Part detective novel, part investigation into the nature of knowledge, set in the mountains of Morocco when the French still controlled North Africa.

"It is remarkable that it has taken thirty years for a translation of La Mise-en-Scene to appear... This novel comes as close to perfection as a novel ever can; not a word or sentence is wasted, and the reader could continue unearthing symmetries and resonances for a very long time." -- Ivan Hill, Times Literary Supplement "One of the best as well as the most influential of the new novels... Skillfully translated by Dominic Di Bernardi... The novel is a demonstration of the complexity of reality, and the impossibility of knowing for certain the true meaning of a chain of events... A rich voyage of discovery of the human psyche... by one of the most original authors in modern France." -- Dick Leonard, Washington Times "The minute description of every sight and sound is a send-up of 19th-century French realism; in this case appearances reveal nothing but their own appearance... The translator has done a praiseworthy job in bringing this novel to the English reading public, for Claude Ollier remains one of the most significant writers among the New Novelists in recent French literature." -- Choice

Claude Ollier, one of the major forces behind the "nouveau roman" and recipient of several prestigious literary awards, including the Prix Me decis, is the author of more than twenty books of fiction, drama, memoir, and criticism. In addition to several of Jacques Roubaud s books, Dominic Di Bernardi has translated works by Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Muriel Cerf, Claude Ollier, and Patrick Grainville, among others. In addition to several of Jacques Roubaud s books, Dominic Di Bernardi has translated works by Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Muriel Cerf, Claude Ollier, and Patrick Grainville, among others.