What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gigolo
'The sap had dried up; the sap, the incentive, the fever, the desire to do, to act, to act the fool, make love, create'
A middle-aged woman breaks with her handsome young lover; a placid husband is suspected of infidelity; and a dying man reflects on his extramarital affairs, in these tales of love and disillusionment from the author of Bonjour Tristesse.
Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
A middle-aged woman breaks with her handsome young lover; a placid husband is suspected of infidelity; and a dying man reflects on his extramarital affairs, in these tales of love and disillusionment from the author of Bonjour Tristesse.
Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
25 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
Françoise Sagan
251 books1,682 followersBorn Françoise Quoirez, Sagan grew up in a French Catholic, bourgeois family. She was an independent thinker and avid reader as a young girl, and upon failing her examinations for continuing at the Sorbonne, she became a writer.
She went to her family's home in the south of France and wrote her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, at age 18. She submitted it to Editions Juillard in January 1954 and it was published that March. Later that year, She won the Prix des Critiques for Bonjour Tristesse.
She chose "Sagan" as her pen name because she liked the sound of it and also liked the reference to the Prince and Princesse de Sagan, 19th century Parisians, who are said to be the basis of some of Marcel Proust's characters.
She was known for her love of drinking, gambling, and fast driving. Her habit of driving fast was moderated after a serious car accident in 1957 involving her Aston Martin while she was living in Milly, France.
Sagan was twice married and divorced, and subsequently maintained several long-term lesbian relationships. First married in 1958 to Guy Schoeller, a publisher, they divorced in 1960, and she was then married to Robert James Westhoff, an American ceramicist and sculptor, from 1962 to 63. She had one son, Denis, from her second marriage.
She won the Prix de Monaco in 1984 in recognition of all of her work.
She went to her family's home in the south of France and wrote her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, at age 18. She submitted it to Editions Juillard in January 1954 and it was published that March. Later that year, She won the Prix des Critiques for Bonjour Tristesse.
She chose "Sagan" as her pen name because she liked the sound of it and also liked the reference to the Prince and Princesse de Sagan, 19th century Parisians, who are said to be the basis of some of Marcel Proust's characters.
She was known for her love of drinking, gambling, and fast driving. Her habit of driving fast was moderated after a serious car accident in 1957 involving her Aston Martin while she was living in Milly, France.
Sagan was twice married and divorced, and subsequently maintained several long-term lesbian relationships. First married in 1958 to Guy Schoeller, a publisher, they divorced in 1960, and she was then married to Robert James Westhoff, an American ceramicist and sculptor, from 1962 to 63. She had one son, Denis, from her second marriage.
She won the Prix de Monaco in 1984 in recognition of all of her work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
August 9, 2022
These "tales of love and disillusionment" were easy to read but felt trite and heavy handed. I'm guessing tthey were written when Sagan was very young.
October 4, 2020
''Happiness between two people, it’s not so easy.''
The Unknown Visitor is the best one.
The Unknown Visitor is the best one.
August 31, 2018
I was very much looking forward to the Francoise Sagan short stories published as part of the Penguin Moderns series (#31). I have read quite a lot of her work to date, and always admire the way in which she writes, and the clever characterisation always to be found within her books. In this collection of 'shimmering, bittersweet tales of desire and disillusionment', 'a middle-aged woman breaks with her young lover; a husband is suspected of infidelity; a dying man reflects on his extramarital affairs'.
As with many of her psychologically rich novel-length stories, Sagan concerns herself here with the darker side of human relationships in these stories. She focuses upon sexuality and affairs, and the ways in which people hurt others. The four stories collected here are 'The Gigolo', 'The Unknown Visitor', 'The Lake of Loneliness', and in Joanna Kilmartin's English translation in 1977.
Throughout, Sagan has such a deep understanding of her characters, and of what motivates them. She knows their vulnerabilities and their thought patterns. True to form, her stories rarely end with happy conclusions, or even with closure. She presents the unexpected, and builds suspense well throughout. She displays one complicated life after another, and the fragments of story which she focuses upon tell the reader so much about her protagonists.
Sagan strikes such a great balance between descriptions of place and developments of character. She has such skill in presenting the more chilling aspects of the natural world. In 'The Lakes of Loneliness', for instance, she writes: 'The idea of those lakes in the setting sun, with reeds, furze, perhaps some duck, immediately attracted her and she quickened her step. She came upon the first of the promised lakes almost at once. It was a mixture of blues and greys, and although not covered with wildfowl (there wasn't even a single duck) it was nevertheless strewn with dead leaves which were slowly sinking, one after another, in a dying spiral; and each one seemed to be in need of aid and protection. Each of these dead leaves was an Ophelia.'
The translation of each of these stories is fluid, and the prose beguiling. The stories in The Gigolo are not neat; they make one think for weeks after the final page has been read. I loved each of the stories collected here, but was particularly struck by the imagery and troubled female protagonist in 'The Lake of Loneliness'; there is such a dark beauty to it. The stories here are so human, so deep, and so wonderful.
As with many of her psychologically rich novel-length stories, Sagan concerns herself here with the darker side of human relationships in these stories. She focuses upon sexuality and affairs, and the ways in which people hurt others. The four stories collected here are 'The Gigolo', 'The Unknown Visitor', 'The Lake of Loneliness', and in Joanna Kilmartin's English translation in 1977.
Throughout, Sagan has such a deep understanding of her characters, and of what motivates them. She knows their vulnerabilities and their thought patterns. True to form, her stories rarely end with happy conclusions, or even with closure. She presents the unexpected, and builds suspense well throughout. She displays one complicated life after another, and the fragments of story which she focuses upon tell the reader so much about her protagonists.
Sagan strikes such a great balance between descriptions of place and developments of character. She has such skill in presenting the more chilling aspects of the natural world. In 'The Lakes of Loneliness', for instance, she writes: 'The idea of those lakes in the setting sun, with reeds, furze, perhaps some duck, immediately attracted her and she quickened her step. She came upon the first of the promised lakes almost at once. It was a mixture of blues and greys, and although not covered with wildfowl (there wasn't even a single duck) it was nevertheless strewn with dead leaves which were slowly sinking, one after another, in a dying spiral; and each one seemed to be in need of aid and protection. Each of these dead leaves was an Ophelia.'
The translation of each of these stories is fluid, and the prose beguiling. The stories in The Gigolo are not neat; they make one think for weeks after the final page has been read. I loved each of the stories collected here, but was particularly struck by the imagery and troubled female protagonist in 'The Lake of Loneliness'; there is such a dark beauty to it. The stories here are so human, so deep, and so wonderful.
August 19, 2020
There is something about Francoise Sagan, something sweet and understated, earthy and excessive - something deeply sensual and perceptive. Sagan writes like she lies on hot balconies with rolled-up cigarettes and laughs coyly at the people who walk beneath her.
Sagan gets into the head of her characters, typically immoral for our image of 20th century Paris - seething with attractive men in fitted suits sleeping with multitudes of lithe young mistresses. These stories reek of expensive red wine (not that I've ever tried expensive red wine, maybe in a dream). Her characters are not happy in their excess but seem to be seeking some kind of spiritual answer to the unanswerable question of what their lives and loves truly mean.
A brilliant writer.
Sagan gets into the head of her characters, typically immoral for our image of 20th century Paris - seething with attractive men in fitted suits sleeping with multitudes of lithe young mistresses. These stories reek of expensive red wine (not that I've ever tried expensive red wine, maybe in a dream). Her characters are not happy in their excess but seem to be seeking some kind of spiritual answer to the unanswerable question of what their lives and loves truly mean.
A brilliant writer.
August 24, 2019
“Each of these dead leaves was an Ophelia.”
“Happiness between two people, it’s not so easy.”
Tak krásne poviedky, až mám chuť začať čítať túto útlu knižku okamžite znova. Saganová si ma omotala okolo prsta už po pár vetách- delikátnou psychológiou postáv a ich nedokonalých vzťahov, popisom prírody aj sladkotrpkou melanchóliou. Hneď beriem do rúk ďalšiu- O mesiac o rok.
“Happiness between two people, it’s not so easy.”
Tak krásne poviedky, až mám chuť začať čítať túto útlu knižku okamžite znova. Saganová si ma omotala okolo prsta už po pár vetách- delikátnou psychológiou postáv a ich nedokonalých vzťahov, popisom prírody aj sladkotrpkou melanchóliou. Hneď beriem do rúk ďalšiu- O mesiac o rok.
July 2, 2018
read this amazing book all in one day, because it was a fascinating book. sagan's prose is so wonderful that it will keep you hooked with rapt attention. there were four short stories and four of them were absolutely brilliant. but, i will shower my love for its prose -- its beautiful prose. amazing! also, the stories also remind me of the prose or short stories of a prominent bengali writer of the 60s, premendra mitra. when i was reading the first story, i travelled down the memory lane when i read mitra's uniquely beautiful short stories. see what literature makes me do!
October 28, 2018
Nothing special here..just four ordinary stories about dead-end relationships...expected something more...
January 18, 2026
The stories come across as just rather passable to me. "The Unknown Visitor" is probably the most memorable because of the ending. "The Gigolo" serves sexual tension and power dynamics pretty nicely. Meanwhile "In Extremis" feels flat emotionally, especially since it is a story about death.
January 15, 2024
Very mediocre stories about jealousy and betrayal in relationships. Difficult not to see this as being written by a woman based on the narration in the title story, yet still fails the Bechdel test in every story! I often find it hard to praise the work of French fiction as I find it sexist and reductionist ("gossipy") and so focused on betrayal and bitterness in relationships and nothing else, that it's hard to tell whether anyone actually cares about what is going on. If it was funnier and farcical then I could enjoy it, but it's ambiguous to me what it's trying to express. It doesn't feel real, kind, interesting, surprising, psychologically relatable, or memorable? These don't feel like real people or events and are uninteresting if otherwise.
I find it hard to tell whether the bitterness is black humour or serious so I might be misreading the tone, French authors write cruelly about their characters. Cannot see this being more than a 3* read, it is not distinctive in narrative experience or writing technique, but perhaps something was lost in translation.
With respect to similar authors, I found Marguerite Duras unenjoyable to read but she at least had a focus and development that made the narrative interesting and had a particular tone to it. I understand these are short stories but they show no promise for something especially decent in long form (aka what a reader might expect from Penguin's list of the 50 greatest twentieth century authors worldwide!).
I find it hard to tell whether the bitterness is black humour or serious so I might be misreading the tone, French authors write cruelly about their characters. Cannot see this being more than a 3* read, it is not distinctive in narrative experience or writing technique, but perhaps something was lost in translation.
With respect to similar authors, I found Marguerite Duras unenjoyable to read but she at least had a focus and development that made the narrative interesting and had a particular tone to it. I understand these are short stories but they show no promise for something especially decent in long form (aka what a reader might expect from Penguin's list of the 50 greatest twentieth century authors worldwide!).
February 10, 2023
I was really looking forward to these, and they didn’t disappoint. Sagan looks at relationships here, and mostly at how they trip us up and drag us down. She looks at the rise and fall of love, the temptation and guilt of adultery, wondering, in the end, after youth has left us, what was the meaning of it all.
Her prose is typically sensual and steeped in emotion, suggesting questions to us about our own relationships and those of others we know. Some of the passages here astounded me with their beauty, and I imagine Sagan writing these freely, dripping them off her pen with small effort. The way she fits whole lives into a tiny story is truly something to admire.
I have a few Sagan stories still on my reading list, and this has only made me more desperate to read them. A master.
Her prose is typically sensual and steeped in emotion, suggesting questions to us about our own relationships and those of others we know. Some of the passages here astounded me with their beauty, and I imagine Sagan writing these freely, dripping them off her pen with small effort. The way she fits whole lives into a tiny story is truly something to admire.
I have a few Sagan stories still on my reading list, and this has only made me more desperate to read them. A master.
April 24, 2018
I don't often read short stories as I haven't really enjoyed the ones I have read in the past but this tiny book of 4 very short stories had a couple I really did enjoy. I liked the middle best and found the last a bit of a challenge (bit dark). Sagan has a beautiful and emotive writing style and even though the stories are really short they were very atmospheric.
December 30, 2021
I really liked Sagan's writing as it flowed nicely and the topics she covered in these short stories put you into the character's heads instantly - cheating, death, depression. As soon as a new story began it was pretty clear what the tone was and what situation the characters had found themselves in.
My favourite of the four was 'The Unknown Visitor' as I liked the wife's slow reaction; at first going through a sort of denial to save face in front of her friend, then laughing it off, and then realising what had truly happened. My least favourite is 'The Lake of Loneliness' but I still enjoyed it. The reason it is my least favourite is most likely the fact it was very internal whereas the other stories had two characters playing off each other. A solid collection of stories all round.
My favourite of the four was 'The Unknown Visitor' as I liked the wife's slow reaction; at first going through a sort of denial to save face in front of her friend, then laughing it off, and then realising what had truly happened. My least favourite is 'The Lake of Loneliness' but I still enjoyed it. The reason it is my least favourite is most likely the fact it was very internal whereas the other stories had two characters playing off each other. A solid collection of stories all round.
November 20, 2023
I have never read Françoise Sagan´s famous “Bonjour Tristesse”, but I can already say that I like her style. In these short stories, she writes about disillusionment, denial and the fear of being hurt for loving too much. Women are fragile, but hide their sadness and problems behind a façade of cynicism. The stories are cruel, but stay with you…
November 15, 2023
Four stories that flow beautifully and create vivid images of somewhat similar settings in your mind, within which intense yet seemingly calm dramas over love and lust unfold.
May 11, 2018
She's trying to hard to land on both "world-weary libertine" and "gosh, isn't this SHOCKING?!!" that she lands between the two with a loudly audible thud.
July 27, 2021
Ugh. So. Now that I have managed to read more than a couple books a year, it has dawned on me to find my "favourite authors" instead of my "favourite books." Sagan blew me out of the water with Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile. These stories were good.
The Gigolo was fun.
In Extremis seemed frivolous in its treatments of death and infidelity.
That The Unknown Visitor reads like it was written a hundred years ago, when in fact it was only 50, says a great deal about how much society has changed.
The Lake of Loneliness reminded me of my sister (who twice as an adult called me neurotic, here defined as what one says when "talking of unhappy people or [those] who couldn't cope with life").
And they are short stories - one can't expect them to do all the work of a novel. But I'm not sure Sagan brings so much to the table as I had hoped. Is it really reasonable to expect an author to hit a home run with everything they write? We will see.
--
Ps a note from The Gigolo:
"These cocktail parties were like horse fairs or cattle shows. One almost expected to see mature ladies lifting the young men's upper lips to examine their teeth."
This reminded me of my mother's immigration to Canada in 1971. Israeli propaganda in the West was at its all time peak, never before and never since maintaining such complete dominance as in those years after 1967. My mother, fleeing the Israeli occupation of Gaza, didn't have a birth certificate with her on arrival. Although she clearly knew her own age and birthday, the presiding immigration officer did not believe her. How could chattel have voice and memory? No, the white man is more expert in all things native than the native themselves. He paid her no heed. Grabbed her face with one hand, squeezing around her mouth to expose her teeth, and with the other lifting her lips further to inspect her as an animal. He marked her legal Canadian age as two years younger than her actual age. For her adult life this always a source of amusement. What person wouldn't like to win two years of life? Except, of course, retirement, pensions, and coronavirus vaccinations all calculated with a two year delay to entitlement. But that is just money. I will never know how she managed to reconcile her new Canadian identity with her treatment on arrival into the country. It breaks one's heart.
The Gigolo was fun.
In Extremis seemed frivolous in its treatments of death and infidelity.
That The Unknown Visitor reads like it was written a hundred years ago, when in fact it was only 50, says a great deal about how much society has changed.
The Lake of Loneliness reminded me of my sister (who twice as an adult called me neurotic, here defined as what one says when "talking of unhappy people or [those] who couldn't cope with life").
And they are short stories - one can't expect them to do all the work of a novel. But I'm not sure Sagan brings so much to the table as I had hoped. Is it really reasonable to expect an author to hit a home run with everything they write? We will see.
--
Ps a note from The Gigolo:
"These cocktail parties were like horse fairs or cattle shows. One almost expected to see mature ladies lifting the young men's upper lips to examine their teeth."
This reminded me of my mother's immigration to Canada in 1971. Israeli propaganda in the West was at its all time peak, never before and never since maintaining such complete dominance as in those years after 1967. My mother, fleeing the Israeli occupation of Gaza, didn't have a birth certificate with her on arrival. Although she clearly knew her own age and birthday, the presiding immigration officer did not believe her. How could chattel have voice and memory? No, the white man is more expert in all things native than the native themselves. He paid her no heed. Grabbed her face with one hand, squeezing around her mouth to expose her teeth, and with the other lifting her lips further to inspect her as an animal. He marked her legal Canadian age as two years younger than her actual age. For her adult life this always a source of amusement. What person wouldn't like to win two years of life? Except, of course, retirement, pensions, and coronavirus vaccinations all calculated with a two year delay to entitlement. But that is just money. I will never know how she managed to reconcile her new Canadian identity with her treatment on arrival into the country. It breaks one's heart.
August 2, 2022
I am a huge Sagan fan and I've read most of her novels. I was happy to see that her poignant style works wonderfully in short prose as well. Sagan has an uncanny ability to create believable and entrancing characters in just a few lines and her observations on the dynamics of romantic relationships between men and women cut like a surgical knife.
March 26, 2019
i would have once called ‘bonjour tristesse’ my favourite book so i thought i had better give some of sagan’s other work a go.
i found every story in this tiny collection completely void of substance and without the wonderful prose present in her first work (tbf that could be the translation)
i found every story in this tiny collection completely void of substance and without the wonderful prose present in her first work (tbf that could be the translation)
February 10, 2025
not typically a fan of short stories BUT “the lake of loneliness!!!” such a great story. the rest are good, and definitely one of the best short story collections i have read, but “the lake of loneliness” is beautiful and an ultimate standout to me. i will read anything by sagan
July 28, 2023
brilliant though restrained, eager to read more sagan
September 30, 2023
3.5 stars
January 10, 2024
Francoise Sagan is always brilliant!
January 26, 2024
არ მომეწონა
October 31, 2018
Maybe they are well written but it's not for me.
July 26, 2019
It is simple and beautiful read .
June 4, 2018
I bought this from The Persephone Books, one of the most amazing endeavours according to me in the list of novel little bookshops. You can just visit the bookstore and feel the warmth of its creator in the way the books are arranged. I found this on a shelf titled "Titles we should have published" or some sentence expressing the same. It shows the passion and sincerity towards the ideal of this bookshop.
About the book: The short stories are well written and translated. If you are a woman, or maybe even a man, you can connect to the emotions of the first three protagonists quite well. You perhaps have already had experienced some of the instances explored in this book, and even if you haven't you can relate to them. They talk about the loss of youth and the fragility that comes with it, how you sometimes subconsciously avoid facing what you have to eventually, how you want to care and commit but fail to and you justify that sometimes even yourself at the cost of what? just a few tears, how in a perfect life a moment of solitude makes so appealing and so much more desirable but a terrible thought, and how death makes you want to live, maybe even relive, introspect a little and cling to life, those slowly fainting heartbeats so much...
Such is life... This book is a perfect one hour read on a sunny day in a coffee shop... Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I did...
Happy reading! :)
About the book: The short stories are well written and translated. If you are a woman, or maybe even a man, you can connect to the emotions of the first three protagonists quite well. You perhaps have already had experienced some of the instances explored in this book, and even if you haven't you can relate to them. They talk about the loss of youth and the fragility that comes with it, how you sometimes subconsciously avoid facing what you have to eventually, how you want to care and commit but fail to and you justify that sometimes even yourself at the cost of what? just a few tears, how in a perfect life a moment of solitude makes so appealing and so much more desirable but a terrible thought, and how death makes you want to live, maybe even relive, introspect a little and cling to life, those slowly fainting heartbeats so much...
Such is life... This book is a perfect one hour read on a sunny day in a coffee shop... Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I did...
Happy reading! :)
March 14, 2019
An atmospheric morsel of short stories on affairs and infidelities. A small bit of psychological exploration & LGBT theme were also included in the collection which makes them more interesting. The simplicity of the plot which was laced with the atmospheric and sometimes cheery (despite the dark themes) prose gave the air of richness to the collection.
I just wished that the stories were longer.
I just wished that the stories were longer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews