Bellefleur: Roman d'un comédien au XVIIe siècle

A young man born into a family freshly elevated by royal cash finds himself torn between the pomp of newly‑won gentility and the practical hardships of modest means. His grandfather’s desperate quest for noble titles, his father’s careful budgeting, and a strict Franciscan school all shape a childhood lived under the weight of expectation. He learns languages, poetry and courtly manners, yet the scent of tobacco‑laden rooms and the rigid discipline of his upbringing leave him restless, dreaming of something beyond the gilded façades of his ancestors.

When a troupe of actors rolls into the nearby town, the boy’s fascination ignites. The verses of Corneille and Rotrou, the swagger of the stage, and the allure of a mysterious companion in the troupe awaken a yearning to exchange his prescribed path for a life of performance. As he watches the players set up their makeshift theatre, he must choose whether to honor his family’s fragile status or chase the freedom that only the footlights can promise.