Georges Perec (1936-82), author of the novel Life: A User's Manual, was one
of the most surprising and enjoyable of all modern French writers. The
pieces in this volume show him to be at times playful, more serious at
others, but always with the lightest of touches. He had the keenest of eyes
for the infra-ordinary, the things we do everyday - eating, sleeping,
working - and the places we do them in without giving them a moment's
thought. But behind the lightness and humour, there is also the sadness of
a French Jewish boy who lost his parents in the Second World War and found
comfort in the material world around him, and above all in writing. This
volume contains a selection of Georges Perec's non-fiction works, along
with a charming short story. It includes notes and an introduction
describing Perec's life and career.