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  • Today, "The little goat who dreamed of literary prizes" by Béatrice Hammer, published on March 1, 2022 by Avallon editions.

Marceline Bodier, bookstagramer and contributor to the 20 Minutes

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reading group , recommends

The little goat who dreamed of literary prizes

 by Béatrice Hammer, published on March 1, 2022 by Avallon editions.


His favorite quote:

My character escapes me, that will teach me.


Why this book?

  • Because this book is infinitely brilliant.

    Its construction fits the mise en abyme without ever losing us: the narrator is a confirmed writer, but aging;

    it tells the story of her character, Blanchette, 25, a budding author who faces the wolves of the publishing world.

    And he ends up descending into the arena of his own book to intervene in Blanchette's life… “Blanchette is mistaken, I'm sure of it.

    She should forget about hope… but without hope, would she write?

    And without this flaw in her that resembles mine, would I have imagined her?

    »

  • Because you have already understood,

    this book is infinitely playful with the boundaries between fiction and reality.

    Normal, says Béatrice Hammer: “quite amusing things happened to me: friends recognized each other (and were offended) when – I swear!

    – I hadn't thought of them in the least while writing.

    Others, from whom I was frankly inspired, were not even touched by this idea... And even if each of my novels tells a different story, I know that, among the people who know me, many are certain that each of them is autobiographical.

    »

  • Because this book is infinitely fascinating

    for anyone who is directly or indirectly interested in the world of publishing.

    All behind the scenes take it for their rank: manuscript service entrusted to incompetent trainees, books published to serve the editor's career, or chosen because the author's peach skin "will look better on TV"... But it doesn't stop there: what we have access to is the whole journey which, in the middle of all this, goes from desire to realization, passing through the blank page and writing.

    The real book chain, after all...

  • Because this book is infinitely funny.

    Béatrice Hammer explores all the possibilities of becoming a writer by "making the buzz", remains intractable with characters who are nevertheless all creatures from her imagination, and always puts us ferociously on the side of the laughing.

    Thus, you can revel in anticipation by thinking of how Blanchette will come out of her setbacks in the land of writers, publishers and organizers of prizes who seek to make short work of it… they are among the most jubilant ever written!

  • Because this book is infinitely sexual.

    Not that he takes pleasure in describing daring scenes!

    But sex is everywhere: writers are like you and me, and sex is the subject of their books as well as their lives;

    and this, that the term “flaccid” had a reason to cross their path, or that “[their] penis [is] undoubtedly what it [s] controls [nt] best”.

    In fact, I should rather say: the libidinal energy is always the motor of writing, and it controls everything – and it is certainly neither Freud nor the fall of the book that will contradict me!


The essentials in 2 minutes

The plot.

 Blanchette, do you remember?

Monsieur Seguin's little goat, devoured by a wolf!

It is undoubtedly the character that writers prefer to reinvent… But innocence can also be a weapon and when it turns against its creator, everything becomes possible.

Believe me: everything!

Characters.

 Blanchette is a 25-year-old young author, and in the literary world, a wolf awaits her in every corner... "I wanted to play with the notions of narrator and character, like with Russian dolls", says Béatrice Hammer in the press kit.

You will love !

Places.

 If you believe that the Parisian world of the book lives in the middle of parties, good restaurants and brilliant conversations, then it is because you have not yet read the award ceremonies at Blanchette, nor the cocktails where she meets her own author… Less glamorous, but much more hilarious!

The time.

 Monsieur Seguin's goat is a timeless character... but transposing it into our time gives it some weapons.

However, will she be able to avoid being eaten by the wolf?

Answer in a denouement that is both unpredictable and totally logical, hilarious and terrifying.

The author.

 Béatrice Hammer has accustomed us to being surprised, navigating between psychological novels and satires.

This time, with a novel that brings the two together, I affirm it without hesitation: she signs her best book.

The result, for us, is an intense reading jubilation.

This book was read with.

 boundless admiration for this demonstration of power by an author at the top of her game, whose plot acts as a preliminary that gradually rises to a pleasurable finale.

It is in all respects "the novel that should have been dared to be published", as the banner on the cover says!

Buy this book at Fnac

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