''Clochemerle'', published in the United States as ''The Scandals of Clochemerle'', is a French

satirical novel Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

Gabriel Chevallier Gabriel Chevallier (3 May 1895 – 6 April 1969) was a French novelist widely known as the author of the satire ''Clochemerle''. Biography Born in Lyon in 1895, Gabriel Chevallier was educated in various schools before entering Lyon École des Be ...

(1895–1969) first published in 1934. It centres on personal rivalries and local politics in the fictional village of Clochemerle, inspired by

Vaux-en-Beaujolais Vaux-en-Beaujolais (, literally ''Vaux in Beaujolais'') is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It is the inspiration for the fictional town of ''Clochemerle''.Kevin Passmore, "From Liberalism to Fascism: The Right in a French P ...

, in

Beaujolais Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which mak ...

in 1923 and satirises the conflict between Catholics and republicans in the Third Republic. The story concerns a dispute over the construction of a ''

vespasienne A (also known in French as a ) is a French invention, common in Europe, that provides a urinal in public space with a lightweight structure. The availability of aims to reduce urination onto buildings, sidewalks, or streets. They can be free ...

'' ( public urinals) near the village church. In its satirical portraits of individual inhabitants, it is an example of

observational humour Observational comedy is a form of humor based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is one of the main types of humor in stand-up comedy. In an observational comedy act, the comedian makes an observation about something which is common ...

. The book received considerable public acclaim and was awarded the

Prix Courteline The Prix Courteline is a French prize rewarding cinematic humour, named in tribute to Georges Courteline (1858-1929). It was founded in 1930 by Roland Dorgelès. It was originally awarded every two years. Winners *1930 : Marcel Andrys *1932 : Marce ...

in 1934. The cartoonist

Albert Dubout Albert Dubout (15 May 1905 – 27 June 1976) was a French cartoonist, illustrator, Painting, painter, and sculpture, sculptor. Biography Albert Dubout was born in Marseille. After attending school at Nîmes (where he met Jean Paulhan) he s ...

was subsequently commissioned to create an illustrated version. Chevallier subsequently wrote two sequels to the work after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

entitled ''Clochemerle Babylone'' (1951) and ''Clochemerle-les-Bains'' (1963). The term ''Clochemerle'' and adjective ''clochemerlesque'' have entered French as a term to describe "petty, parochial squabbling". ''Clochemerle'' has been widely translated into other languages and has inspired numerous dramatisations.

Raymond Souplex Raymond Souplex (1 June 1901 – 22 November 1972) was a French actor and singer. He was in a long-term relationship with Jane Sourza Jane Sourza (1902–1969) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.480 She was in a long-term relationship ...

composed an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

based on the work in 1944 and a film was produced in 1948. There have been several television series based on the work, notably a 1972 BBC dramatisation.

References

External links

"Books: Clochemerle 1923"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

''. 26 April 1937. 1934 French novels French satirical novels Novels set in France French novels adapted into television shows French Third Republic {{1930s-satirical-novel-stub

See also

References

Further reading

External links