Parfums: A Catalogue of Remembered Smells is an adorable little book about the power of smell and its ability to conjure up special memories. Written as a series of short essays, it centres on the life of writer, Philippe Claudel, and the many aromas of his past.
In what makes for a simple but sensual read, Claudel recalls his fragrant upbringing with tender longing. Pleasing wafts of cinnamon, soap and coffee are recollected alongside pongy stuff like manure, sewage and body odour. In some chapters, verdant smells such fir, hay and vegetables dominate, and, in other sections, synthetic aromas take the centre stage.
In Garlic, we come face to face with the “naked clove” of Claude’s childhood. A “canine tooth”, rich in flavour, reminiscent of his late grandmother and the kitchen she used to cook in. While in Communal Showers, Claude transports us to the changing rooms of his teenage years: to the festering stink of animal fat, camphor, menthol, arnica and wormwood.
Suntan lotion, a nostalgic smell of mine, is represented as the “warmth of intimacy”, and in Clean Sheets Claude discovers “the vastness of Prussia, Russian, Manchuria, Mongolia and Siberia”.
For me, however, the star attraction of the book is Sleeping Child, which stands as a glorious ode to the fragrance of early life.
Parfums: a Catalogue of Remembered Smells is a must-read book for frag heads and literature enthusasists alike. A true feast for the senses.
Purchase your copy now on Amazon now.
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