We can see Ernaux thinking about writing about her father while waiting for news of her first job. Her words truly reflect the complicated relationship she had with her family. Sparse observations on the impact of class and generational differences on how close one can be with a parent. The language of Ernaux is precise and captures the universal well

I have been confused with the type of relationship the author had with her father, especially in the initial part of this book. Did she actually love him or hate him? I know love is a complicated feeling that can't be explained by objective answers. Still, I felt that the author should have written that portion in a better way. I don't know whether the author was actually confused about her love towards her father due to the grief associated with her father's death or whether the central idea was lost in translation. a b c "Annie Ernaux". Premio Strega (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022 . Retrieved 7 October 2022. Note: In my notes at one point in the book early on I made this comment, ‘can’t believe what I’m reading...’. I was reading about the father’s childhood: They were convinced that being well-read and well-mannered were marks of an inner excellence that was innate.The author also touches upon the inadequacy of language itself to convey our memories, our feelings. She reflects upon the deficiency of the language to portray the simple, ungraceful country life of father. The real personal experiences of life can’t be conveyed through language as words get falter when pushed to their very limits, so in a way language was the inadequacy of Ernaux like her father. It reminds me of Maurice Blanchot here who wrote extensively about language and literary theory. Perhaps it’s hard to assuage the wounds of hearts with words of reason. We can see the author deciphering something complicated yet simple about her father's life in this book. Ernaux’s approach to memoir has been described as a blend of sociology and autofiction, but it is even more complex than this. The Years, which was shortlisted for last year’s Man Booker International Prize, is a form of collective memory covering, in third-person, the 60 years of Ernaux’s life: “This will not be a work of remembrance in the usual sense”, she explains, “aimed at putting a life into a story, creating an explanation of self. She will go within herself only to retrieve the world, the memory and imagination of bygone days, grasp the changes in ideas, beliefs and sensibilities, the transformation of people and the subject that she has seen.”

Introduction & Overview of Shame. BookRags. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022 . Retrieved 7 October 2022. Annie Ernaux, daughter, student, aspiring author and mother, dissects the personality of her father, that loving and scary figure many of us had and someday might even become. From childhood to old age, trying to find a place in a society he belongs and doesn’t. And in doing so, taking him part by part, we discover everything that made him be, parent’s parts we may even recognize, in ours. Un romanzo che segue la vita di un padre, il padre della narratrice, un operaio diventato commerciante, iniziando dalla sua scomparsa e andando a ritroso, per poi ricongiungersi, di nuovo, con l'inizio. Narrating his slow ascent towards material comfort, Ernaux's cold observation reveals the shame that haunted her father throughout his life. She scrutinizes the importance he attributed to manners and language that came so unnaturally to him as he struggled to provide for his family with a grocery store and cafe in rural France. A Woman's Story ( Une femme), A Man's Place, and Simple Passion were recognised as The New York Times Notable Books, [21] and A Woman's Story was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. [22] Shame was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, [23] I Remain in Darkness a Top Memoir of 1999 by The Washington Post, and The Possession was listed as a Top Ten Book of 2008 by More magazine. [24]This book goes by two names, ‘A Man’s Place (Four Walls Eight Windows. 1992 and then later editions) and “Positions” (Quartet Books, 1991). I have no idea why. 😐 Also I must note memoirs have never been my thing. and this one was no exception. But at least Ernaux’s are very short. Some interesting quotes here and there, but nothing memorable that will truly stay, at least for me. Hay que admirar la habilidad de Ernaux para escribir de una manera tan alejada y sin emoción, como un reportero transmitiendo las noticias. Sin embargo, yo por mi parte necesito emoción en mis lecturas, ya sea amor u odio, pero algo al menos, de otra forma tal vez me sienta más inclinado en leer en su lugar un panfleto de tendencia en mueblería.

L'occupation' ". visitmonaco.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022 . Retrieved 7 October 2022. Cassivi, Marc (24 May 2022). "Les années filmées d'Annie Ernaux". La Presse. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022 . Retrieved 6 October 2022. Annie Ernaux, hija, estudiante, aspirante a escritora y madre, disecciona la personalidad de su padre, esa entrañable y aterradora figura que muchos tuvimos y que algún día tal vez seremos. Desde la niñez hasta la vejez, tratando de encontrar un lugar en una sociedad a la que pertenece y no. Y en el proceso, dividiéndolo en pedazos, descubrimos todo lo que lo hizo ser, partes de padres que tal vez reconozcamos, en los nuestros.Look at the Lights, My Love. Translated by Alison L. Strayer. Yale University Press. 2023. ISBN 978-0300268218.