The Book of Proper Names
{{short description|2002 novel by Amélie Nothomb}}
{{Infobox book |
| name = The Book of Proper Names
| title_orig = Robert des noms propres
| translator = Shaun Whiteside
| image = The Book of Proper Names.jpg
| border = yes
| author = Amélie Nothomb
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Belgium
| language = French
| genre = Novel
| publisher =
| release_date = 2002
| english_release_date =
| media_type =
| pages = 170
| isbn = 2-226-13389-5
| preceded_by = The Enemy's Cosmetique
| followed_by = Antichrista
}}
The Book of Proper Names{{Cite book|title = The Book of Proper Names: A Novel|url = https://www.amazon.com/Book-Proper-Names-Novel-ebook/dp/B00YM40MV2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449760321&sr=8-1&keywords=the+book+of+proper+names|publisher = St. Martin's Press|date = 2015-07-21|first = Amelie|last = Nothomb}} ({{langx|fr|Robert des noms propres}}) is a Belgian novel by Amélie Nothomb.{{Cite web|title = A writer's life: Amélie Nothomb|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3654008/A-writers-life-Amelie-Nothomb.html|website = Telegraph.co.uk|accessdate = 2015-12-10}}{{Cite web|title = Amélie Nothomb {{!}} BÉNIS SOIENT CEUX QUI INSPIRENT L'AMOUR.|url = http://www.amelie-nothomb.com/|website = www.amelie-nothomb.com|accessdate = 2015-12-10}}{{Cite web|title = Amélie Nothomb {{!}} The Institute of Modern Languages Research|url = http://modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk/centre-study-contemporary-womens-writing/languages/french/am%25C3%25A9lie-nothomb|website = modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk|accessdate = 2015-12-10}} It was first published in 2002. It is a romanticized account of the life of the singer RoBERT,{{Cite web|title = RoBERT - Nouvel album le 24 mars avec Plastic Art Noise|url = http://robertlesite.net/|website = robertlesite.net|accessdate = 2015-12-10}}{{Cite web|title = Myriam Roulet / France Inter|url = http://www.franceinter.fr/personne-robert-0|website = France Inter|accessdate = 2015-12-11}} whom Nothomb became acquainted with as an avid admirer of her songs.{{Citation|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fWlX90qvBQ|website= youtube|title= "Chanteuse RoBERT parle du roman d'Amélie Nothomb" |accessdate = 2015-12-10}}
Plot
In a vaguely surreal story, an extraordinary little girl is born from strange circumstances - her mother murdered her father, gave birth in prison, and then hanged herself. Plectrude, as the girl is unfortunately named by her mother, is adopted by her aunt and lives a fairy-like existence until she enrolls into the Paris Opera Ballet School, a rigorous institution portrayed as a "scalpel to slice away the last flesh of childhood."{{Cite news|title = Review: The Book of Proper Names by Amélie Nothomb|url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/may/29/featuresreviews.guardianreview18|website = the Guardian|accessdate = 2015-12-10|first = Kate|last = Figes| date=28 May 2004 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3617057/Murdered-by-her-heroine.html|title=Murdered by her heroine|date=May 15, 2004|website=The Telegraph}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/books/a-twisted-ballerina-s-dance-macabre-1-1393994|title=The Scotsman, "A twisted ballerina's dance macabre" 09, May 2004}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/fs/knr205?rskey=zpPI3n&result=2 Oxford Index - Anna Kemp, French Studies, "The Child as Artist in Amélie Nothomb's "Robert des noms propres"]
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{{Amelie Nothomb}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Proper Names}}
Category:French-language novels