Childhood

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, French, Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book Childhood by Nathalie Sarraute, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Nathalie Sarraute ISBN: 9780226922324
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: March 18, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Nathalie Sarraute
ISBN: 9780226922324
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: March 18, 2013
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

As one of the leading proponents of the nouveau roman, Nathalie Sarraute is often remembered for her novels, including The Golden Fruits, which earned her the Prix international de litterature in 1964. But her carefully crafted and evocative memoir Childhood may in fact be Sarraute’s most accessible and emotionally open work. Written when the author was eighty-three years old, but dealing with only the first twelve years of her life, Childhood is constructed as a dialogue between Sarraute and her memory. Sarraute gently interrogates her interlocutor in search of her own intentions, more precise accuracy, and indeed, the truth. Her relationships with her mother in Russia and her stepmother in Paris are especially heartbreaking: long-gone actions are prodded and poked at by Sarraute until they yield some semblance of fact, imbuing these maternalistic interactions with new, deeper meaning. Each vignette is bristling with detail and shows the power of memory through prose by turns funny, sad, and poetic. Capturing the ambience of Paris and Russia in the earliest part of the twentieth century, while never giving up the lyrical style of Sarraute’s novels, this book has much to offer both memoir enthusiasts and fiction lovers.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As one of the leading proponents of the nouveau roman, Nathalie Sarraute is often remembered for her novels, including The Golden Fruits, which earned her the Prix international de litterature in 1964. But her carefully crafted and evocative memoir Childhood may in fact be Sarraute’s most accessible and emotionally open work. Written when the author was eighty-three years old, but dealing with only the first twelve years of her life, Childhood is constructed as a dialogue between Sarraute and her memory. Sarraute gently interrogates her interlocutor in search of her own intentions, more precise accuracy, and indeed, the truth. Her relationships with her mother in Russia and her stepmother in Paris are especially heartbreaking: long-gone actions are prodded and poked at by Sarraute until they yield some semblance of fact, imbuing these maternalistic interactions with new, deeper meaning. Each vignette is bristling with detail and shows the power of memory through prose by turns funny, sad, and poetic. Capturing the ambience of Paris and Russia in the earliest part of the twentieth century, while never giving up the lyrical style of Sarraute’s novels, this book has much to offer both memoir enthusiasts and fiction lovers.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book History of Religious Ideas, Volume 3 by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Tricks of the Trade by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Big Bosses by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book The Culture of Ancient Egypt by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Bombs Away by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Freedom Beyond Sovereignty by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book The Politics of Belonging by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book The Accompaniment by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Paper Minds by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book The Seductions of Quantification by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Making the Unequal Metropolis by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Once Out of Nature by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book In the Watches of the Night by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book The Insane Chicago Way by Nathalie Sarraute
Cover of the book Everyday Technology by Nathalie Sarraute
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy