Toulouse Noir

BRAND-NEW STORIES BY: Al Baylac, Maite Bernard, Tanella Boni, Manu Causse, Gaspard Chauvelot, Pascal Dessaint, Francis Emourgeon, Sarah Grall, Adeline Grand-Clement, Nicolas Rouille, Hafid Saidi, and Benoit Severac. All stories translated from French by David and Nicole Ball. FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY CHARLES-HENRI LAVIELLE: ''If these stories are rooted in cities-Toulouse in this case-even reduced to their specificity, they also speak to our common humanity. ''Nothing human is foreign to me,'' French anthropologist Alban Bensa said repeatedly. And that''s probably enough of a reason to read this collection, even if you''ve never set foot here . . . Bensa also advocated for the necessity of always returning to the terrain to observe and listen. Describing before writing is the only way to give a credible account . . . That ability to observe is what guided my choice of authors for this collection. I tried to bring together a variety of people, of various ages, backgrounds, genders, with different life experiences, who all have a strong connection to Toulouse and to writing-in an attempt to attach the atmosphere of the city to your future steps. And if you never come, to make you feel what you would have found here.''