“Mr Sommer is a sweet and rambling story rooted deeply in the melancholy of memory. The recollections of childhood are comic, the sort of tangles any boy – or girl – might find themselves in, but the lightness of such events has an ominous counterpoint in the figure of Mr Sommer, who strides across the landscape with no recognizable purpose and whose rhythmic footfall – with his hazel stick – is like the ticking of Time itself. One of those rare and delightful books that could be read with real pleasure by either adult or child…” – Andrew Miller

“Delicate, funny, inspiring, melancholic, delicious” – Juan Pablo Villalobos

Synopsis: An animated young boy navigates his way through the trials of a rural childhood – of heroic tree-climbing, wobbly bike-riding, crushing (near) romantic encounters and the most fretful piano lesson of all time. These dramas of growing up are punctuated by a local mystery. Why, every day, does his neighbour Mr Sommer hurry ceaselessly through the countryside, eating up the landscape with huge strides and with no apparent destination? He speaks to nobody, runs no errands and stops for nothing – but for what purpose?

Irresistibly funny and nostalgic, but with a twist of underlying tension, this is a classic pastoral novella from one of Germany’s finest writers. Patrick Süskind’s hilarious meandering prose is complemented at every turn by Sempé’s masterful illustrations.

About the Author: Patrick Süskind, born in Germany in 1949, has always created unforgettable characters – whether it’s the lone musician in his monodrama The Double Bass, the troubled security guard in The Pigeon, Mr Sommer himself or the obsessive Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in his unnerving bestselling novel Perfume.

About the Illustrator: Born in 1932, Jean-Jacques Sempé is one of France’s greatest cartoonists. In the 1950’s he collaborated with René Goscinny to create the illustrated stories of Le Petit Nicolas and his chaotic school class. His often hilarious cartoons have featured on the covers of The New Yorker.

Publication date: November 12^th, 2015
Price: £8.99

Available from Mr B’s Emporium and all good high street bookshops.

For more information on Patrick Süskind & Jean-Jacques Sempé please visit www.diogenes.ch