Le jeu de la montagne et du hasard. Anne Sauvy. Arthaud-Montalba, Paris, 1985. 16 short stories. 274 pages. 75 French francs.

When I was given this delightful collection of mountain short stories, I had no real intention to read it all. I politely started to skim a page or two, but I kept on reading and couldn’t put it down until I had read every word of it. It is no puzzle to me why this book has been at the top of the best-seller list of mountain books in France for months in a row. It is beautifully written, has humor, fantasy, drama and pathos. Climbers will see themselves mirrored here with all their strengths and foibles. Or they will see others just as clearly.

The first story is a delightful fantasy. The statue of de Saussure and Balmat in Chamonix is in need of repairs. The two bronze figures, hidden by scaffolding, leave their pedestals and repeat their climb of Mont Blanc. In another, two climbers, delayed by various amusing misunderstandings and problems in preparing for their climb, arrive too late to take the funicular to the hut. The next morning their route is swept by a thundering avalanche, but they were not there. For those of you who read French, this is a must!

Adams Carter