"Evocative . . . A paean to the life, cities and food of the
Mediterranean . . . His essays . . . reveal a man of deep feeling and
humanity" (The Guardian).
A short sublime book on the three things dearest to Jean-Claude Izzo's
heart: his native Marseilles, the sea in all its splendor, and
Mediterranean noir--the literary genre his books helped to found. This
collection of writings shows Izzo, author of the acclaimed Marseilles
trilogy, at his most contemplative and insightful. His native city, with
its food, its flavors, its passionate inhabitants, and its long, long
history of commerce and conviviality, constitute the lifeblood that runs
through all of Izzo's work.
Reminiscent of Henry Miller's The Colossus of Maroussi and the lyrical
essays of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Albert Camus, as uplifting and
touching as Daniel Klein's Travels with Epicurus, this slender volume
will appeal equally to gourmets who delight in the strong flavors of
Mediterranean cuisine, to those travelling on the Riviera (or arm-chair
travelers who wish they could), and, naturally, to aficionados of noir
fiction.
Praise for Jean-Claude Izzo
"Mr. Izzo was a marvelous food writer . . . His books are filled with
winning descriptions of Provencal meals run through with the flavors of
north Africa, Italy, Greece."--The New York Times
"Just as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy made Los Angeles their very
own, so Mr. Izzo has made Marseilles so much more than just another
geographical setting."--The Economist
"In Izzo's books . . . Marseilles is a 'ville selon nos coeur, ' a city
in tune with our heart . . . A cosmopolitan, maritime city, greedy,
sensual and warm."--Slow Food
