FRANCE WARRIOR'S REST FOR ALL HIS PREOCCUPATION WITH BUILDING THE NEW FRANCE, 
LE GRAND CHARLES IS ALSO HIS COUNTRY'S GRAND LISEUR, WHOSE VORACIOUS 
READING AT LEAST TWO HOURS OF EACH DAY . ON RISING, 
DE GAULLE SKIMS THROUGH THE MORNING PRESS, AFTER LUNCH HE PERUSES 
LE MONDE, THEN HE SNATCHES A FEW CHAPTERS FROM A BOOK 
. EVENINGS, DE GAULLE RELAXES IN A BEDROOM CHAIR WITH MORE 
BOOKS . INUNDATED BY GIFT COPIES, DE GAULLE LEAFS THROUGH EVERY 
VOLUME SENT HIM, READS WITH CARE THOSE THAT SEEM PROMISING . 
AFTERWARD HE WRITES PERSONAL NOTES IN LONGHAND TO THE AUTHOR, LENGTH 
AND WARMTH DEPENDING ON HIS OPINION OF THE WORK (ONE OF 
HIS HIGHEST COMPLIMENTS : " I CONGRATULATE MYSELF FOR HAVING READ 
YOUR BOOK " ) . IN RECENT MONTHS DE GAULLE HAS 
POLISHED OFF, AMONG OTHERS, FRANCOIS D'HARCOURT'S L'ASIE, REVEIL D'UN MONDE, DEALING 
WITH THE DIVERSITY OF ASIAN CULTURES ; EDOUARD SABLIER'S DE L'OURAL 
A L'ATLANTIQUE, A DISSERTATION ON COMMUNIST PENETRATION ; L'HISTOIRE SECRETE, A 
HISTORY OF FRANCE FROM 1936 THROUGH THE ALGERIAN WAR ; AND 
LAGRANDISSEMENT, AN ABSTRACT NOVEL BY CLAUDE MAURIAC . FOR LIGHT READING, 
DE GAULLE OCCASIONALLY SHOWS A PENCHANT FOR THE TORRID . THE 
PRO-GAULLIST WEEKLY LE NOUVEAU CANDIDE RAISED PARISIAN EYEBROWS SOME TIME AGO 
BY REPORTING THAT DE GAULLE HAD READ LES PIANOS MECANIQUES BY 
HENRI-FRANCOIS REY . A FRENCH BESTSELLER HIGHLY PRAISED BY THE CRITICS, 
PIANOS IS A SORT OF DOLCE VITA SET ON SPAIN'S COSTA 
BRAVA WHOSE MAIN CHARACTERS A SCHIZOPHRENIC JOURNALIST, A NEGLECTED TEEN-AGE BOY 
AND GIRL, A HALF-WIT CHARWOMAN MOVE THROUGH THEIR POINTLESS LIVES BATTLING 
BOREDOM WITH PROMISCUITY . SAMPLE PASSAGE : " SHE LED HIM 
TO THE BED, STILL KEEPING THEIR LIPS LOCKED . VINCENT LAY 
DOWN . JENNY DETACHED HERSELF . SHE BEGAN TO UNDRESS HIM, 
WITH SURE CLEAN MOTIONS . . . " IT IS JUST 
POSSIBLE THAT THE PRESIDENT DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS GETTING 
INTO WHEN HE STARTED THE BOOK . ONCE DURING A LUNCH 
WITH FRIENDS, HE ASKED ONE OF THE WIVES PRESENT : " 
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING ? " ANSWER : LE REPOS 
DE GUERRIER (THE WARRIOR'S REST) . APPARENTLY THINKING IT A MILITARY 
TOME, THE PRESIDENT SAID EAGERLY : " AH, TRES BIEN . 
COULD YOU LEND IT TO ME ? " ACTUALLY, THE BOOK, 
WHOSE MOVIE VERSION STARRED BRIGITTE BARDOT, WAS A SULTRY ITEM DEALING 
MORE WITH CONQUESTS IN THE BEDROOM THAN ON THE BATTLEFIELD 