The King of the Blues

The King of the Blues1985. Among the cobbled streets and crowded cafés of Louvain-la-Neuve, He finds himself drawn ever deeper into the trials of student life. Humiliation, desire, rebellion, and fragile victories mark his days as he struggles to hold his dignity in a world ruled by alcohol and tradition.At the heart of it all lies Stéphanie, confidante, tormentor, and finally his girlfriend, whose influence shapes every choice he makes. Around them swirl the rivalries of friends and enemies, the cruelty of hazing rituals, and the drunken euphoria of nights that seem to promise eternity.Yet even as he immerses himself in this whirlwind, He wrestles with a quieter disillusion: lectures that feel childish, professors who simplify until mathematics itself seems reduced to kindergarten. For a boy who hungers for knowledge, university offers not only freedom but also the ache of boredom.When the contest of the Blues pushes him beyond his limits, he must discover whether endurance can become triumph, and whether pain can be transformed into pride.The King of the Blues is a tale of adolescence at once tender and brutal, where passion and humiliation intertwine, and where the search for self takes centre stage. Frédéric van Haute grew up in Belgium and studied economics and philosophy before working in Africa and Europe. His passion for literature and history runs through this second novel, which blends intimate confession with sharp social observation.In The King of the Blues, a sequel of The Feshmen, he explores memory, youth, and the rites of passage that shape us all