Year In The Merde, A (Shortlisted For British Book Awards)

Description: Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives in Paris to start a new job - only to get the culture shock of his life. Between stepping in the dogs' droppings that adorn every pavement in Paris, getting caught up in their daily strikes and flirting with the idea of trying suppositories, Paul must tread through the minefield of French politics, women and wine. In his first novel, Stephen Clarke gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. "A Year in the Merde" reveals how to get the better of the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make amour - not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.

Review: "'Has done more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians' Daily Mail"


Prizes: Shortlisted for British Book Awards: Newcomer of the Year 2006.

Author Biography: Stephen Clarke is a British journalist and writer working for a French press group in Paris. He has previously written comedy sketches for BBC Radio 4 and jokes for a stand-up comedian. A Year in the Merde is an almost-true account of things that may or may not have happened to him in the ten years he has lived in France, depending on who is asking the question. He is currently working on the next volume of Paul West's adventures. Michael Praed attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His theatre credits include roles in Contact and The Beautiful and the Damned in the West End and in the remake of Ziegfeld's The Three Musketeers on Broadway. A Timewatch narrator, Michael's other television work includes Casualty and French & Saunders and he starred in Robin of Sherwood, Dynasty and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.