The classic coming-of-age novel translated into English for the first time. It is 1919. On a summer's night in Normandy, a newborn baby is left in a basket outside the home of Albert and Jeanne Arnaud. The childless couple take the foundling in, name him Jean, and decide to raise him as their own, though his parentage remains a mystery. Though Jean's life is never dull, he grows up knowing little of what lies beyond his local area. Until the day he sets off on his bicycle to discover the world, and encounters a Europe on the threshold of interesting times. . Michel Déon has published more than fifty works. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié for his 1970 novel Les Poneys Sauvages (The Wild Ponies). His 1973 novel Un Taxi Mauve garnered him international renown when it received the esteemed Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française. His novels have been translated into many languages. He is considered one of the most innovative French writers of the twenty-first century. Déon is one of just forty members of the Académie française who are elected by their peers to serve for life. Déon lives in Ireland with his wife and their horses