Informationen zum Autor A finalist in the Prix Medicis, one of France's most prestigious literary fiction prizes, and the winner of the Elle magazine award as Book of the Year in France, The Story of Jane marks the American debut of a remarkably talented and acclaimed novelist whose books have made her a bestselling author in her native country. Catherine Cusset is currently an Associate Professor of French Literature at Yale University. She lives in New York City. Klappentext WHAT IF SOMEONE WROTE A STORY ALL ABOUT YOU...A STORY THAT DETAILED YOUR LOVE LIFE, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS? AND WHAT IF YOUR ANONYMOUS AUTHOR GOT IT ALL RIGHT?Meet Jane. A professor at an academically outstanding college, she is recently divorced and feeling somewhat unsure, especially in terms of the opposite sex, having had several recent attempts to befriend men go awry.As she leaves her apartment one day, she discovers a package addressed to her in the foyer of her building. Opening it, she discovers that it's a novel -- entitled The Story of Jane. As she starts to read, she realizes that the novel is all about her -- her and her love life, or failure at love, to be more exact.There's no name on the manuscript, no return address on the package. Suddenly uneasy and feeling much too exposed, she retreats to her apartment and sets about reading. At various points during the afternoon she stops to wonder -- sometimes in amazement, often in anger -- who could have known her well enough to write this story of her life. And where could that person be now?As we peer over Jane's shoulder, reading along with her, we learn all about her life since arriving at Devayne University. We see her affairs, her marriage to the very sexy Eric, which ends in divorce, her disastrous friendship with the already married Francisco. One by one, Jane considers the men she has known, sure that one of them is the obsessed author and more than a little afraid that she might be in danger.A startlingly fresh and innovative novel, The Story of Jane takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and revelations as the layers of Jane's life are peeled away and the anonymous author becomes known. Zusammenfassung WHAT IF SOMEONE WROTE A STORY ALL ABOUT YOU...A STORY THAT DETAILED YOUR LOVE LIFE! YOUR RELATIONSHIPS! YOUR DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS? AND WHAT IF YOUR ANONYMOUS AUTHOR GOT IT ALL RIGHT? Meet Jane. A professor at an academically outstanding college! she is recently divorced and feeling somewhat unsure! especially in terms of the opposite sex! having had several recent attempts to befriend men go awry. As she leaves her apartment one day! she discovers a package addressed to her in the foyer of her building. Opening it! she discovers that it's a novel -- entitled The Story of Jane. As she starts to read! she realizes that the novel is all about her -- her and her love life! or failure at love! to be more exact. There's no name on the manuscript! no return address on the package. Suddenly uneasy and feeling much too exposed! she retreats to her apartment and sets about reading. At various points during the afternoon she stops to wonder -- sometimes in amazement! often in anger -- who could have known her well enough to write this story of her life. And where could that person be now? As we peer over Jane's shoulder! reading along with her! we learn all about her life since arriving at Devayne University. We see her affairs! her marriage to the very sexy Eric! which ends in divorce! her disastrous friendship with the already married Francisco. One by one! Jane considers the men she has known! sure that one of them is the obsessed author and more than a little afraid that she might be in danger. A startlingly fresh and innovative novel! The Story of Jane takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and revelations as the layers of Jane'...

Klappentext

WHAT IF SOMEONE WROTE A STORY ALL ABOUT YOU...A STORY THAT DETAILED YOUR LOVE LIFE, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS? AND WHAT IF YOUR ANONYMOUS AUTHOR GOT IT ALL RIGHT?Meet Jane. A professor at an academically outstanding college, she is recently divorced and feeling somewhat unsure, especially in terms of the opposite sex, having had several recent attempts to befriend men go awry.As she leaves her apartment one day, she discovers a package addressed to her in the foyer of her building. Opening it, she discovers that it's a novel -- entitled The Story of Jane. As she starts to read, she realizes that the novel is all about her -- her and her love life, or failure at love, to be more exact.There's no name on the manuscript, no return address on the package. Suddenly uneasy and feeling much too exposed, she retreats to her apartment and sets about reading. At various points during the afternoon she stops to wonder -- sometimes in amazement, often in anger -- who could have known her well enough to write this story of her life. And where could that person be now?As we peer over Jane's shoulder, reading along with her, we learn all about her life since arriving at Devayne University. We see her affairs, her marriage to the very sexy Eric, which ends in divorce, her disastrous friendship with the already married Francisco. One by one, Jane considers the men she has known, sure that one of them is the obsessed author and more than a little afraid that she might be in danger.A startlingly fresh and innovative novel, The Story of Jane takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and revelations as the layers of Jane's life are peeled away and the anonymous author becomes known.

Leseprobe
Chapter 1: Dinner with Bronzino

1

The windows of Provence were too high for her to peek inside. This was the best restaurant in Old Newport, where Jane saw elegant couples walk in and out on Friday and Saturday night on her way back from the Film Society. She would have liked to eat there tonight. She had almost suggested the place to Bronzino when he phoned her this morning, but it would have been too fancy for a dinner between colleagues, and she couldn't afford it anyway. As she passed the Romulus Café, a short black guy with a beard, whom she had already seen panhandling around campus, turned toward her. "Got a dime?"

She stopped, glad that she didn't have the reflex to say no, and took her wallet out of her bag.

"Actually," the small man said, "we don't need a dime but a dollar. We have ninety cents in coins," he added quickly, "could you change them against a dollar?"

A fat guy hidden in the shadow of a door moved forward, smiling, and handed her the coins in his large open palm. Some of his front teeth were missing. Jane took a bill from her wallet.

"That's fine. I can spare a dollar."

"Thanks!"

They didn't sound very surprised. They walked away. Jane laughed, guessing this was neither the first nor the last bill they got this way tonight. Maybe the first time they really needed a dime.

You should never despair: life was a constant movement of ups and downs, balancing each other in the end. For six years in Chicago she had eaten pasta and lived in dumps shared with other students, places with so little heat during the winter -- six months of the year -- that she had to sleep in socks and a wool stocking cap. Then came the light at the end of the tunnel, the dazzling offer from Devayne University, even though she wasn't any more intelligent than anyone else and she hadn't even completed her dissertation: a real job, with a real salary, in the best French department in the whole country, on the East Coast, one and a half hours from New York -- a dream, the beginning of a glorious life, happiness. She broke up with Josh, the boyfriend she had never really loved, moved to Old Newport, Connecticut, found an elegant and well-heated apartment with high ceilings, moldings, a working fireplace and a splendid hardwood floor made of larg…