<DIV>A single volume that gathers together three of the most remarkable novels from Jean Echenoz, the ?most distinctive French voice of his generation” (<I>The Washington Post</I>), <I>Three by Echenoz</I> demonstrates the award-winning author’s extraordinary versatility and elegant yet playful style at its finest.<BR><BR>?A parodic thriller sparkling with wit” (<I>L’Humanité</I>), <I>Big Blondes</I> probes our universal obsession with fame as a television documentary producer tries to track down a renowned singer who has mysteriously disappeared. A darkly comedic, noir-style tour de force, it finally answers the age-old question: do blondes have more fun?<BR><BR>?Fluid, never forced?like a garment that fits beautifully even inside-out” (<I>Elle</I>), <I>Piano</I> brings Dante’s <I>Inferno</I> to contemporary Paris, following Max Delmarc, a concert pianist suffering from paralyzing stage fright and alchoholism, as he meets his untimely death and descends through purgatory?part luxury hotel, part minimum-security prison?into a modern vision of hell.<BR><BR><I>Running</I> is ?a small wonder of writing and humanity” (<I>L’Express</I>)?a portrait of the legendary Czech athlete Emil Zátopek, who became a national hero, winning three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics even as he was compelled to face the unyielding realities of life under an authoritarian regime.<BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV>