Novel
The Man in a Hurry
L'Homme pressé
Paul Morand · 1941
Synopsis
Pierre Niox, an antique dealer in Paris, cannot bear to wait: he lives, speaks and decides at full speed, to the point that his friends, his associates and even his valet end up keeping away from him. His haste leads him to meet the daughters of an aristocratic family, the Boisrosé. The younger one, Hedwige, is as slow as he is hurried; he falls in love with her and marries her, without managing to bend to the rhythm she imposes on him.
Context
The novel was published by Gallimard in 1941, while its author was serving the Vichy government. Its rapid prose matches the haste of the character, and the book has been read as an exercise in style on modern impatience and the pursuit of goals that slip away. It was not until 2015 that it appeared in English, as The Man in a Hurry, in the translation by Euan Cameron, from Pushkin Press.
Who it is for
A novel carried by a single character and a lively prose; the comedy of the situation covers a reflection on the endless race.
Prizes and reception
Édouard Molinaro made a film of it in 1977, with Alain Delon as Pierre Niox and Mireille Darc.
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