The first acquaintance with the work of Antoine Blondin (1922–1991) fills one of the largest blank spots in the Russian reader’s understanding of French literature of the 20th century. Based on the novel “Monkey in Winter,” which was awarded the prestigious literary prize “Enteralier,” a wonderful film was made with the participation of Jean Gabin and Jean Paul Belmondo. One of the main characters in the novel is wine, which allows the hero and his young friend to experience an incomparable sense of freedom and at the same time enslaves their will. “Monkey in Winter” is a real hymn to friendship, in which the reader will hear motifs familiar to him from the books of Remarque and Hemingway.