Deux et deux font cinq (2 + 2 = 5) oeuvres anthumes

In this witty collection, the narrator finds himself at a bustling Latin Quarter café, drawn into a surreal conversation with a man who answers every statement with a playful self‑comparison to literary and historical giants. Each reply—“I am a type in the genre of Balzac,” “of Flaubert,” “of Charlemagne,” and so on—turns ordinary talk into a cascade of absurd analogies that both mock and celebrate the great names of French culture.

Through rapid, coffee‑stained exchanges, Allais spins a tapestry of humor that pokes fun at pretension, identity, and the art of storytelling itself. The pieces bounce from one exaggerated persona to the next, inviting listeners to linger over the rhythm of language while delighting in the unexpected twists of a seemingly simple dinner invitation. It’s a charming, fast‑moving ride through the absurdist spirit of late‑19th‑century Paris.