''The Fairy Gunmother'' (1987, orig. french: La fée carabine) is a

comic novel A comic novel is a novel-length work of humorous fiction. Many well-known authors have written comic novels, including P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Fielding, Mark Twain, and John Kennedy Toole. Comic novels are often defined by the author's literar ...

by the French novelist

Daniel Pennac Daniel Pennac (real name Daniel Pennacchioni, born 1 December 1944 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a French writer. He received the Prix Renaudot in 2007 for his essay '' Chagrin d'école''. Daniel Pennacchioni is the fourth and last son of a Cors ...

, the second in his Malaussène saga. It, arguably, was the novel that first brought fame to Pennac, his earlier novel '' Au bonheur des ogres'' debuting to comparatively muted acclaim. ''La fée carabine'' was a critical success, winning three literary awards in 1988: the Trophée 813 for best novel, the Grenoble ''polar'' (whodunnit) prize, and that of the city of Mans.

Plot summary

The novel is set in the modern

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

ian quarter of Belleville. It starts with the dramatic death of a policeman, shot by a "grannie" he was trying to help, and witnessed by at least four others who conveniently forget all details of what they see. The inspector Van Thian goes undercover as a Vietnamese old woman to investigate. Three other investigations follow: one into the attempted murder of a young woman, another into the serial killings of small old women in the district, and a third into drug trafficking by old men. Benjamin Malaussènne, professional scapegoat, quickly becomes suspect number one of all four investigations, owing to the numerous children of his prolific mother he lives with, the various old men with obsolete talents that he shelters, and his repeated abortive romantic affairs. Like all novels in the Malaussène saga, the setting is anything but conventional, the streets of Paris brimming with immigrants in open celebration of their diversity, the situations rarely Gallic yet authentically Parisian.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

''La fée carabine'' was adapted for television in 1988 by

Yves Boisset Yves may refer to: * Yves, Charente-Maritime, a commune of the Charente-Maritime department in France * Yves (given name), including a list of people with the name * ''Yves'' (single album), a single album by Loona * ''Yves'' (film), a 2019 Fre ...

, starring

Tom Novembre Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

as Malaussène,

Fabrice Luchini Fabrice Luchini (; born Robert Luchini; 1 November 1951) is a French stage and film actor. He has appeared in films such as '' Potiche'', ''The Women on the 6th Floor'', and '' In the House''. For his role in the 2015 film '' Courted'' he won t ...

Anna Galiena Anna Galiena (born 22 December 1954) is an Italian actress, best known to English-speaking audiences for her appearances in ''Le Mari de la coiffeuse'', '' Jamón, jamón'', '' Being Human'' and ''Senso '45''. Movie career In her youth, Galien ...

Daniel Emilfork Daniel Emilfork (7 April 1924 – 17 October 2006) was a Chilean stage and film actor who made his career in France. Biography Emilfork was born in San Felipe, Chile after his Jewish socialist parents from Kiev fled a pogrom in Odessa. A ...

and

Hubert Deschamps Hubert Deschamps (13 September 1923 – 29 December 1998) was a French actor. He was the son of the museum curator Paul Deschamps (1888–1974) and uncle of the French stage director Jérôme Deschamps. Selected filmography * ''The Strol ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairy Gunmother, The 1987 French novels Novels set in Paris Éditions Gallimard books