Life: A User's Manual
Life: A User's Manual (original title La Vie mode d'emploi) is Georges Perec's most famous novel, published in 1978, first translated into English by David Bellos in 1987. Its title page describes it as "novels", in the plural, the reasons for which become apparent on reading. Some critics have cited the work as an example of postmodern fiction, but Perec preferred to avoid labels and his only long-term affiliation with any movement was with the Oulipo or OUvroir de LIttérature POtentielle.
1979 French edition | |
| Author | Georges Perec |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Vie mode d'emploi |
| Translator | David Bellos |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Publisher | Hachette Littératures |
Publication date | 1978 |
Published in English | 1987 |
| ISBN | 978-0-87923-751-6 (1978 paperback, first English translation) ISBN 0-87923-751-1 (1987 hardcover) ISBN 978-1-56792-373-5 (2008 paperback, revised translation) |
La Vie mode d'emploi features many interwoven stories and ideas as well as literary and historical allusions. It is based on the lives of the inhabitants of a fictitious Parisian apartment block, 11 rue Simon-Crubellier. It was written according to a complex plan of writing constraints, and is primarily constructed from several elements, each adding a layer of complexity.