Mademoiselle Chanel of literature, the French Salinger and Fitzgerald, a scandalous star, a gambler, a hedonist, and a subtle psychologist; Françoise Sagan, who shot to fame with her very first novel "Bonjour Tristesse" (1954), - an invariably fresh voice, speaking crystal clear about what living people think and feel. Sagan's books have been translated into dozens of languages, read and reread by millions of people around the world, and enthusiastically adapted by filmmakers. A woman exchanges love for comfort in "Signal of Surrender". A youth, appearing from nowhere with his peculiar moral views, takes it upon himself to protect a Hollywood screenwriter from the cruelties of this world in "Guardian Angel". A composer, supported by a wealthy wife, unexpectedly creates something popular and for the first time in many years questions freedom in "On a Leash". Finally, the author insightfully reflects on television debates, horses, laughter, Catherine Deneuve, George Sand, and Gorbachev in her memoirs "From the Heart". The characters of each of Françoise Sagan's books are simply people, vulnerable and imperfect, and therefore the portraits presented to us are not always flattering, but they are profound, accurate, and gentle.
