This work is translated from the French, and even though in English it loses some of its lyrical power, it still remains a unique work with a unique voice. This is a story between a would-be-novelist and a girl he meets by chance. What works in the novel is the unpretentiousness of the narrator, whose prose reads almost like a stream of conciousness and yet manages to remain honest. It captures well the mind of 'a man' without censoring much of anything or compromising its literary integrity. It is emotionally charged, and the characters stay with you long after you've finished the book. I highly recommend this book since it is the only one of a dozen Philippe Djian's novels which has been translated.

i loved it. djian is a great writer. i write my own stories but after djian i decided to quit. he's done everything i want to do. u must read this... fabulous.

This book rocks, Djians writeing is pure rythm'blues and his characters are beaming of live and spirit. a real must read for pretty much everybody (unless you are prude 8-)

Philippe Djian is well known for writing novels, but not many readers know that he can write short stories that are both gripping, real and very funny. 50 Contre 1 is a collection of eleven short stories about people going on with their tedious everyday lives. The theme that connects these stories together is the monotony of dead-end jobs and the realisation that dreams will never come true. The style is more dirty realism that some of his novels, but Djian manages to capture a mood in those stories that is both disturbing, dark and very real. The text is in French, and there are no translations available, so you will need to know French fluently to be able to enjoy these stories.

Philippe Djian is well known for writing novels, but not many readers know that he can write short stories that are both gripping, real and very funny. 50 Contre 1 is a collection of eleven short stories about people going on with their tedious everyday lives. The theme that connects these stories together is the monotony of dead-end jobs and the realisation that dreams will never come true. The style is more dirty realism that some of his novels, but Djian manages to capture a mood in those stories that is both disturbing, dark and very real. The text is in French, and there are no translations available, so you will need to know French fluently to be able to enjoy these stories.

My favorite book from Djian, its part of the Betty Blue triology and tells the story of Bettys friend while he struggles approaching the age of 40. Djians character is exilarating and encouraging for almost evry one. while his style is as good or better then in his preceeding books.

"Sainte-Bob" is the third novel is a series of three, with "Assassins" and "Criminels" as the first two servings. This is the better of the three novels, and what the author has done is unique and strange. His protagonist, Luc Paradis, is the author of two novels "Assassins" and "Criminels" -- I'm not sure what Djian was trying to achieve with this, but it works in its unique way -- we find that the characters in the previous two novels are actually composites of "Sainte-Bob" characters -- Luc Paradis uses his friends and family members as sketches for his books "Assassins" and "Criminels". That put aside, the novel is beautifully written, and the town of Sainte-Bob is well detailed and realistic. This novel is not as vulgar as his previous two, and this is where Djian's writing shines. Too often, in some of his other works, he relies on vulgarity and slang, but, in my opinion, this only weakens his prose. His best work, I think, is still 'Echine', although I'm still reading 'Lent Dehors', so it might be too early to tell. His characters always seem to be drowing in a sea of sorrow and despair, but are still able to look at life with a comic eye. This text is in French and no translations are available.

I really enjoyed reading that book.
Dijan writes in such an easy and unimportant way,
it is a good book for relaxed and easy reading and gives you full entertainment.