Mother speaks out:
“What are these novels where nothing ever happens?” she says.
“This individual, who alas! came out of my tummy, is a liar, an impostor, a parasite and especially, especially, a little upstart ready to do anything for fortune and fame,” Mrs Ceccaldi, 83, writes in L’Innocente, an autobiography. The onslaught on the petit con (little git) is the revenge of a woman who has been scorned and disparaged by her son in public comments and writings.
Mother’s Day must be interesting.
4 responses so far ↓
1 T Needham // Apr 30, 2008 at 11:25 am
It’s a domestic-don’t get involved or they will both turn on you
TN
2 Devil's Kitchen // Apr 30, 2008 at 12:23 pm
“… the petit con (little git)… “
As I recall, con is just a wee bit stringer than “git”. It’s more akin to that “c”-word that I’m so fond of applying to our lords and masters…
DK
3 Dan // Apr 30, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I’d always been under the impression that “con” was idiot, en francais?
Regardless, Houellebecq writes absolutely brilliant novels. The Possibility of an Island and Atomised are two of the best pieces of fiction I’ve read in years.
4 Eva // Apr 30, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Precisely, it means ‘c**t’, but the way it’s used it really means ‘bloody idiot’ or something of that order - so more emphatic than ‘git’. Subtle, these gradations of abuse… Anyway, she’s obviously fond of her lad.
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