blackguards when it came to arrogance, misanthropy,
immorality, or, more succinctly, wickedness, but because his gifts
and his sole ambition were restricted to a domain that leaves no
traces in history: to the fleeting realm of scent . . .' 'An
astonishing tour de force both in concept and execution' Guardian
'A fantastic tale of murder and twisted eroticism controlled by a
disgusted loathing of humanity ... Clever, stylish, absorbing and
well worth reading' Literary Review 'A meditation on the nature of
death, desire and decay ... a remarkable debut' Peter Ackroyd, The
New York Times Book Review 'Unlike anything else one has read. A
phenomenon ... Everyone seems to want to get a whiff of this
strange perfume, which will remain unique in contemporary
literature' Figaro 'An ingenious and totally absorbing fantasy'
Daily Telegraph 'Witty, stylish and ferociously absorbing' Observer
An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion-his sense of smell-leads to murder.
In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"-the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.
Translated by John E. Woods
"A fable of crimial genius.... Remarkable." --The New York Times
"Superb storytelling all the way...the climax is a savage shocker." --The Plain Dealer
"An astonishing performance, a masterwork of artistic conception and execution. A totally gripping page-turner." --The San Francisco Chronicle
Set in Paris and attracting comparisons with Franz Kafka and Edgar
Allan Poe, The Pigeon is Patrick Suskind's tense, disturbing
follow-up to the bestselling Perfume. The novella tells the story
of a day in the meticulously ordered life of bank security guard
Jonathan Noel, who has been hiding from life since his wife left
him for her Tunisian lover. When Jonathan opens his front door on a
day he believes will be just like any other, he encounters not the
desired empty hallway but an unwelcome, diabolical intruder . . .
An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick
Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what
happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion-his sense
of smell-leads to murder.
In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of
smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and
apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the
ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's
genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he
becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass
doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a
scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to
create the "ultimate perfume"-the scent of a beautiful young
virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a
hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.
Translated by John E. Woods
"A fable of crimial genius.... Remarkable."
--"The New York Times
"
"Superb storytelling all the way...the climax is a savage
shocker."
--"The Plain Dealer
""An astonishing performance, a masterwork of artistic conception
and execution. A totally gripping page-turner."
--"The San Francisco Chronicle"
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El Perfume
Patrick Suskind
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R318
Discovery Miles 3 180
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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