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Written in 1944 by French surrealist author Queneau, this is the story of a man, Jacques, who lives in, as the cover blurb says, waking dreams. He seamlessly transitions from chatting with his friends to imagining himself in a certain situation, and then back to everyday life. I was about a quarter of the way through when I realized that I had seen this movie before. And sure enough, in the afterword, the author reveals that he was highly influenced by the James Thurber short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Hah! Knew I wasn’t imagining it.
But in a clever twist, Jacques ends up finding himself a career as an extra in the French film industry. His friends keep assuring him that he could become a real star, but that’s not what he wants at all.
He is thought highly of by them, because he doesn’t seem to have any ambition, whereas they all have their sights set on stardom. Jacques just doesn’t give a damn. [H]e’s amazed that there isn’t a single one in the whole lot of them who is satisfied with the idea of remaining an extra, nothing more than an extra.
A fun read with snappy dialogue (much like the movies of the era) and it’s easy to buy into his world. By the way, I’ve just got to say that the Danny Kaye movie version is the gold standard. And might I just add, ta-pocketa pocketa pocketa. If you know, you know.