Meet Colas Breugnon, a sixteenth-century Burgundian carpenter with a glass of wine in one hand, a chisel in the other, and absolutely no intention of growing old gracefully. In this raucous "autobiography," Rolland gives voice to an unforgettable rogue who has spent fifty years perfecting his craft, dodging his priest, doting on his children from a distance, and maintaining that most precious of possessions: his liberty. Colas writes with the kind of wry wisdom that only comes from someone who has loved deeply, laughed often, and refused to take anything too seriously, including himself. Set in the rolling hills and taverns of Renaissance Burgundy, the novel pulses with the rhythms of artisanal life, the warmth of provincial France, and the quiet terror of watching youth slip away. Yet this is no melancholy reckoning. It is a defiant, infectious celebration of what it means to be fully alive, to find humor in hardship, and to insist on one's freedom even when the world demands conformity. Colas Breugnon is the kind of character who walks off the page and into your heart, dragging a century's worth of good cheer behind him.
