A Taste of Life...

A short story by Patrick Besset
Translation from French by Lisa Vergara

Other avalaible editions :

• French edition
• Bilingual French-English (US) edition 

In overworking one’s conscience, your reason risks unraveling. To lose his desire to drink, he drank. To not feel himself drinking, he drank often. Sometimes, he drank so as not to remember.... And since he was unreasonable, he continued drinking to erase his life. He drank even more to try to understand its utility... 

Like a soaked sponge, Piccolo is crying... his memories overflowing.... He was an insignificant but respectable person; you could forgive the boldness in his tone of voice ; you could appreciate his passionate rhetoric... He revered poetry. He married a spoiled girl who made a puppet of her fiancé; out of a free man she created a weak husband. He had become spineless as well as the unsuspecting laughing stock of their friends. He had not known how to impose his dreams nor his wishes... the moment he married his wife, he submerged himself in those of his wife. No more strolls in the park, his wife didn’t like to walk. No more of his so-called paintings on white cartons, she didn’t like his paintings. No more drives with his buddies, she didn’t like his buddies. No more free will...

.../...

A Taste of Life
Short story by Patrick Besset.
Éditions du Busca.
ISBN : 979-10-92471-06-9
(Kindle edition)

Faut pas pousser...Over the Top...

Nouvelle de Patrick Besset.

A short story by Patrick Besset.

Traduction du français de Steve Doyle.

Translation from French by Steve Doyle.

Autres éditions également disponibles :

Other avalaible editions :

•  édition française
•  French edition
•  édition en anglais (GB)
•  English (UK) edition

Après un retour au pays, réussi de manière inespérée après un long exil forcé, un homme s’est reconstruit et revit des plaisirs essentiels, simples et gourmands. Un jour, Lorraine, femme belle, vraiment sensuelle et assurément coquine croise sa route... 

Jour de canicule. J'attends Lorraine, toujours en retard en rentrant du boulot... Lorraine est ma voisine, ma maîtresse aussi. Nous nous fréquentons depuis quelques mois. Une entente qui s'est nourrie de l'habitude et d'une complicité de canailles. Avant je travaillais dans le nord jusqu'au jour où les chantiers ont fermé les uns après les autres. J'avais fait la grève... pour rien. C'est pas que j'y croyais mais vider des bières avec les collègues en colère était plus marrant autour des flammes qui montaient des bidons que de picoler en solitaire chez Armand, ancien marinier devenu bistroquet. L'affaire avait été vite vue : aucun casse-cou pour reprendre l'entreprise quand les banques n'avaient plus voulu suivre et nous nous étions retrouvés sur le carreau. Moi et les sept cent trente deux en sursis. Oh, mais j'avais été malin ! 

What a heatwave ! I'm waiting for Lorraine, she's always late coming back from work... Lorraine is my neighbour, my mistress too. We've been going out with each other for several months now. An agreement that is based on habit and mischievous complicity. I used to work way up north until the shipyards closed down, one after the other. I had gone on strike... for NOTHING. It wasn't exactly my idea of having a good time but downing beer with angry colleagues around metal drums with a healthy flame rising from them was more fun than knocking it back alone at Armand's, an ex-boilermaker who turned publican. The whole thing had happened so quickly : no reckless person to carry the baby when the banks had thrown in the towel and we were on the dole. Seven hundred and thirty-two condemned men and me. Oh, but I had been smart ! 

.../...

Faut pas pousser...
Over The Top...
Nouvelle de Patrick Besset.
Short story by Patrick Besset.  
Éditions du Busca.

• Prix du Ligueur. Lauréat du concours de nouvelles policières oragnisé par la RTBF, radio-télévision publqiue de la communuté francophone du Royaume de Belgique (1998). Format Kindle.
• Ligueur Prize. Prize-winner of the detective short stories competition organized by RTBF, the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium (1998).

 Kindle Edition.

ISBN : 979-10-92471-07-6

Over the top...

A short story by Patrick Besset
Translation from French by Steve Doyle

Other avalaible editions :

• French edition
• Bilingual French-English (UK) edition

What a heatwave ! I'm waiting for Lorraine, she's always late coming back from work... Lorraine is my neighbour, my mistress too.

We've been going out with each other for several months now. An agreement that is based on habit and mischievous complicity. I used to work way up north until the shipyards closed down, one after the other. I had gone on strike... for NOTHING. It wasn't exactly my idea of having a good time but downing beer with angry colleagues around metal drums with a healthy flame rising from them was more fun than knocking it back alone at Armand's, an ex-boilermaker who turned publican. The whole thing had happened so quickly : no reckless person to carry the baby when the banks had thrown in the towel and we were on the dole. Seven hundred and thirty-two condemned men and me. Oh, but I had been smart ! 

.../...

Over The Top...
A short story by Patrick Besset.  
Éditions du Busca.
Ligueur Prize. Prize-winner of the detective short stories competition organized by RTBF, the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium (1998).  
Kindle Edition.
ISBN : 979-10-92471-06-9