Scandalous

Dropout novel Five years ago, Nine Thirty-Nine cost 39.90 euros. And caused a scandal. Frédéric Beigbeder, a successful copywriter at an agency, was a drug addict, sex addict and cynical. What more could a man want? To get out, for example. So he wrote a novel. Nothing was fictional - he just changed all the names. So he called himself Octave Parango, wore Ralph Lauren, drove a Z3, lived in a world where everything was for sale. Even he, for ten years. Until he snaps and murders during the filming of a commercial. This is his redemption; he goes to prison and enjoys his new-found freedom. Beigbeder became famous thanks to his first film and, more importantly, was released. The agency put him on the street because he had soiled their golden nest. Today, Ninunddreissigneunzig costs 17.90 francs - and nobody would fire him for it. Roger Hausmann
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Neununddreissigneunzig by Frédéric Beigbeder; Rowohlt, 2002, 272 pages, 17.90 francs.