Fabrice Robinet will be reading at Difficult to Name on Saturday, September 9
You're a real delight to talk to, but I just realized you've never told me about your novel. What's your novel about?
To give you a glimpse, my novel is about a withdrawn, yet sharp-eyed Southern Frenchman in New York City. In a twist on the immigrant story, he leaves his country not for fear of violence or poverty, but to escape the weight of its class and history. The first-person narration chronicles the vagaries of his existence -- comically boorish roommates, a doomed foray into publishing, a misguided journey in the footsteps of a Civil War soldier -- as he tangles with the English language and forges a new identity as a writer.
What are you working on this fall?
I'll be covering the United Nations General Assembly talks for the U.N. news website, while working on a profile of a Cameroonian fighter for the sports section of the New York Times.
What can people expect from your reading?
A good laugh, I hope, and to have their curiosity piqued to one day read the rest (I hope as well).