Striptease (Simenon novel)
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Strip-tease (1958) is a novel by French writer Georges Simenon set in a strip club in Cannes in the 1950s.
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Summary
Celita, a professional dancer who has turned to stripping, is worn out by her job. She covets the position of Florence, her boss, all the more so as she has succeeded in attaching herself to her husband in a way that she believes to be safe, when a young girl, Maud Leroy, arriving from the province, presents herself at the "Monico". She is hired on a trial basis. The ingenuous act of the beginner meets a great success and the owner, Léon Tourmaire, seduced by her fragile and naive appearances, will soon fall in love with her.
He will make her the star of the cabaret. While Florence Tourmaire, suffering from an illness that will never cease to worsen, is forced to capitulate to this new rival, she gets closer to Celita. This one undertakes against Maud a devious fight which becomes exasperated as its chances to reconquer Léon dwindle. After having simulated a suicide attempt, Celita realizes that Léon is definitively lost for her. She buys a gun. The day of Florence's funeral, at the cemetery, she is about to shoot the young stripper, but, seized by daze at the last moment, she flees. We will learn later that she went to Nice where she engages in prostitution. She is killed by a North African.
Particular aspects of the novel
The story takes the point of view of the main character most of the time. From a professional jealousy, we witness the slow destruction of a being anguished by the prospect of a future promised to decay.
Details of the work
Space and time frame
Space
Time
Contemporary time.
Characters
Main character
Célita Perrin. Stripper at the "Monico". Single. 32 years old.
Other characters
- Léon Tourmaire, owner of the " Monico ".
- Florence Tourmaire, his wife, cashier of the " Monico ", 39 years old
- Maud Leroy, 19 years old, stripper at the " Monico ".
- Marie-Lou, Natacha, Ketty, Celita's companions.
Adaptations
- 1987 : Strip-tease, épisode 3 de la série télévisée française L'Heure Simenon, réalisé par Michel Mitrani, avec Patricia Millardet
See also