“For me for-midaaable…” Cool cat cover star Charles Aznavour sets the tone for this sleek hardback survey of France’s smokiest musical genre, a book that celebrates stars as diverse as Piaf, Gréco, Trenet, Fréhel, Brel, Gainsbourg, Carla Bruni and many more without worrying too much about what – other than great voices – they might have in common. The text tends to err on the gushy side – “in a career spanning decades, Jane Birkin remained simply wonderful” is a typical pronouncement – but the photography is excellent, and the tricolore page edges are a striking and stylish touch.
Chanson (Olaf Salié, Prestel, 2021, ISBN 9783791386171, 240pp, £49.99)
NOTES
This book review was published in the February 2022 issue of France magazine.
For more information about this and other titles from Prestel, click here. To read more of my book reviews and other published work, click here.