Émile, the aging bookseller, ran a finger over its cloth spine. The title was stamped in gold that had once gleamed like the sun over the Marne. Now, in the autumn of 1940, it looked like tarnished brass.
“They burned the 1940 edition at the préfecture,” she said. “They said the word ‘ résistance ’ had been removed. Too provocative.” larousse french dictionary 1939
In 1944, after the liberation, Émile placed the dictionary back on its shelf. A little girl tugged his sleeve. “Monsieur, what does ‘ liberté ’ mean?” Émile, the aging bookseller, ran a finger over