Strangers in Paradise: A Memoir of Provence [Paperback]

Paul Christensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2007

Weaving a fascinating dialogue between the Old World as represented by Provence and the New World of the postmodern American university, this memoir describes in finely wrought detail a poet and critic of literary postmodernism moving his family to France and experiencing village life. Stories of amazing adjustments to a wildly different world are etched in beautiful prose, reading like a quest novel, a precise travelogue, an intense discourse on the visionary arts, and a rediscovery—if not reinvention—of the self as this contemporary American intellectual finds enlightenment in exile.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Christensen, a poet, editor and author of over a dozen books (most recently Falling from Grace in Texas), has crafted a memoir of his part-time residency in Provence that avoids the familiar with unique experience and a fluid style that separates it from other an-American-in-Europe journals. What makes Christensen's expatriate tale unique is how much of it he spends in Texas; while he teaches there during the academic year, his wife and three children lived in Provence without him, and the most interesting portions of his sometimes meandering narrative involve his ambivalence over watching his children become French. Christensen's other gift is for capturing perfect details of Provencial life, as in his description of an art gallery: "There were no geniuses around, only a few shy attempts to paint one's gratitude for the light or the wild flowers." This gift for lovely writing occasionally drifts into melodramatic territory ("I thought keenly of my deceased brother... he shimmered over the twilit air and seemed to almost touch my face"). It seems that this slim book could have used a tighter edit, but there is much here to appreciate, particularly for those with fond memories of France. Photographs.
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About the Author

Paul Christensen is a modern literature teacher at Texas A&M University and the author of Falling from Grace in Texas, The Mottled Air, and West of the American Dream. He was an NEA Poetry fellow in 1991. He lives in College Station, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wings Press (May 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916727289
• ISBN-13: 978-0916727284
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Torn Between Two Loves: Howdy and Bonjour, July 31, 2007

By 

Gary L. Adams PhD (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strangers in Paradise: A Memoir of Provence (Paperback)

Anyone who has already fallen in love with France and its South or may want to, but has dared not, order in this beautifully written memoir of the author and his family's love affair with the French and Provencal people and cultures. Travel guides about Provence abound. This book is much more than a sight seers handbook, intended to lure us to the villages, marketplaces, restaurants, and ruins of one of the most interesting, beautiful, and ancient regions of France. Its uniqueness lies in its author's careful crafting of his philosophy of life and how Provence has supported his ongoing search for meaning, value, satisfaction, true pleasure, and spirit. Those of us who have been torn between two loves, in this case, the love of our own country and that of some foreign land, will find validation in Professor Christensen's self-disclosure and exploration of his ambivalence, which he did not allow to interfere with his family's choice to make France their home, while honoring that choice and his commitment to teaching at his Texas university. As a frequent visitor to Provence and to the area in which Professor Christensen and his family made their home, my own senses and memories were stirred--the sights, sounds, aromas, tastes, and grace of my favorite place to nurture my soul. If you have not shared this experience yet, you just may want to, if you read this inspiring book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, December 15, 2007

By 

J. Marquardt "chatfemme" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strangers in Paradise: A Memoir of Provence (Paperback)

Most travel stories don't have the depth. This book was more philosophical and spiritual. There were passages worth remembering and reflecting upon. I better understand my keen interest and attachment to France and nature. It was food for my soul. I especially related to the idea of the three types of people on the planet. I'm now reading a novel by Gustaf Sobin who befriended Paul in Provence. I too love the Luberon and all it signifies and offers that's not available in the U.S.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A prose master, April 9, 2008

By 

Magicstone (Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strangers in Paradise: A Memoir of Provence (Paperback)

This book came to me as a gift. It had never occurred to me that I'd want to see Southern France. Nevertheless I eased into it, and very soon this writer's lyrical prose drew me into his narrative. I began to not only see this place Mr. Christensen and his family had fallen in love with, but I could smell it, feel its warm breezes -- and I began seeing myself touring Provence.

Here's a prose master, a writer at the top of his craft, and whether or not you are interested in this part of France now, soon enough you'll find yourself pulled along, eager to see and feel and smell the old hills and tiny hamlets that are the center of this memoir.

Paul Christensen is now on my list of writers to be read for style as well as content. A wonderful find!