Nouveaux Pastels (Dix portraits d'hommes)

In this finely wrought collection, the narrator drifts through the sun‑warmed streets of Italy, letting the ancient frescoes and quiet cemeteries become mirrors for his inner reflections. A chance encounter with two English sisters, each absorbed in the delicate task of copying a medieval panel, sparks a meditation on beauty, memory, and the fleeting nature of artistic inspiration. The prose moves with the measured pace of a museum guide, yet it never loses the intimacy of a personal diary.

Each portrait unfolds as a study of a distinct male figure, rendered with the psychological acuity that defines the author’s work. Through subtle dialogue and vivid scenery, the reader is invited to contemplate the hidden motives and quiet anxieties that shape ordinary lives. The first sketches set the tone for a series that balances literary elegance with a probing look at the human heart.