A feverish classic from one of the modern masters of French prose

No one can keep up with Pierre Niox, the speediest antiques dealer in Paris - although not necessarily the most competent. As he dashes about at a dizzying pace, his impatience becomes too much to bear for those around him: his manservant, his only friend and even his cat abandon him. He begins to find that while he is racing through life, it is passing him by.

But when Pierre falls in love with the languid, unpunctual Hedwige, the man in a hurry has to learn how to slow down. This feverish classic by one of the modern masters of French prose is a witty and touching parable for our busy times.

Without doubt the best French writer of the twentieth century -- Philippe Sollers Admired both by Ezra Pound and by Marcel Proust as a pioneer craftsman of Modernist French prose... The sheer shapeliness of his prose recalls Hemingway; the urbanity of his self-destructiveness compares with Fitzgerald's; and his camera eye is as lucidly stroboscopic as that of Dos Passos The New York Times Morand was the all-round aesthete -- Nicholas Lezard Morand was a citizen of the world, with a sharp eye and a neat turn of phrase The Tablet A French modernist on the scale of Proust and Celine... Pushkin Press's gorgeous new edition of Morand's masterpiece is a shockingly clever farce... Morand deserves to be widely revisited Publisher's Weekly

Paul Morand was born in Paris in 1888. After studying at the École des Sciences Politiques he joined the diplomatic corps, serving in London, Rome, Berne and Bucharest. Tender Shoots, his first collection of stories, was introduced by Marcel Proust. In a long and busy life, he found time to write poetry, novels, short stories and travel books. Morand was made a member of the Académie Française in 1963 and died in 1976. His books Hecate and Her Dogs, Tender Shoots, Venices and The Allure of Chanel are also published by Pushkin Press.