A Brief History of the Future

The hilarious first novel by the bestselling author of A Year in the Merde.

Stephen Clarke lives in Paris, where he divides his time between writing and not writing. 
 
His Merde novels have been bestsellers all over the world, including France. His non-fiction books include Talk to the Snail, an insider's guide to understanding the French; How the French Won Waterloo (or Think They Did), an amused look at France's continuing obsession with Napoleon; Dirty Bertie: An English King Made in France, a biography of Edward VII; and 1000 Years of Annoying the French, which was a number one bestseller in Britain. 
 
Research for The French Revolution and What Went Wrong took him deep into French archives in search of the actual words, thoughts and deeds of the revolutionaries and royalists of 1789. He has now re-emerged to ask modern Parisians why they have forgotten some of the true democratic heroes of the period, and opted to idolize certain maniacs. 
 
Follow Stephen on @SClarkeWriter and www.stephenclarkewriter.com

What if teleportation was really possible? Englishman Richie Fisher is about to find out ... 
 
Richie and his wife Clara have won a weekend in New York in a newspaper competition. While Clara is off blowing their spending money, Richie wanders aimlessly, chewing on a veggie-burger, ending up in a gift-shop where he finds himself standing in front of an instant transporter machine. It looks nothing like the open-plan teleporter on Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise; in fact, it seems more like a glorified microwave oven. 
 
Richie places his burger inside, hits the return key on the linked-up computer - and the burger disappears. But if he can teleport a half-eaten veggie-burger, what else could you do with the machine? For criminals, the possibilities are endless. Who could catch you if you beamed drugs into nostrils a hundred miles away? And how much would illegal immigrants pay to be teleported into the rich host country of their choice? 
 
Richie buys a teleporter and takes it back to England, where the chaos begins ...

A Brit goes undercover in Brussels

Merde in Europe

One Brit in Brussels. Two French Women. And a whole lot of merde. 
The hilarious novel from Stephen Clarke, bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and A Thousand Years of Annoying the French.

Stephen Clarke brings some much-needed humour to Britain’s EU referendum debate in this entertaining novel… Clarke considers both sides of the argument and makes the debate much more accessible.

The inside story of what life is really like behind the scenes at the European Union

THE POST-BREXIT EDITION - brand new chapters with extra EU chaos for Englishman Paul West. 
 
An Englishman, Paul West, goes to Brussels to work for a French MEP. There he gets an insider's view of what really goes on in the massive madhouse that is the EU Parliament. With the referendum on the horizon, things are even more hysterical than usual. 
 
When the Brexit result comes in, Paul has to make a decision. If he wants to work in Europe, should he apply for a French passport? 
 
But can an Englishman really become French? 
Can he sing the bloodthirsty 'Marseillaise'? 
Can he even pronounce the word 'Marseillaise'? 
 
And as Paul contemplates his own personal Brexit, the whole of Brussels seems to be going into meltdown …

How the French Won Waterloo - or Think They Did

Published in the 200th Anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo a witty look at how the French still think they won, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde.

Indeed, as Stephen Clarke demonstrates in this cheeky book, they have spent two whole centuries 'indulging in outrageous denial'

Clarke’s tone is larky, but his outrageously readable work is based on extensive research, with a wealth of enticing detail.

This is Waterloo as stand-up, funny and caustic by turns

Published in the 200th Anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo a witty look at how the French still think they won, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde. 
 
Two centuries after the Battle of Waterloo, the French are still in denial. 
 
If Napoleon lost on 18 June 1815 (and that's a big 'if'), then whoever rules the universe got it wrong. As soon as the cannons stopped firing, French historians began re-writing history. The Duke of Wellington was beaten, they say, and then the Prussians jumped into the boxing ring, breaking all the rules of battle. In essence, the French cannot bear the idea that Napoleon, their greatest-ever national hero, was in any way a loser. Especially not against the traditional enemy – les Anglais. 
 
Stephen Clarke has studied the French version of Waterloo, as told by battle veterans, novelists, historians – right up to today's politicians, and he has uncovered a story of pain, patriotism and sheer perversion ...

1000 Years of Annoying the French

An entirely new edition containing substantial, fresh material and up-dates to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in June 2015

Was the Battle of Hastings a French victory? 
Non! William the Conqueror was Norman and hated the French. 
 
Were the Brits really responsible for the death of Joan of Arc? 
Non! The French sentenced her to death for wearing trousers. 
 
Was the guillotine a French invention? 
Non! It was invented in Yorkshire. 
 
Ten centuries' worth of French historical 'facts' bite the dust as Stephen Clarke looks at what has really been going on since 1066 ... 
 
From the Norman (not French) Conquest, to XXX, it is a light-hearted - but impeccably researched - account of all out great-fallings out. 
 
In short, the French are quite right to suspect that the last 1,000 years have been one long British campaign to infuriate them. And it's not over yet...

Relentlessly and energetically rude about almost every aspect of French history and culture

Anyone who's ever encountered a snooty Parisian waiter or found themselves driving on the Boulevard Peripherique during August will enjoy this book

NEW UPDATED EDITION 
 
 Was the Battle of Hastings a French victory? 
Non! William the Conqueror was Norman and hated the French. 
 
Were the Brits really responsible for the death of Joan of Arc? 
Non! The French sentenced her to death for wearing trousers. 
 
Did the French write "God Save the Queen"? 
Non! But that's what they claim. 
 
Ten centuries' worth of French historical 'facts' bite the dust as Stephen Clarke looks at what has really been going on since 1066 ... 
 
Featuring new annoyances – both historical and recent – inflicted on the French, including Napoleon's "banned" chamber pot, Louis XIV's painful operation, Anglo-French jibes during the 2012 London Olympics, French niggles about William and Kate's royal wedding, and much more ...

Dirty Bertie: An English King Made in France

The entertaining biography of Edward VII and his playboy lifestyle, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde.

A comic history which manages to combine Clarke’s brand of jaunty, bawdy humour … with being genuinely informative about French history.

The entertaining biography of Edward VII and his playboy lifestyle, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde. 
 
Despite fierce opposition from his mother, Queen Victoria, Edward VII was always passionately in love with France. 
 
He had affairs with the most famous Parisian actresses, courtesans and can-can dancers. He spoke French more elegantly than English. He was the first ever guest to climb the Eiffel Tower with Gustave Eiffel, in defiance of an official English ban on his visit. He turned his French seduction skills into the diplomatic prowess that sealed the Entente Cordiale. 
 
A quintessentially English king? Pas du tout! Stephen Clarke argues that as 'Dirty Bertie', Edward learned all the essentials in life from the French.

How to survive in a Parisian Attic

The Merde Factor

The hilarious new Paul West novel from the bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and 1000 Years of Annoying the French.

Has done more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians.

Edgier than Bryson, hits harder than Mayle.

Must-have comedy-of-errors diary of being a Brit abroad.

Englishman Paul West is living the Parisian dream, and doing his best not to annoy the French. But recently things have been going très wrong: 
 
He's stuck in an apartment so small that he has to cut his baguettes in two to fit them in the kitchen. 
 
His research into authentic French cuisine is about to cause a national strike - and it could be all his fault. 
 
His Parisian business partner is determined to close their tea-room. And thinks that sexually harrassing his female employees is a basic human right. 
 
And Paul's gorgeous ex-girlfriend seems to be stalking him. 
 
Threatened with eviction, unemployment and bankrupcy, Paul realises that his personal merde factor is about to hit the fan...

Annoying The French Encore!

In this exclusive digital short-book, the bestselling author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French examines what the English-speaking world has been doing recently to ensure that France hangs on to its national inferiority complex.

FOR A YEAR IN THE MERDE: Edgier than Bryson; hits harder than Mayle.

FOR A YEAR IN THE MERDE: Must-have comedy-of-errors diary about being a Brit abroad.

FOR 1000 YEARS: Tremendously entertaining.

FOR 1000 YEARS: Relentlessly and energetically rude about almost every aspect of French history and culture

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR 
 
Bonjour cher reader, 
 
Ever since European history began, we Brits have been happily engaged in our national pastime - annoying the French. And the past couple of years have shown that this annoying never stops. To give just three examples: 
 
After a mid-Atlantic collision between French and British nuclear submarines, France's Minister of Defence seemed to blame the accident on ... shrimps. 
 
When French political superstar Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York, France's establishment was outraged. It soon emerged that sexual harassment was regarded as a basic human right by the country's male élite. (This theme provided so much excellent material that I decided to include it in the plot of my soon-to-be published novel, The Merde Factor.) 
 
And when David Cameron walked out of a Eurosummit, a French politician accused him of being 'like a man at a wife-swapping party who refuses to bring his own wife.' Yes, a very French image, and it just one of the many anti-Anglais insults that came flying across the Channel. 
 
You will find all this, and much more, in Annoying the French Encore! Because, for the French, the merde never ends. 
 
Yours historically, 
 
Stephen Clarke, Paris, August 2012 
 
 
‘Tremendously entertaining’ Sunday Times 
‘Relentlessly and energetically rude’ Mail on Sunday

The Secret Life of a City

Paris Revealed

The Paris you never knew by the bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and 1000 Years of Annoying the French.

Hilarious and insightful, Paris Revealed will resonate with anyone who knows the city

PARIS - one of the most visited cities in the world. 
 
BUT do you know ... 
 
Which is the most romantic spot to say 'je't'aime'? And the sexiest? 
Where to see fantastic art, away from all the crowds? 
Why Parisian men feel compelled to pee in the street? 
How to choose a hotel room where you might actually get a good night's sleep? 
 
 
Stephen Clarke goes behind the scenes to reveal everything Parisians know about their city - but don't want to tell you.

How to cook for the French president

Dial M For Merde

Merde meets The Day of the Jackal: Englishman Paul West becomes embroiled in a plot to assassinate the French President.

Done more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians.

Must-have comedy-of-errors diary about being a Brit abroad.

Combines the gaffes of Bridget Jones with the boldness of James Bond...Clarke's sharp eye for detail and relentless wit make even the most quotidian task seem surreal.

Paul West has just received an offer he can't refuse: 
_________________ 
 
Two weeks in the sun. 
 
All expenses paid. 
 
With a beautiful blonde called Gloria Monday. 
 
But it soon becomes obvious that Gloria, or M as she likes to be known, has bigger fish to fry. 
 
Meanwhile Paul is asked to cater his best friend’s wedding. Cooking for the French is a risky assignment at the best of times, but Paul assures the bride that nothing can go wrong. 
 
Or can it? 
 
When Paul discovers that M's real target is the French president, and that he's coming to Elodie's wedding, he realises that the merde is about to hit the fan...

Hell is an American road trip with a French passenger

Merde Happens

Q: What happens when an Englishman, an American, and a French woman drive across America in a Mini? A: Merde Happens ...

Edgier than Bryson, hits harder than Mayle

Paul West is in deep financial merde. His only way out of debt is to accept a decidedly dodgy job: 
 _________________ 
 
It involves him touring America in a Mini, while pretending to be typically British. 
 
Also in the car is Paul's French girlfriend, Alexa, and his American poet friend, Jake, whose main aim in life is to sleep with a woman from every country in the world. Preferably in the back of Paul's Mini. 
 
But as the little car battles from New York to Miami, leg-room turns out to be the least of Paul's troubles. His work is being sabotaged, his tour plans are in tatters, and his love life becomes a Franco-American war zone. 
 
And as Paul knows better than anyone, when you mix love and war - merde happens...

Talk to the Snail

From the bestselling author of A YEAR IN THE MERDE, the Ten Commandments for Living with the French

Done more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians

Must have comedy-of-errors diary about being a Brit abroad

Clarke renders the flavor of life in Paris impeccably: the endless strikes, the sadistic receptionists, the crooked schemes by which the wealthy and well-connected land low-rent apartments... Clarke's eye for detail is terrific

Call him the anti-Mayle. Stephen Clarke is acerbic, insulting, un-PC and mostly hilarious

Combines the gaffes of Bridget Jones with the boldness of James Bond... Clarke's sharp eye for detail and relentless wit make even the most quotidian task seem surreal

Have you been taken to what you've been assured is the perfect house deep in the French countryside, only to find there's no electricity or running water? Gone to the doctor with a nasty cough, and been diagnosed with a rather more personal complaint? Walked into an half-empty restaurant, only to be told that it's complet? 
 
If the answer to any of the above is oui, Talk to the Snail is the book for you.Find out how to get served in a restaurant; the best way to deal with French hypochondria; learn the language of love, sex and suppositories (not necessarily in that order); it's all here in this funny, informative, seriously useful guide on how to get what you really want from the French. 
 
With advice on essential phrases and bons mots to cover all eventualities, and illustrated with witty real-life anecdotes, Talk to the Snail is a book that no self-respecting Francophile - or Francophobe - can afford to be without. 
 
Don't go to France without reading this book. 
And don't even think of buying a house there.

How NOT to open an English tearoom in Paris

Merde Actually

From the bestselling author of A YEAR IN THE MERDE, the next instalment in the hilarious adventures of Paul West.

Must-have comedy-of-errors diary of being a Brit abroad

A year after arriving in France, Englishman Paul West is still struggling with some fundamental questions: 
_________________ 
 
What is the best way to scare a gendarme? 
 
Why are there no health warnings on French nudist beaches? 
 
And is it really polite to sleep with your boss's mistress? 
 
In his second comedy of errors, Paul West opens an English tearoom, and mutates (temporarily) into a Parisian waiter. 
 
Meanwhile, he continues his search for the perfect French mademoiselle. But will Paul find l'amour éternel, or will it all end in merde? 
 
Author's apology: 'I'd just like to say sorry to all the suppository fans out there, because in this book there are no suppositories. There are, however, lots of courgettes, and I see this as progress. Suppositories to courgettes - I think it proves that I'm developing as a writer.' Stephen Clarke

A Year In The Merde

The pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France

Self-published in France, and a subsequent bestseller, the hilarious story of a year in the life of a young Englishman abroad.

This is the season's word-of-mouth must-have book for Francophiles and Francophobes alike... This comedy of errors has almost certainly done more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians

What are the French really like? 
 
Paul West, a young Englishman arriving in Paris to start a new job, is about to find out. 
_________________ 
 
They do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs’ droppings. 
 
They don’t wash their armpits with garlic soap. 
 
Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after petanque. 
 
And, yes, they do use suppositories. 
 
Less quaint than A Year in Provence, less chocolatey than Chocolat, A Year in the Merde will tell you how to get served by the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make perfect vinaigrette every time; how to make amour - not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.

Stephen Clarke

An entertaining and eye-opening look at the French Revolution, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde. 
 
The French Revolution and What Went Wrong looks back at the French Revolution and how it’s surrounded in a myth. In 1789, almost no one in France wanted to oust the king, let alone guillotine him. But things quickly escalated until there was no turning back. 
 
The French Revolution and What Went Wrong looks at what went wrong and why France would be better off if they had kept their monarchy.

Stephen Clarke

Books by Stephen Clarke

Series by Stephen Clarke

Paul West

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter