To my late grandfather Robert Lessard, shoemaker

...

LA NOYADE DU MARCHAND DE PARAPLUIES

Copyright © 2010, Éditions Hurtubise – Montréal

Original title: La noyade du marchand de parapluies

Published by arrangement with Lester Literary Agency

All rights reserved. Any reproduction, complete or partial, including on Internet resources, as well as recording in electronic form for private or public use is possible only with the permission of the copyright owner.

The publisher thanks the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting the translation of this book.

© Natalya Vasilkova, translation, 2017

© Phantom Press, design, publication, 2017

Prologue

The story I am about to tell you is not the story of an umbrella salesman. Moreover, the story that I am about to tell you is not even my own, because I am assigned, in general, a secondary role here - the role of a shipwreck victim. By the will of circumstances, I was left to the mercy of fate, and I was carried away by the flow of events.

In fact, this is simply the story of the first person who was unlucky enough to get in the way of the cursed manuscript. The main character of my absolutely incredible story is not a person, but a handwritten book. A book for which there is an endless hunt: thousands of people are still scouring all six continents. Be extremely attentive - and you will immediately recognize the hunters for the manuscript by the haste with which they try to extract at least some information, by the sparkles flashing in their eyes and betraying malicious intent, by the greed that pushes them from door to door in the hope of discovering at least a thread - by pulling it, they will be able to lay their paw on a priceless treasure... They say that after many years of fruitless searches, a silent rage gradually takes over their souls, and this unexpressed rage clouds their reason, banishes all ability to sympathize, and so successfully that they, without the slightest hesitation will eliminate anyone who tries to interfere with taking possession of the prey.

And yet, do not be afraid, because not a single person - from the most enlightened historian to the most cunning seeker, no one, including the highest paid mercenary, will lay his paws on the manuscript in question. For this book is one of special objects: they cannot be appropriated, they cannot be taken possession of, they cannot be bought, sold, or stolen. Some in their assumptions even go so far as to endow the manuscript with some kind of will - based on the allegedly strange ability it has to influence its destiny and choose its owner.

But what is so good and so special about the notorious manuscript? Why is everyone ready to get her at any cost and, as stated above, lay their paw on her? Because, if you believe the legend, it endows its owner with unimaginable power, gives him enormous power, and no one can intercept this power, no one can subjugate the owner of the book.

I myself had the chance to meet the manuscript, and - since I was unable to tame it - I learned to live next door to it, respect it, and most importantly, survive unpredictable attacks of its anger.

Paradoxically, the power of a book lies not in the words that are written in it, but in those that are not yet there.

Part one

1

It all started in Arles in 1039. At noon on Wednesday.

The fortified city, just a few decades ago the capital of the Kingdom of Provence, was now going through turbulent times. Despite the fact that Arles had recently gotten rid of its main enemies - first the Saracens, then the Moors - the influence that it had previously exerted over the entire kingdom today extended only to its own suburbs. Marquis Guillaume I, who once, by developing agriculture, pushing the city boundaries further to the north and south, draining the swamps surrounding Arles, achieved a certain prosperity of his native places, died in the prime of his life, at the age of thirty-eight, and power passed to his heirs, people much more weaker than the Marquis himself, and disunited. These latter were unable to cope with popular unrest and constantly fought against riots that arose here and there.

Years passed, another rebellion led to another transfer of rights to the count's power, and Arles plunged into chaos. Various groups of conspirators from the nobility began to challenge this right from one another, the counts, having lost the right to power, surrounded themselves with armed people, created a militia, whose tasks included protecting their master and not giving rest to his rivals. Such “militarization” of Arles fragmented the former capital of Provence to such an extent that new, internal walls grew inside the city walls; these walls facilitated the defense of individual bastions, restrained hostility, and thanks to them, opposing rebel groups could coexist without exterminating each other.

In that gloomy timelessness, the stories of elders about Arles, dazzlingly shining in the center of Provence, sounded like amazing fables. From their very birth, young people grew up among poverty, they were frightened in every possible way from infancy, and it often seemed to them that the era of prosperity and prosperity that their parents talked about was just a wonderful fairy tale, the purpose of which was to maintain their hope.

2

But let's go back to that Wednesday. It was already evening when the Comte de Porcellet's footman slammed his fist on the door of the shoemaker's shop. The roar made me rush to the door, literally jumping out of my shoes. I opened.

- Bertrand? Your visit honors me, but to what is it owed?

Francis Malka

Umbrella merchant

To my late grandfather Robert Lessard, shoemaker

LA NOYADE DU MARCHAND DE PARAPLUIES

Copyright © 2010, Éditions Hurtubise – Montréal

Original title: La noyade du marchand de parapluies

Published by arrangement with Lester Literary Agency

All rights reserved. Any reproduction, complete or partial, including on Internet resources, as well as recording in electronic form for private or public use is possible only with the permission of the copyright owner.

The publisher thanks the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting the translation of this book.

© Natalya Vasilkova, translation, 2017

© Phantom Press, design, publication, 2017

The story I am about to tell you is not the story of an umbrella salesman. Moreover, the story that I am about to tell you is not even my own, because I am assigned, in general, a secondary role here - the role of a shipwreck victim. By the will of circumstances, I was left to the mercy of fate, and I was carried away by the flow of events.

In fact, this is simply the story of the first person who was unlucky enough to get in the way of the cursed manuscript. The main character of my absolutely incredible story is not a person, but a handwritten book. A book for which there is an endless hunt: thousands of people are still scouring all six continents. Be extremely attentive - and you will immediately recognize the hunters for the manuscript by the haste with which they try to extract at least some information, by the sparkles flashing in their eyes and betraying malicious intent, by the greed that pushes them from door to door in the hope of discovering at least a thread - by pulling it, they will be able to lay their paw on a priceless treasure... They say that after many years of fruitless searches, a silent rage gradually takes over their souls, and this unexpressed rage clouds their reason, banishes all ability to sympathize, and so successfully that they, without the slightest hesitation will eliminate anyone who tries to interfere with taking possession of the prey.

And yet, do not be afraid, because not a single person - from the most enlightened historian to the most cunning seeker, no one, including the highest paid mercenary, will lay his paws on the manuscript in question. For this book is one of special objects: they cannot be appropriated, they cannot be taken possession of, they cannot be bought, sold, or stolen. Some in their assumptions even go so far as to endow the manuscript with some kind of will - based on the allegedly strange ability it has to influence its destiny and choose its owner.

But what is so good and so special about the notorious manuscript? Why is everyone ready to get her at any cost and, as stated above, lay their paw on her? Because, if you believe the legend, it endows its owner with unimaginable power, gives him enormous power, and no one can intercept this power, no one can subjugate the owner of the book.

I myself had the chance to meet the manuscript, and - since I was unable to tame it - I learned to live next door to it, respect it, and most importantly, survive unpredictable attacks of its anger.

Paradoxically, the power of a book lies not in the words that are written in it, but in those that are not yet there.

Part one

It all started in Arles in 1039. At noon on Wednesday.

The fortified city, just a few decades ago the capital of the Kingdom of Provence, was now going through turbulent times. Despite the fact that Arles had recently gotten rid of its main enemies - first the Saracens, then the Moors - the influence that it had previously exerted over the entire kingdom today extended only to its own suburbs. Marquis Guillaume I, who once, by developing agriculture, pushing the boundaries of the city further to the north and south, draining the swamps surrounding Arles, achieved a certain prosperity of his native places, died in the prime of his life, at the age of thirty-eight, and power passed to his heirs, people much more weaker than the Marquis himself, and disunited. These latter were unable to cope with popular unrest and constantly fought against riots that arose here and there.

Years passed, another rebellion led to another transfer of rights to the count's power, and Arles plunged into chaos. Various groups of conspirators from the nobility began to challenge this right from one another, the counts, having lost the right to power, surrounded themselves with armed people, created a militia, whose tasks included protecting their master and not giving rest to his rivals. Such “militarization” of Arles fragmented the former capital of Provence to such an extent that new, internal walls grew inside the city walls; these walls facilitated the defense of individual bastions, restrained hostility, and thanks to them, opposing rebel groups could coexist without exterminating each other.

To my late grandfather Robert Lessard, shoemaker

LA NOYADE DU MARCHAND DE PARAPLUIES

Copyright © 2010, Éditions Hurtubise – Montréal

Original title: La noyade du marchand de parapluies

Published by arrangement with Lester Literary Agency

All rights reserved. Any reproduction, complete or partial, including on Internet resources, as well as recording in electronic form for private or public use is possible only with the permission of the copyright owner.

The publisher thanks the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting the translation of this book.

© Natalya Vasilkova, translation, 2017

© Phantom Press, design, publication, 2017

The story I am about to tell you is not the story of an umbrella salesman. Moreover, the story that I am about to tell you is not even my own, because I am assigned, in general, a secondary role here - the role of a shipwreck victim. By the will of circumstances, I was left to the mercy of fate, and I was carried away by the flow of events.

In fact, this is simply the story of the first person who was unlucky enough to get in the way of the cursed manuscript. The main character of my absolutely incredible story is not a person, but a handwritten book. A book for which there is an endless hunt: thousands of people are still scouring all six continents. Be extremely attentive - and you will immediately recognize the hunters for the manuscript by the haste with which they try to extract at least some information, by the sparkles flashing in their eyes and betraying malicious intent, by the greed that pushes them from door to door in the hope of discovering at least a thread - by pulling it, they will be able to lay their paw on a priceless treasure... They say that after many years of fruitless searches, a silent rage gradually takes over their souls, and this unexpressed rage clouds their reason, banishes all ability to sympathize, and so successfully that they, without the slightest hesitation will eliminate anyone who tries to interfere with taking possession of the prey.

And yet, do not be afraid, because not a single person - from the most enlightened historian to the most cunning seeker, no one, including the highest paid mercenary, will lay his paws on the manuscript in question. For this book is one of special objects: they cannot be appropriated, they cannot be taken possession of, they cannot be bought, sold, or stolen. Some in their assumptions even go so far as to endow the manuscript with some kind of will - based on the allegedly strange ability it has to influence its destiny and choose its owner.

But what is so good and so special about the notorious manuscript? Why is everyone ready to get her at any cost and, as stated above, lay their paw on her? Because, if you believe the legend, it endows its owner with unimaginable power, gives him enormous power, and no one can intercept this power, no one can subjugate the owner of the book.

I myself had the chance to meet the manuscript, and - since I was unable to tame it - I learned to live next door to it, respect it, and most importantly, survive unpredictable attacks of its anger.

Paradoxically, the power of a book lies not in the words that are written in it, but in those that are not yet there.

Part one

It all started in Arles in 1039. At noon on Wednesday.

The fortified city, just a few decades ago the capital of the Kingdom of Provence, was now going through turbulent times. Despite the fact that Arles had recently gotten rid of its main enemies - first the Saracens, then the Moors - the influence that it had previously exerted over the entire kingdom today extended only to its own suburbs. Marquis Guillaume I, who once, by developing agriculture, pushing the boundaries of the city further to the north and south, draining the swamps surrounding Arles, achieved a certain prosperity of his native places, died in the prime of his life, at the age of thirty-eight, and power passed to his heirs, people much more weaker than the Marquis himself, and disunited. These latter were unable to cope with popular unrest and constantly fought against riots that arose here and there.

Years passed, another rebellion led to another transfer of rights to the count's power, and Arles plunged into chaos. Various groups of conspirators from the nobility began to challenge this right from one another, the counts, having lost the right to power, surrounded themselves with armed people, created a militia, whose tasks included protecting their master and not giving rest to his rivals. Such “militarization” of Arles fragmented the former capital of Provence to such an extent that new, internal walls grew inside the city walls; these walls facilitated the defense of individual bastions, restrained hostility, and thanks to them, opposing rebel groups could coexist without exterminating each other.

In that gloomy timelessness, the stories of elders about Arles, dazzlingly shining in the center of Provence, sounded like amazing fables. From their very birth, young people grew up among poverty, they were frightened in every possible way from infancy, and it often seemed to them that the era of prosperity and prosperity that their parents talked about was just a wonderful fairy tale, the purpose of which was to maintain their hope.

But let's go back to that Wednesday. It was already evening when the Comte de Porcellet's footman slammed his fist on the door of the shoemaker's shop. The roar made me rush to the door, literally jumping out of my shoes. I opened.

- Bertrand? Your visit honors me, but to what is it owed?

- Mister Count ordered me to give you this.

Getting down to business, Bertrand tossed a cloth bag into the air. The slight chime of metal with which it fell on the tabletop made it clear What in this bag.

- And how many are there?

– According to my master, twenty-five sous and eight deniers, as agreed. The Count is pleased with your work, and this amount is repayment of the debt.

- Great. Say hello to the Count. And remind him to wax his boots thoroughly this coming fall if he wants them to last longer than the season.

As soon as Bertrand was out of sight, I rushed to the wallet and noisily emptied its contents onto the table. Everything was calculated correctly, Bertrand did not encroach on my bag, and I, happy, singing at the top of my voice, danced around the table. For a week now the only dish available to me was boiled cabbage; I hadn’t eaten anything else and was now salivating at the mere thought of taking a few deniers and finally going to the market. The taste buds of my tongue began to stir: they were waiting for this moment with even more impatience than their owner.

I hid eight deniers in my stockings - an indispensable precaution in case I met robbers on the road, and decided to keep twenty-five sous in a bag: for the first time in my life I had more silver livre at my disposal! I also carefully hid the bag - I placed it away from prying eyes under the roof, where my little hiding place was located. There was only one way to get into it - by moving the ceiling board, from which I had previously pulled out the nails all the way to the bed. And all the same, before I go into the hiding place, I always check that I have closed the shutters properly, because if my neighbors found out about its existence, even if it’s a big deal, oh, how much joy there will be!

The money I received paid for several weeks of continuous hard work. That time, Count de Porcellet entrusted me with twenty-seven pairs of boots, asking, as usual, not just to repair them, no, “to make them as good as new.” My lord commanded a large militia detachment of fifty people, and this made him one of the most formidable Arlesian counts. The size and power of his army could easily have helped de Porcellet spread his influence to the surrounding neighborhoods without much shedding of blood, but he was a peaceful man and valued quiet sleep above power, and besides, he did not want to conquer anyone’s bastions - why get involved? The neighbors may take revenge.

Mar 20, 2017

Umbrella merchant Francis Malka

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Title: Umbrella Merchant
Author: Francis Malka
Year: 2010
Genre: Foreign fiction, Historical fiction, Contemporary foreign literature

About the book “The Umbrella Merchant” by Francis Malka

Francis Malka is a contemporary Canadian writer. His acclaimed book, The Umbrella Merchant, is a gripping story full of secrets and mysteries that you can't tear yourself away from for a minute. The story is based on a story about how one day one very strange thing falls into the hands of the main character - a small book that can give its owner a long life and the opportunity to change the future. This prospect certainly looks tempting, but not everything here is so simple and unambiguous. In the context of the supernatural power of this artifact, the author perfectly demonstrated human weaknesses: excessive greed, delusions of grandeur, thirst for universal recognition, excessive ambition and other equally common vices. Thus, before us is not only an incredibly fascinating, but also an endlessly instructive work, which will be useful to read at any age.

In his book, Francis Malka talks about an incident that took place in the French town of Arles in the 11th century. A simple shoemaker once notices a strange stranger on the river bank - under the scorching sun he is selling umbrellas that are completely useless in such weather. Out of curiosity, the young man decides to buy one umbrella from the old man, and at the same time receives an unexpected gift in the form of a book with blank pages. From this very moment, our hero’s life is turned upside down, and now he faces unforgettable and even somewhat surreal adventures. But the most important thing is that from now on the young shoemaker will become the creator of History. And to help him in this will be a nondescript, tattered little book, each note in which is destined to predetermine the course of development of historical events of world significance.

Francis Malka in the novel “The Umbrella Merchant” presents to our attention an amazing, tense, partly fantastic story that will not leave anyone indifferent. By the will of fate, a certain mysterious little book, endowed with unheard-of power, falls into the hands of a simple worker. It is very difficult to control this peculiar manuscript. In addition, there are more than enough contenders for owning it. Without resorting to excessive seriousness, the author narrates a number of incidents that played key roles in the history of Europe and the world. The Great Flood, the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Columbus's expedition, and the mysterious murder of Franz Ferdinand are intertwined, creating a most curious adventurous mosaic. Thanks to the rich and multifaceted ideological content, as well as the author’s skillful artistic embodiment of his idea, you want to read and re-read this extraordinary book again and again.

On our website about books, you can download the site for free without registration or read online the book “The Umbrella Merchant” by Francis Malka in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

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This unusual and charming story begins in medieval Arles, in 1039. A modest shoemaker one day meets a strange man on the river bank - under the scorching sun he is selling useless umbrellas. Out of courtesy, the young man buys an umbrella from the old man, and at the same time receives a small book with blank pages. From this moment on, the life of the poor shoemaker changes irreversibly; he faces incredible and slightly surreal adventures. But the main thing is that from now on he will create History. More precisely, this will be done by a modest, tattered little book, each entry in which will predetermine the course of world history. It is very difficult to control a wayward manuscript, and many people strive to take possession of it...

Without falling into excessive seriousness, Francis Malka talks about the events that determined the fate of Europe and the whole world. The Great Flood, the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the campaign of Christopher Columbus, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand form an educational and adventurous mosaic.

The work was published in 2010 by Phantom Press. On our website you can download the book "The Umbrella Merchant" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. The book's rating is 4 out of 5. Here, before reading, you can also turn to reviews from readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In our partner's online store you can buy and read the book in paper form.