Bübü vom Montparnasse Ein Roman mit zwanzig Holzschnitten von Frans Masereel

The story opens on a balmy summer night on Paris’s Boulevard Sebastopol, just after the fireworks of July 14 have faded. The street lamps cast stark white arches over the darkened shop fronts, while the trams and horse‑drawn carriages glide through a sea of flickering lights. The city’s usual bustle gives way to a more intimate nocturnal parade, where laughter, music and the rustle of evening wind mingle with the lingering scent of celebration.

Amid this glowing backdrop, a vivid cross‑section of Parisians emerges: elegantly dressed youths with glittering ties, weary laborers clutching cigarettes, couples strolling arm‑in‑arm, and street‑wise girls plying their trade. Their conversations reveal a mix of pride, longing, and the quiet desperation of those who have not known the festive joy of the day. The narrative captures both the glamour of the night and the shadows that linger in its corners.

Rendered alongside twenty striking woodcuts, the tale offers a lyrical, almost cinematic portrait of a city caught between revelry and the restless search for meaning. Listeners are invited to wander the boulevard, feeling the pulse of post‑celebration Paris and the lives that flicker within its lantern‑lit streets.