The Seventh Function of Language
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The Seventh Function of Language
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Narrated by:
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Bronson Pinchot
About this listen
From the prizewinning author of HHhH comes The Seventh Function of Language, a romp through the French intelligentsia of the 20th century.
Paris, 1980. The literary critic Roland Barthes dies - struck by a laundry van - after lunch with the presidential candidate François Mitterand. The world of letters mourns a tragic accident. But what if it wasn't an accident at all? What if Barthes was murdered?
In The Seventh Function of Language, Laurent Binet spins a madcap secret history of the French intelligentsia, starring such luminaries as Jacques Derrida, Umberto Eco, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, and Julia Kristeva - as well as the hapless police detective Jacques Bayard, whose new case will plunge him into the depths of literary theory. Soon Bayard finds himself in search of a lost manuscript by the linguist Roman Jakobson on the mysterious "seventh function of language".
A brilliantly erudite comedy that recalls Flaubert's Parrot and The Name of the Rose - with more than a dash of The Da Vinci Code - The Seventh Function of Language takes us from the cafés of Paris to the corridors of Cornell University and into the duels and orgies of the Logos Club, a secret philosophical society that dates to the era of the Roman Empire. Binet has written both a send-up and a wildly exuberant celebration of the French intellectual tradition.
©2017 Laurent Binet (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- By: Sana Krasikov
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, George Guidall
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 87
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
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Story4 out of 5 stars 78
Florence Fein grows up in Brooklyn in the 1930s, in a family that is gaining a foothold in the middle class. At City College she becomes engaged politically with the left-leaning student groups, and eventually, in the midst of the Depression, she takes a job with a trade organization that has a position for her in Moscow. There, she falls in love with another expatriate American and has a son. Soon after, Florence is sent to a work camp and her son to an orphanage.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Point of View of characters, past and present collide
- By Angela Adams on 01-29-19
By: Sana Krasikov
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Three Daughters of Eve
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 227
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 207
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Story4 out of 5 stars 208
Set across Istanbul and Oxford, from the 1980s to the present day, Three Daughters of Eve is a sweeping tale of faith and friendship, tradition and modernity, love and an unexpected betrayal. Peri, a wealthy Turkish housewife and mother, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground - an old polaroid of three young women and their university professor.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Review 3 daughters of Eve
- By CA on 04-28-18
By: Elif Shafak
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Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
- Auntie Poldi, Book 1
- By: Mario Giordano
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 98
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 88
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Story4 out of 5 stars 88
Auntie Poldi can think of no finer place to wait for death than Sicily. All she asks is a sea view, fine wine (and plenty of it), and her family close around. When death instead takes her handsome young friend Valentino - and under mysterious circumstances at that - Poldi will not take it lying down. Perhaps it's in her blood, but Auntie Poldi's hunting instincts have never felt more alive. Justice must be served - if it's the last thing she does....
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5 out of 5 stars
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More fun and murder in Sicily!
- By MolllyT on 02-19-18
By: Mario Giordano
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Death at La Fenice
- Commissario Brunetti Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Donna Leon
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 696
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 621
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 615
During intermission at the famed La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, a notoriously difficult and widely disliked German conductor is poisoned—and suspects abound. Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. To do so, he calls on his knowledge of Venice, its culture, and its dirty politics. Along the way, he finds the crime may have roots going back decades—and that revenge, corruption, and even Italian cuisine may play a role.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hercule Poirot in Venice...!!!
- By Emil Grancagnolo on 10-09-22
By: Donna Leon
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A Spy by Nature
- A Novel
- By: Charles Cumming
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3 out of 5 stars 140
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 96
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 95
Alec Milius is young, smart, and ambitious. He also has a talent for deception. He is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service, handing him an opportunity to play center stage in a dangerous game of espionage.
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4 out of 5 stars
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I highly recommend this little gem
- By Chou Young on 02-14-08
By: Charles Cumming
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The Kindly Ones
- By: Jonathan Littell
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 39 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 295
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 221
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Story4 out of 5 stars 220
The chilling fictional memoir of Dr. Maximilien Aue, a former Nazi officer who has reinvented himself, many years after the war, as a middle-class family man and factory owner in France. Max is an intellectual steeped in philosophy, literature, and classical music. He is also a cold-blooded assassin and the consummate bureaucrat. Through the eyes of this cultivated yet monstrous man, we experience in disturbingly precise detail the horrors of the Second World War and the Nazi genocide of the Jews.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Office politics in hell
- By Maine Colonial 🌲 on 04-02-13
By: Jonathan Littell
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Leaving the Atocha Station
- By: Ben Lerner
- Narrated by: Ben Lerner
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 271
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 234
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Story4 out of 5 stars 232
Adam Gordon is a brilliant, if highly unreliable, young American poet on a prestigious fellowship in Madrid, struggling to establish his sense of self and his relationship to art. Instead of following the dictates of his fellowship, Adam's 'research' becomes a meditation on the possibility of the genuine in the arts and beyond: are his relationships with the people he meets in Spain as fraudulent as he fears his poems are? Is poetry an essential art form, or merely a screen for the reader's projections?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Insightful, beautiful
- By Rochelle on 12-09-14
By: Ben Lerner
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Babylon Berlin
- Gereon Rath, Book 1
- By: Volker Kutscher
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 231
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 229
Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath was a successful career officer in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the vice squad in Berlin, a job he detests even though he finds a new friend in his boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city, and the Commissioner of Police has ordered the vice squad to ruthlessly enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations.
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2 out of 5 stars
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It's no Bernie Gunther Mystery ...
- By Brian English on 01-28-18
By: Volker Kutscher
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The Coincidence Makers
- A Novel
- By: Yoav Blum
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 145
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 127
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Story4 out of 5 stars 127
What if the drink you just spilled, the train you just missed, or the lottery ticket you just found was not just a random occurrence? What if it's all part of a bigger plan? What if there's no such thing as a chance encounter? What if there are people we don't know determining our destiny? And what if they are even planning the fate of the world? Enter the Coincidence Makers - Guy, Emily, and Eric - three seemingly ordinary people who work for a secret organization devoted to creating and carrying out coincidences. What the rest of the world sees as random occurrences, are, in fact, carefully orchestrated events.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!
- By Gal Wolff on 07-31-18
By: Yoav Blum
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The Spy Wore Red
- By: Aline, Countess of Romanones
- Narrated by: Grace Conlin
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 632
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 517
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 520
When Aline Griffith was born in Pearl River, New York, in 1923, one might have guessed from her exceptional beauty that a career as an actress or model might be in her future. Few would have imagined that twenty-one years later, she would find herself in Spain as a deep-cover OSS agent, infiltrating the highest levels of Spanish society, or that five years later still, she would marry a Spanish grandee and become one of the most watched, most admired, most fascinating women of international society. This is the story of Aline, Countess of Romanones, a story of courage, beauty and success that is far more exciting than any fictionalized thriller.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A must read!!
- By KaY.2012 on 12-29-14
By: Aline, and others
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Bangkok 8
- By: John Burdett
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 333
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 288
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Story4 out of 5 stars 288
Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep - a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. - is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones....
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2 out of 5 stars
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Very dissapointing
- By Dennis on 05-29-13
By: John Burdett
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Guapa
- By: Saleem Haddad
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 129
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 117
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
Rasa spends his days translating for Western journalists and pining for the nights when he can sneak his lover, Taymour, into his room. One night Rasa's grandmother - the woman who raised him - catches them in bed together. The following day Rasa is consumed by the search for his best friend, Maj, a fiery activist and drag queen star of the underground bar Guapa, who has been arrested by the police.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Guapa
- By Mah Maass on 08-25-16
By: Saleem Haddad
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A Fraction of the Whole
- By: Steve Toltz
- Narrated by: Colin McPhillamy, Craig Baldwin
- Length: 25 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 230
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 143
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 145
Stewing in an Australian prison, Jasper Dean reflects on his relationship with his dead father and recounts the many zany adventures they shared together.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Funny and Thought-provoking Tale of Human Nature
- By Asha Ember on 01-27-10
By: Steve Toltz
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Mystery Man
- By: Colin Bateman
- Narrated by: Stephen Armstrong
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
He’s the Man With No Name and the owner of No Alibis, a mystery bookshop in Belfast. But when a detective agency next door goes bust, the agency’s clients start calling into his shop asking him to solve their cases. It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. It’s an easy way to sell books to his gullible customers and Alison, the beautiful girl in the jewellery shop across the road, will surely be impressed. Except she’s not – because she can see the bigger picture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Mystery, humor & literary nuances - GREAT
- By Toby on 09-06-13
By: Colin Bateman
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The Submission
- A Novel
- By: Amy Waldman
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 185
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 157
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Story4 out of 5 stars 157
Claire Harwell hasn't settled into grief; events haven't let her. Cool, eloquent, raising two fatherless children, Claire has emerged as the most visible of the 9/11 widows who became a potent political force in the aftermath of the catastrophe. She longs for her husband, but she has found her mission: she sits on a jury charged with selecting a fitting memorial for the victims of the attack.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Some books were meant to be read...
- By Barbara on 02-24-12
By: Amy Waldman
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Night Soldiers
- By: Alan Furst
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,885
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,545
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,550
New York Times bestselling author Alan Furst is widely recognized as master of the historical spy novel. Furst’s works are vivid evocations of long-forgotten heroes and feature plots that unfold to the inexorable cadence of history. Night Soldiers is a simultaneously thrilling and illuminating tale of espionage set in 1934.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best Alan Furst novel!
- By Placeholder on 04-27-11
By: Alan Furst
What listeners say about The Seventh Function of Language
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yaroslav
- 02-03-19
A great story underpinned by a great narration
The book includes a decent detective story and a discussion of philosophical ideas on the backdrop of 1980s French politics making it not only a detective but an educational read. The complexity of the ideas allows for the re-reading.
The narration is very good as well. Thoroughly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura
- 05-03-18
This Is My Favorite Book on Audible!
Binet’s hilarious, scathing send-up of 1980’s intellectual culture is brought to life by the masterful narration of Bronson Pinchot. Weaving history and philosophy with taut pacing and scintillating suspense, Binet and Pinchot take the listener on a madcap romp through a world rife with secret societies, conspiracies, and magic that feels deceptively real. Part political thriller, buddy-cop comedy, and magical quest, The Seventh Function of Language is an unpausable adventure that will thrill any listener.
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2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Simon Kessell
- 04-15-18
Delicious French Politico-Philosophico Procedural
What did you love best about The Seventh Function of Language?
Eco-esque wit. Undermines and revels in the collision of 20th century french intellectualism and realpolitik!
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Seventh Function of Language?
The political dinners combining political arrogance, insecurity, philosophy and haute (nee paysanne) cuisine.
What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?
he has a devious sense of timing and delivery. Generally good pronunciations of french words and names.
If you could rename The Seventh Function of Language, what would you call it?
Death and Dismemberment on the Philosophy Express? No, seriously, current title is great.
Any additional comments?
Obligato!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aaron
- 04-16-22
Grad school fun
If you've spent any time reading Barthes, Derrida, and Foucault, you'll have fun seeing them transplanted into a witty detective/espionage novel loaded with sex, violence, and political commentary. Poor Phillip Sollers!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- William
- 11-01-17
Outstanding reader! Excellent choice of victim(s).
Starts Sherlock Holmes nee deconstructor, spins Pychon-esque. Ends Hollywood. Hard to stop listening, so I didn't.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-06-23
meh
lot of french philosopher name dropping, interesting ending. sadly, it's been many years since i've read them. add 2 stars if you were a philosophy major.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Francesca
- 07-08-20
Brilliantly, viciously funny
What a fabulous journey of a novel. A great read for the intellectual/philosopher/leftist who can appreciate being the butt of the joke. Littered with historical and literary Easter eggs, many of which I'm sure I missed but they are delightful to discover and often quite funny. I appreciate the many hours of studying french literature and philosophy that I would never otherwise use more now for the simple reason that they heightened my enjoyment of this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Jim
- 10-09-23
Not for me
I quickly realized that I don't know enough about French literature to undersand most of the jokes. Hope to just return this.
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