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Putois
Reprint of an 1907 edition.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 1907
5 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Anatole France
1,603 books558 followersFrench critic Anatole France, pen name of Jacques Anatole François Thibault wrote sophisticated, often satirical short stories and novels, including
Penguin Island
(1908), and won the Nobel Prize of 1921 for literature.
Anatole France began his career as a poet and a journalist. From 1867, he as a journalist composed articles and notices.
In 1869, Le Parnasse Contemporain published La Part de Madeleine of his poems. In 1875, he sat on the committee in charge of the third such compilation. He moved Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé aside.
Skeptical old scholar Sylvester Bonnard, protagonist of famous Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), embodied own personality of the author. The academy praised its elegant prose.
Anatole France in La Rotisserie de la Reine Pedauque (1893) ridiculed belief in the occult and in Les Opinions de Jerome Coignard (1893) captured the atmosphere of the fin de siècle.
People elected him to the Académie française in 1896.
People falsely convicted Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer, of espionage. Anatole France took an important part in the affair, signed manifesto of Émile Zola to support Dreyfus, and authored Monsieur Bergeret in 1901.
After the nearsighted Abbot Mael baptized the animals in error, France in later work depicts the transformation into human nature in 1908.
People considered most profound La Revolte des Anges (1914). It tells of Arcade, the guardian angel of Maurice d'Esparvieu. Arcade falls in love, joins the revolutionary movement of angels, and towards the end recognizes the meaningless overthrow of God unless "in ourselves and in ourselves alone we attack and destroy Ialdabaoth."
People awarded him "in recognition of his brilliant literary achievements, characterized as they are by a nobility of style, a profound human sympathy, grace, and a true Gallic temperament" in 1921.
In 1922, the Catholic Church put entire works of France on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Index of Prohibited Books).
He died, and people buried his body in the Neuilly-sur-Seine community cemetery near Paris.
Anatole France began his career as a poet and a journalist. From 1867, he as a journalist composed articles and notices.
In 1869, Le Parnasse Contemporain published La Part de Madeleine of his poems. In 1875, he sat on the committee in charge of the third such compilation. He moved Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé aside.
Skeptical old scholar Sylvester Bonnard, protagonist of famous Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), embodied own personality of the author. The academy praised its elegant prose.
Anatole France in La Rotisserie de la Reine Pedauque (1893) ridiculed belief in the occult and in Les Opinions de Jerome Coignard (1893) captured the atmosphere of the fin de siècle.
People elected him to the Académie française in 1896.
People falsely convicted Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer, of espionage. Anatole France took an important part in the affair, signed manifesto of Émile Zola to support Dreyfus, and authored Monsieur Bergeret in 1901.
After the nearsighted Abbot Mael baptized the animals in error, France in later work depicts the transformation into human nature in 1908.
People considered most profound La Revolte des Anges (1914). It tells of Arcade, the guardian angel of Maurice d'Esparvieu. Arcade falls in love, joins the revolutionary movement of angels, and towards the end recognizes the meaningless overthrow of God unless "in ourselves and in ourselves alone we attack and destroy Ialdabaoth."
People awarded him "in recognition of his brilliant literary achievements, characterized as they are by a nobility of style, a profound human sympathy, grace, and a true Gallic temperament" in 1921.
In 1922, the Catholic Church put entire works of France on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Index of Prohibited Books).
He died, and people buried his body in the Neuilly-sur-Seine community cemetery near Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 23, 2020
I loved this delightful story detailing the way a lie can take on a life of its own. If you ever played "gossip" when you were younger--a game in which a sentence is whispered to a person, who passes it own to the next, until it has circled the room--you will know that the sentence the last person hears seldom has any resemblance to the original. I thought of the game when I was reading this story.
It is quite humorous, made me laugh aloud at least once, and yet it is a warning for the last sentence struck me as quite profound. A lie can have a life of its own.
It is quite humorous, made me laugh aloud at least once, and yet it is a warning for the last sentence struck me as quite profound. A lie can have a life of its own.
December 9, 2019
A strange story of a gardener whose name was Putois.
December 25, 2022
This was a cute short read
August 22, 2020
Еще один рассказ на тему «Во что верим, то и правда».
Забавный рассказ о несуществующем садовнике, на которого город свалил все грехи.
Забавный рассказ о несуществующем садовнике, на которого город свалил все грехи.
December 29, 2021
This humorous tale is about how a lie can spread like wildfire, changing its shapes and identity in the process. The tale is told in a lighthearted manner yet it doesn't fail to make you think about what truly is an identity, how the lies can have their own life, and just how chaotic is the society and information that we share.
Entertainingly, the ways we try to avoid people and occasions don't seem to have changed much over the centuries.
Entertainingly, the ways we try to avoid people and occasions don't seem to have changed much over the centuries.
October 1, 2024
Anatole France's "Putois" is a humorous tale about a fictional character who becomes the town's scapegoat. Invented to avoid boring dinners, Putois' legend grows, and the townspeople use him to explain their own mistakes. The story satirizes people's tendency to believe in myths and rumors.
February 27, 2015
Este conto fala-nos sobre uma mentira que uma família inventou e que, aos poucos, vai avançando em rumo à cidade e espalhando pela população. A questão deste livro é: será que é mesmo uma mentira ou a realidade é feita de sonhos nossos? O persongem Putois é uma autência aberração, com todas as caraterizações possíveis feitas pela população, o que vai tornando o conto divertido e também curioso; no geral, é um conto muito bem concebido. Em 13 páginas, podemos ler algo inspirador na forma da descrição e avanço da história (a escrita de France fascinou-me, tem um certo encanto da época), divertido e misterioso - mas afinal, quem foi Putois?
April 11, 2022
A story about stories. A fiction about fiction. Writing on writing. A parable about parables. What more could you ask for?
Listen to the reading here:
https://anchor.fm/austin-lugo/episode...
My full review:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/some-th...
Listen to the reading here:
https://anchor.fm/austin-lugo/episode...
My full review:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/some-th...
February 3, 2020
A strange story where everyone believe that a man whose name is Putois is real and they put all kind of crimes on him but he was invented by a woman who is the only one (and her children) to know that he is not real.
August 13, 2024
This entertaining short story talks about a mysterious figure, Putois, who was invented by the mother of Lucien and Zoé. Their peaceful childhood life was interrupted by their aunt Madame Cornouiller, who insisted that the Bergerets must dine with her every Sunday. The dining had been proved to be so boring that the Bergerets began to look for pretexts to refuse Madame Cornouiller’s invitation. One day Madame Bergeret one day came up with the idea that they were expecting their gardener, Putois, and fabricated many detailed descriptions about him. After Madame Cornouiller accused Putois of stealing her melons and having seduced her cook, everyone in the town suspected Putois of every evil deed reported. Finally, even Madame Bergeret suspected the existence of Patois.
The plot that Putois became the scapegoat of many misdeeds in the town amused me the most. At first, it was Madame Cornouiller who accused Patois of robbery and it still made sense, considering her strong belief in Patois’ existence. But after she charged him with seducing her cook and Patois became the father of several other babies born that year, I had to suspect that the people in the town just used him as a pretext for their own errors. I think this plot served as an irony, for the pretext Madame Bergeret had invented became the pretext of the town. “The news that Pluto had seduced Gudule filled the town with laughter, astonishment, and admiration.” As this sentence suggests, maybe some people did not really believe the existence of Putois, but they helped keep this lie only because it was amusing or beneficial to themselves. Some others might really believe in Putois’ existence, but they only took it as an interesting anecdote. It was hard to explain their admiration; perhaps some people were convinced that Putois was indeed an “irresistible lady-killer”. Various responses to the Putois of Madame Cornouiller, people in the town, and the Bergeret family were so vivid and illustrated their distinct characters.
The plot that Putois became the scapegoat of many misdeeds in the town amused me the most. At first, it was Madame Cornouiller who accused Patois of robbery and it still made sense, considering her strong belief in Patois’ existence. But after she charged him with seducing her cook and Patois became the father of several other babies born that year, I had to suspect that the people in the town just used him as a pretext for their own errors. I think this plot served as an irony, for the pretext Madame Bergeret had invented became the pretext of the town. “The news that Pluto had seduced Gudule filled the town with laughter, astonishment, and admiration.” As this sentence suggests, maybe some people did not really believe the existence of Putois, but they helped keep this lie only because it was amusing or beneficial to themselves. Some others might really believe in Putois’ existence, but they only took it as an interesting anecdote. It was hard to explain their admiration; perhaps some people were convinced that Putois was indeed an “irresistible lady-killer”. Various responses to the Putois of Madame Cornouiller, people in the town, and the Bergeret family were so vivid and illustrated their distinct characters.
February 22, 2021
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23219
A made up person takes on a life of his own.
A made up person takes on a life of his own.
Consider mythology […] and you will perceive that they are not real beings but imaginary beings that exercise the most profound and lasting influence on the mind. Everywhere and always, beings who have no more reality than Putois have inspired nations with hatred and love, terror and hope, have advised crimes, received offerings, made laws and customs. […] Putois is a mythical personage, the most obscure, I grant you, and of the lowest order. […] Putois, less fortunate, will be always neglected by artists and poets. He lacks bigness and the unusual style and character. He was conceived by minds too reasonable, among people who knew how to read and write, and who had not that delightful imagination in which fables take root.
September 24, 2020
A story about a gardener names Putois a man who leads and existence unlike ours, birthed through one white lie he goes on to become the center of gossip in a small french town.
It's a pleasure to read and explores some interesting ideas.
It's a pleasure to read and explores some interesting ideas.
September 17, 2020
I found it hilarious.. How a little white lie can turn into something you can't control and influence whole generations.. Telling a lot about our society as well..
December 8, 2020
Fun reading. It made me think about how gossip works in our society.
May 24, 2022
✔️ Published in 1907.
A good tale of the perils of lies and gossip. I enjoyed reading this and will look for the original French version to read.
🟣Kindle version.
A good tale of the perils of lies and gossip. I enjoyed reading this and will look for the original French version to read.
🟣Kindle version.
January 7, 2025
4/5
Great Short Story with an interesting story line
Great Short Story with an interesting story line
December 30, 2025
Despre rapiditatea cu care o minciuna se propagă într-o comunitate, iar nevoia oamenilor de a găsi un țap ispășitor transformă zvonul în "adevăr" acceptat.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews