Infinite Books

Artists are in search of truth. And yet, even with many writers keeping this in mind, it is tempting to interpret one’s personal experience in a flattering or apologizing light. It’s particularly challenging to keep an observant eye when writing autobiographical books. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Annie Ernaux “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements, and collective restraints of personal memory.” This perfectly explains what we find in Ernoux’s prose, which makes it unique. The qualities praised by the Nobel committee are evident in the book “A girl’s story.” Chapeau bas, Madame Ernaux!

This is an autobiographical story of a girl, Annie, who leaves her parent’s home in the summer of 1958 to work at a summer camp. The sense of freedom is overwhelming. She’s a tall, shy girl who loves to read and watch obscure art movies like “Canal” from an Eastern Europe block country. Coming from a small village, she hasn’t experienced taking a bath in a tub or showering, and now she’s surrounded by girls who seem worldly, articulated, and so pretty. But, for the first time, she feels noticed –  she becomes an object of an older man’s sexual interest. Satisfied, he quickly leaves her without explanation. The girl is devastated. It’s not love; it’s the feeling of being abandoned, left without a master, with no idea what to do next. What could she do to win him back?

A similar situation would be simply condemned in our world of the #metoo movement. However, Ernaux neither judges nor explains – she merely looks at that young girl, after 50 years, from the perspective of older herself, noting that not just the facts are essential. It’s even more important what we do with them.

It’s a fascinating, beautiful book: narrative to the point of being a scientific exploration of a case and, simultaneously, incredibly poetic. Not often do we see such depth and intelligence in describing personal experiences in literature. With French songs of Dalida and Jean-Luc Godard’s movies in the background, with the Algerian war in the news, Annie goes through two years of her young life – and the older Annie observes her after 50 years. She is not just a product of the author’s memory or a lesson in dealing with the past.

The author mentions Roger Vadim’s film “And God Created Woman.”  After reading “A Girl’s Story,” I see that a young  Annie Duchesne created Annie Ernaux.

A GIRL’S STORY, Annie Ernaux, Seven Stories Press, 2020