Bilodo had been intercepting her
letters for two years now, and whenever he spotted one while sorting his post,
he always experienced the same shock, the same shiver of awe. He would quietly
slip that letter inside his jacket and only allow himself to show any emotion
once he was alone on the road, turning the envelope over and over, fingering
the exciting promise.
Secretly steaming open envelopes and
reading the letters inside, Bilodo has found an escape from his lonely and
routine life as a postman. When one day he comes across a mysterious letter
containing only a single haiku, he finds himself avidly caught up in the
relationship between a long-distance couple, who write to each other using only
beautiful poetry. He feasts on their words, vicariously living a life for which
he longs. But it will only be a matter of time before his world comes crashing
down around him…
Author: Denis Thériault is a writer
born on August 24, 1959 on the north shore of the Gulf of St Lawrence, near
Sept-Iles, Quebec. Denis Thériault has a degree in psychology and is an
award-winning screenwriter who lives with his family in Montreal. Denis
Thériaul’s first novel, L’iguagne (The
Iguana), was published to great critical acclaim and won three major
literary prizes. The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman is his second novel.
My
thoughts: I read this book last June but restarted in February and read it in a
couple of days. This is going to sound silly, but I’ve always been fascinated
by letters and enjoy thinking about the bits of life and news they carry. I
loved The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman, a beautiful, tragic and
touching book. I found the characters delightful and Bilodo
very touching. Although the book only has a hundred pages, it is not
simple to read. It is brilliantly written, but requires concentration to
immerse yourself in the text.
This is a story of obsession and love. The central character is Bilodo, a twenty-seven years old postman, a loner, who escapes from his monotonous life by creating a parallel reality. Bilodo has taken to stealing people's mail, steaming open the envelopes and reading the letters inside. Thus it is that he comes across Ségolène's letters. She is corresponding with Grandpré, a master poet, and each of their letters is composed of haikus. The simplicity and elegance of their poems move Bilodo and he begins to fall in love with Ségolène. By a stroke of fate, in the form of Grandpré’s death, Bilodo takes huge risks to stay in contact with Ségolène, a Guadeloupean teacher. He takes over her deceased correspondent’s apartment, immersing himself in Grandpré’s personality and learning the art of Japanese haiku poetry.
This is a story of obsession and love. The central character is Bilodo, a twenty-seven years old postman, a loner, who escapes from his monotonous life by creating a parallel reality. Bilodo has taken to stealing people's mail, steaming open the envelopes and reading the letters inside. Thus it is that he comes across Ségolène's letters. She is corresponding with Grandpré, a master poet, and each of their letters is composed of haikus. The simplicity and elegance of their poems move Bilodo and he begins to fall in love with Ségolène. By a stroke of fate, in the form of Grandpré’s death, Bilodo takes huge risks to stay in contact with Ségolène, a Guadeloupean teacher. He takes over her deceased correspondent’s apartment, immersing himself in Grandpré’s personality and learning the art of Japanese haiku poetry.
