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Rooftop Soliloquy
Written entirely in Paris over a two year span during which its author lived every conceivable metropolitan passion and inspiration, Rooftop Soliloquy is a novel as vibrant and alive as the city where it was given seed and a place to grow. The first-person narrative follows the adventures and misadventures of a mysterious an artist, flâneur, composer of operas, and incorrigible rake, who wanders the districts of Paris seducing girls, drinking wine, and looking for that new idea with which to complete his 'hero's tale.' Rooftop Soliloquy is remarkable for the ease and pleasurable pace of the story. The reader is led on a joyful path that wanders from the urban picaresque tale, to the pastoral courtly or chivalric romance, to the Homeric-style epic. More information at www.parisquest.com.
- GenresFiction
258 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
21 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Roman Payne
9 books481 followersRoman Payne (b. 1977) is a novelist and poet currently living in political exile in Africa, in the kingdom of Morocco. Payne coined the famous word “wanderess” and is the author of five novels including, “The Wanderess”; which, since its publication in 2013, has influenced art and cultures all over the world. In the East, the famous Bollywood designer Masaba Gupta used Payne’s novel as the inspiration for her “Wanderess” collection which opened India’s Fashion Week in 2015. In the West, “The Wanderess” has been the inspiration for everything from art, to European films, to pop music in America. The pop star Halsey, who sold-out Madison Square Garden with songs like “Hurricane”—a song based on a quote from Payne’s novel—credits “The Wanderess” as one of her greatest inspirations while writing “Badlands,” the debut album that launched her to fame. Halsey chose this Roman Payne quote for her song:
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city.”
And the following quote by Roman Payne became one of the mantras of billionaire Richard Branson, who named it one of his “top ten favorite quotes about finding happiness”:
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
Although Payne’s greatest artistic achievements are his novels, he is better known to the world as a poet. Countless works of art have been based on his poems and quotes. The author said that one of the things he loves most about being a novelist/poet is the numerous photos sent to him from people around the world who have tattooed his poetry on their bodies.
Payne is a controversial figure in that he is currently exiled in Muslim Morocco where he is forbidden to leave kingdom until he is tried for treason by the king (Mohammed VI). Both the US Congress and State Department have failed so far in obtaining the novelist’s release from Morocco. Payne is spending his days of exile in the souks of the ancient Medina of Marrakech.
Roman Payne is known as an adventurer, and the foremost “novelist on wandering.” His novels and poems are the favorites of other wanderers and world travelers.
The forty year-old author spent the first half of his life in America (mostly in Seattle where he was born and raised), while he spent his second 20 years wandering Europe and Africa. He first expatriated to Paris where he lived for fifteen years in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The next three years were spent in Athens, Greece; mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Payne moved to Marrakech in February of 2016 and is currently finishing his sixth novel based on his life there.
Although Payne writes in English, his 15 years living in Paris where he spoke entirely in French, has greatly influenced his work, giving it a unique Latinate quality and inimitable voice. The themes of his quotes and prose explore love and sexuality, travel and the life of a wanderer (or wanderess), and the struggle to live, what he calls, “the poetic life.” He is heavily influenced by Homeric Epic, as well as 18th and 19th Century French and European literature.
Payne is a beloved writer by feminists and women in general because his writing reminds w that they too, like men, only have one life to live as far as we know, thus they too deserve to experience every single adventure that life can offer them. He receives a lot of letters from women writing that they found the courage to wander to the world after reading such quotes by him:
“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without travelling.”
“I stumbled upon this book when I was a teenager and its words helped to shape my will to be unapologetic, to be unbound by the perimeters of a single place. To write a song like Hurricane. To be like, ‘The Wanderess’” (Pop star, Halsey)
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city.”
And the following quote by Roman Payne became one of the mantras of billionaire Richard Branson, who named it one of his “top ten favorite quotes about finding happiness”:
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
Although Payne’s greatest artistic achievements are his novels, he is better known to the world as a poet. Countless works of art have been based on his poems and quotes. The author said that one of the things he loves most about being a novelist/poet is the numerous photos sent to him from people around the world who have tattooed his poetry on their bodies.
Payne is a controversial figure in that he is currently exiled in Muslim Morocco where he is forbidden to leave kingdom until he is tried for treason by the king (Mohammed VI). Both the US Congress and State Department have failed so far in obtaining the novelist’s release from Morocco. Payne is spending his days of exile in the souks of the ancient Medina of Marrakech.
Roman Payne is known as an adventurer, and the foremost “novelist on wandering.” His novels and poems are the favorites of other wanderers and world travelers.
The forty year-old author spent the first half of his life in America (mostly in Seattle where he was born and raised), while he spent his second 20 years wandering Europe and Africa. He first expatriated to Paris where he lived for fifteen years in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The next three years were spent in Athens, Greece; mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Payne moved to Marrakech in February of 2016 and is currently finishing his sixth novel based on his life there.
Although Payne writes in English, his 15 years living in Paris where he spoke entirely in French, has greatly influenced his work, giving it a unique Latinate quality and inimitable voice. The themes of his quotes and prose explore love and sexuality, travel and the life of a wanderer (or wanderess), and the struggle to live, what he calls, “the poetic life.” He is heavily influenced by Homeric Epic, as well as 18th and 19th Century French and European literature.
Payne is a beloved writer by feminists and women in general because his writing reminds w that they too, like men, only have one life to live as far as we know, thus they too deserve to experience every single adventure that life can offer them. He receives a lot of letters from women writing that they found the courage to wander to the world after reading such quotes by him:
“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without travelling.”
“I stumbled upon this book when I was a teenager and its words helped to shape my will to be unapologetic, to be unbound by the perimeters of a single place. To write a song like Hurricane. To be like, ‘The Wanderess’” (Pop star, Halsey)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Want to read
June 22, 2010“It was a time I slept in many rooms, called myself by many names. … mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs.”
This quote makes me want to read this book...
This quote makes me want to read this book...
November 8, 2016
Do not read this book. Seriously, don't. If you are remotely progressive, or have a taste for high literature, you will not enjoy this book. Here are my reasons:
1. Lack of plot- The plot is not made clear. The reader follows a man who does not seem to have any reason to live, yet enjoys his life with no thought of the experiences of others, and no acknowledgement that others have experiences- much like someone of low intelligence does.
2. It completely objectifies women- You can open the book to any random page (yes that is a challenge) and you will find a description of female body parts. In a particular case he describes an older woman as ugly because he doesn't like her teeth. Many of the descriptions are complementary, yet he says not a word about the mental, emotional, objective state of the woman he is describing. Or even that she may have a mental/emotional/objective state. He merely goes from house to house to spend the night with different women who are generally asleep or cooking when he shows up.
3. Cliched writing- The writing is interesting until page 1 ends, and then becomes monotonous and repetitive. You can only compare so many things to the moon before it loses feeling.
4. It reads like the kind of book a college kid writes after he goes to Paris for the first time- Interesting to the kid, but not to others. Most of us are not interested in a blatant lack of connection to surroundings, like the "protagonist" rambles about in a pseudo deep way. Interesting for a page, not a book.
Maybe instead of reading it, go to Paris yourself?
Buy a different book.
1. Lack of plot- The plot is not made clear. The reader follows a man who does not seem to have any reason to live, yet enjoys his life with no thought of the experiences of others, and no acknowledgement that others have experiences- much like someone of low intelligence does.
2. It completely objectifies women- You can open the book to any random page (yes that is a challenge) and you will find a description of female body parts. In a particular case he describes an older woman as ugly because he doesn't like her teeth. Many of the descriptions are complementary, yet he says not a word about the mental, emotional, objective state of the woman he is describing. Or even that she may have a mental/emotional/objective state. He merely goes from house to house to spend the night with different women who are generally asleep or cooking when he shows up.
3. Cliched writing- The writing is interesting until page 1 ends, and then becomes monotonous and repetitive. You can only compare so many things to the moon before it loses feeling.
4. It reads like the kind of book a college kid writes after he goes to Paris for the first time- Interesting to the kid, but not to others. Most of us are not interested in a blatant lack of connection to surroundings, like the "protagonist" rambles about in a pseudo deep way. Interesting for a page, not a book.
Maybe instead of reading it, go to Paris yourself?
Buy a different book.
June 24, 2011
Set in Paris and full of poetic language, this novel follows a young man - an artist, writer, musician, and rake - as he lives life to the fullest in Paris. It feeds every romantic and artistic notion of Paris any man could ask for - beautiful, sensual women wander the streets waiting to be seduced, there is not a moment to be without wine or coffee, and the urge to write epic poems and operas overtakes him all the time. It's not realistic, but it is charming and beautifully written. In short, it is a novel about what you imagine Paris to be, even if you know it cannot possibly be that.
July 25, 2011
Great if you're a francophile. Many points worth quoting. Otherwise, a story about a vain and weak Casanova type of man who thinks he is better than most people and for whom women constantly fall for. Plot line was not intriguing and mostly I just wanted to beat aleksandre with an ugly stick.
Want to read
July 19, 2011putting on the to-read list.
Want to read
March 11, 2010Reading on my iphone/kindle app.
Want to read
June 4, 2011I really want to read this book.
August 23, 2014
This gorgeous book is set in Paris and full of linguistic and poetic language, this novel is about a young man - a musician/writer/artists as he lives life to the fullest in Paris. It's sensual and paints a picture of romantic Paris- beautiful, sensual women wander the streets waiting to be seduced, there is not a moment to be without wine or coffee, and the urge to write epic poems and operas overtakes him all the time. It's not realistic, but it is charming and beautifully written. Its a novel that lets your imagination run wild down the streets of Paris. This novel is flawless and beautiful- very pleasurable to read. The story line is not a pure love story but captures more to be desired.
Its only added to my life affair with Paris. As I was reading it I could visualise it all...... I have wonderful memories of Paris myself in a completely different light being followed around by my 8 year old son telling me we are walking too much in Paris. We saved our romancing for very late at night once the child was out cold!!
Its only added to my life affair with Paris. As I was reading it I could visualise it all...... I have wonderful memories of Paris myself in a completely different light being followed around by my 8 year old son telling me we are walking too much in Paris. We saved our romancing for very late at night once the child was out cold!!
May 12, 2012
Linguistically and mechanically, the novel is flawless and beautiful- very pleasurable to read. However the story itself, characters, and over-all point of the novel left something to be desired. This book is really worth reading if nothing else but for the beautiful language and poetic prose. It really is elegant and surprising- tantalizing and – sensual. It isn’t quite a love story and it isn’t quite an epic hero’s tale but it is a beautiful- and long- soliloquy.
See my full review here
See my full review here
July 6, 2012
Though there were some high points, this book was a bit tiring (mainly because the narrator is such a pompous anti-hero). The book does, however, stoke the flames of wanderlust and features bits of beautifully florid, if not esoteric, prose. Unfortunately, these snatches of beauty aren't consistent enough to warrant a stronger recommendation.
May 10, 2015
Well written but very boring. Kept waiting for it to get better. Barely got through it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews