- Paperback: 164 pages
- Publisher: University of Chicago Press (9 July 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0226174921
- ISBN-13: 978-0226174921
- Product Dimensions: 2 x 1.3 x 0.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,827,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
Jean Dutourd's A Dog's Head is a wonderful piece of magical realism, reminiscent of Voltaire, Borges and Kafka. With biting wit, Dutourd presents the story of Edmund Du Chaillu, a boy born, to his bourgeois parents's horror, with the head of a spaniel. Edmund must endure his school-mate's teasing as well as an urge to carry a newspaper in his mouth. This is the story of his life, trials, and joys as he searches for a normal life of worth and love. "Dutourd is a fine craftsman, whose work has the classic virtues of brevity, lucidity, and concentration. He has written a sardonic divertissement that concerns itself with fundamental problems of man's existence-a tale that is sad-eyed, witty, and often very funny."--Charles J. Rolo, New York Times Book Review "A tiny masterpiece in the French classical tradition...Stylish, elegant and witty, and told with an apparent lightheartedness that points to rather than obscures the hero's essential tragedy."--P. L. Travers, New York Herald Tribune "Wit, a good deal of shrewd classical allusion, and a Voltarian satire are the book's assets." --Edmund Fuller, Chicago Tribune "The work of an expert craftsman and of a careful writer of prose, ending with the rarest gift in modern letters: the comic spirit."--Henri Peyre, The Saturday Review "Dutourd might well have dropped his story at this point, had it been his intention simply to excoriate the human race for its treatment of those who are physically afflicted. Instead, he presses on in his terse, deadpan prose to teach a lesson to the afflicted of the world as well."--Time "A Dog's Head is one of the most curious, most beautifully conceived and written fantasies you've ever come across."--J. H. Jackson, San Francisco Chronicle "A Dog's Head is an excellent joke in the worst possible taste, and its author, M. Jean Dutourd, is a satirist of the first rank."--New Yorker
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First Sentence
WHEN she was told, as tactfully as could be, that she had just given birth to a child with a dog's head, Mme Du Chaillu fainted. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
WHEN she was told, as tactfully as could be, that she had just given birth to a child with a dog's head, Mme Du Chaillu fainted. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
A wonderful novel for teaching adults (young or old) about the pain of being different. Certainly a good book for those working with disabled adults or just those individuals who have a tough time fitting in. The hero of the book suffers much for his "disability" having the head of a spaniel. He faces daily rejection and though the pain is sometimes hard to bear for both the hero and the reader it provides a great base for discussion. Its short length and easy style makes it very accessible.
Format:Paperback
An astonishing and disquieting little fairy tale, Une tetede chien was first published in Paris in 1951. It is the story of a human boy born with the head of a spaniel dog. One would think the story would have to be either satirically funny or sadly pathetic. I found it to be more a fable of acceptance. How young Edmond, the dog-headed boy, grows to manhood and encounters (and endures) various prejudices and cruel jokes is a moral unto itself. Although a fantasy, this is not a book for children. It is a rather disturbing and thought-provoking story about being different in a world where conformity prevails.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Once read, never forgotten
11 Jun 2003
Format:Paperback
First read this book in 1954 when I was 13. Read it again in college in 1958 for a thesis. Since the story remained in my subconscious all these years, in 1993,I decided to reread it. The wonders of the internet were not readily available so I wrote real letters to a bunch of book sellers in the lower tier of New York State. E voila - one responded and I was able to order and enjoy it once again. Certain scenes were etched in my mind and I wanted to see if they were still as affecting now that I am a seasoned grown-up. Guess what? they still are! The story has a universal appeal - most of us have endured unpleasant encounters or have felt unaccepted or "different" at least once in our lives - M. Dutourd details the "feeling" with "feeling."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A Great Fable
30 Sep 1998
Format:Paperback
A wonderful novel for teaching adults (young or old) about the pain of being different. Certainly a good book for those working with disabled adults or just those individuals who have a tough time fitting in. The hero of the book suffers much for his "disability" having the head of a spaniel. He faces daily rejection and though the pain is sometimes hard to bear for both the hero and the reader it provides a great base for discussion. Its short length and easy style makes it very accessible.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Not for Children
16 July 1998
Format:Paperback
An astonishing and disquieting little fairy tale, Une tetede chien was first published in Paris in 1951. It is the story of ahuman boy born with the head of a spaniel dog. One would think the story would have to be either satirically funny or sadly pathetic. I found it to be more a fable of acceptance. How young Edmond, the dog-headed boy, grows to manhood and encounters (and endures) various prejudices and cruel jokes is a moral unto itself. Although a fantasy, this is not a book for children. It is a rather disturbing and thought-provoking story about being different in a world where conformity prevails.
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