Uranus (translated as The Barkeep of Blémont) is a French novel by Marcel Aymé published in 1948.[1][2] It is the third book in a trilogy which covers the pre-war, war, and post-war periods in France. The first is Travelingue (1948), set in the time of the Front Populaire; the second is Le Chemin des écoliers (1946), set during the occupation. The third book, Uranus, focuses on post-war France and the purge: the social cleansing which sought to discipline collaborators. People were shaved, humiliated, beaten, and often killed without a fair trial.[3]
The true hero of the book, who is also the victim, is Léopold – owner of a coffee shop who discovers his passion for Jean Racine and for Andromaque thanks to lessons which, due to bombings of the school, must now take place in his establishment.