Mademoiselle Clocque

A refined yet eccentric spinster named Athénaïs Cloque lives in a modest house on the Rue de la Bourde, where her reputation rests on a single, unforgettable encounter with the celebrated vicomte de Chateaubriand. In that brief meeting she declares her admiration, and the aristocrat’s bemused response sets the tone for her lifelong habit of turning ordinary moments into charming anecdotes. Her penchant for recalling the episode with a mixture of reverence and gentle self‑deprecation makes her a magnetic figure for anyone who crosses her path.

The narrative unfolds as a series of loosely linked vignettes—visits to a provisional chapel, a bustling bookshop, a quiet holiday retreat, and even a solemn execution—each offering a glimpse into the social fabric of late‑19th‑century France through Cloque’s singular lens. Her observations are witty and tender, revealing both the absurdities and the quiet dignities of the world around her. Listeners will find themselves drawn into a portrait of a woman whose modest life is anything but ordinary, guided by her sharp mind and an ever‑present sense of wonder.