The Writer's Cats

By Muriel Barbery and Maria Guitart

An entertaining and gorgeously illustrated portrait of a writer’s life avec chats from the acclaimed author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog – and her four cats.

Like so many writers, Muriel Barbery is a lover of cats. Grey-furred and amber-eyed (matching her home décor), Barbery’s four Chartreux cats keep her company as she works from her house in the French countryside, entertaining her with their quirks and foibles, inspiring her with their beauty, and soothing her nerves.

But that’s not all. For Kirin, Ocha, Mizu and Petrus – named after the writer’s love of all things Japanese, and, in true French style, of good wine – are no ordinary felines. These intelligent creatures have taken it upon themselves to guide their owner’s writing – flicking aside sections of her manuscript with a disdainful tail, pointing an approving paw at others. And it’s time these put-upon literary consultants got the recognition they deserve.

With delicious wit and irony, the international bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog gives an insight into her writing life – and the paws behind the pen. Accompanied by delightful illustrations by Maria Guitart, The Writer’s Cats is the perfect gift for cat lovers and book lovers everywhere.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gallic Books
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781913547264

Muriel Barbery

Muriel Barbery is the author of six previous novels, including the IMPAC-shortlisted, multimillion-copy bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Published in France in 2006 and in the UK in 2008, the novel was translated in 44 countries, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide, and was described by Le Figaro as ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’. Barbery has lived in Kyoto, Amsterdam and Paris and now lives in the French countryside.

Book preview

First of all, let me make one thing clear: we like our writer. She’s kind. She never forgets our mealtimes. She doesn’t scream when she sees a dead mouse. She throws bottle corks to us (our favourite game at aperitif hour) while she’s drinking wine (which is not infrequently). She takes us to the vet the minute we fart out of tune. We really do like her.

But enough is enough.

I’ll come straight out with it: without us, our writer would not be the writer she is. I don’t know if she’d be worse or better, but she’d be different, that’s all. Why? Because even if we can’t speak, we are outstanding literary advisors.

‘How can a cat claim to be a literary advisor?’ you might wonder (and rightly so). I shall explain.

But first allow me to introduce our tribe. We are four Chartreux cats, which means we have grey fur and orange eyes. When our writer’s best friend saw us for the first time, he said, ‘They go nicely with the walls.’

We live in a house in the country, with taupe-grey walls, brown sofas and orange cushions.

Reviews for The Writer's Cats

[Vìrginia Schwartz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Muriel Barbarey and this book was an absolute delight. I miss having a cat around and a peek into her life has reminded me not to talk life's little joys for granted.