The French Revolution (novel)
Novel by Matt Stewart
The French Revolution is a novel written by American writer Matt Stewart. It was first published online on Bastille Day, July 14, 2009. It is Stewart's debut novel and the first novel to be published on Twitter. A print version was later released on the same date the following year.
Plot
The novel follows the lives of the Van Twinkles for thirty years and is loosely structured after the French Revolution. After a brief romance in San Francisco, Esmerelda Van Twinkle gives birth to fraternal twins Robespierre and Marat on Bastille Day. She raises the children with her autocratic mother. The twins would go on to rebel against their family and pursue a life in politics and beyond.
Characters
Esmeralda Van Twinkle — a former pastry chef turned cashier in a copy shop
Jasper Winslow —restaurant coupon salesman, father of Marat and Robespierre
Marat and Robespierre — fraternal twins born on Bastille Day
Fanny Van Twinkle — Esmeralda's alcoholic, depressive mother
Publication history
Author Matt Stewart wrote the novel primarily in San Francisco over the course of five years. His agent pitched the story to the major publishing houses, but they viewed it as a risky purchase and turned it down due to its raunchy language and fantastical plot.
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This entry incorporates text from “The French Revolution (novel)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.