The Man in a Hurry

Pierre Niox is ‘The Man in a Hurry’. He is an antiques dealer who races through life and is certainly not one to stop and smell the roses. That is until he meets Hedwige de Boisrosé , from a family whose laid back lifestyle is the antithesis of Niox’s.
The book has a feel of Noel Coward wit about it through the very clever use of prose that delivers humour with a choice use of words. Take for example the narrative of Niox’s driving, ‘Orly airport tilts back, Ris-Orangis rears up, Melun subsides, Fontainbleau throws open its forest to allow them to pass through.’ However, amongst the humour lies the story of a man who is not connected to himself, let alone Hedwige whom he woos, then awkwardly seduces quite a while after their marriage. The amusing narrative manages to convey a great deal of simultaneous pathos in Niox’s constant attempts to correct his impulse for life in the fast lane. There is also a great deal that is skilfully captured with regards to the difficulties of relationships when two very different people, with the best will in the world, attempt to live together but end up conducting parallel lives. The ability of Paul Morand to convey so much about relationships, as well as the quality of the writing and translation, is probably why, despite having been written in 1941, ‘The Man in a Hurry’ does not feel dated.

First published in 1941, acclaimed French author Paul Morand’s short but compelling novel has an intriguing resonance for today’s world. It’s the story of Pierre Niox, a busy Paris antiques dealer, who just can’t stop living life at top speed. As he dashes about at a dizzying pace, he alienates all those around him, until even his cat abandons him. His efforts to save time at every possible opportunity becomes ultimately ridiculous, and it is only after meeting and marrying the indolent Hedwige that he begins to see the light and wonder whether his race against time actually means a fulfilling life is passing him by. A cautionary tale for us all, perhaps, in our world of instant gratification. Niox’s frenetic existence is largely autobiographical and is both amusing and touching. A life lived trying always to save time is in fact a life lived wasting it. An enjoyable little fable, seamlessly translated, and another gem from Pushkin Press.

Bearing in mind this book was first published in 1941, you have to forgive the use of language that is no longer politically correct. You also have to shove aside the sexism, insofar as the women in the book were written about as if they were all strange, unknown creatures, who are all alike in habits and actions. The writing was quite unusual to start with, but the book was beautifully translated. It took a few chapters to get into the flow of the writing style and fully engage with the main characters. At first I stuggled with the story, then I was hooked, then it annoyed me, then I liked it again. I did find some passages drifted of of topic, and the book is very 'wordy' and descriptive, but that may be due to it being a translation. Overal I enjoyed the book, it was intresting and certainly different. It offers a lot of opportunity for reflection on how we live our lives today. How we rush from one thing to another, but do we ever enjoy or appreciate the present moment.