Program cycle(Russia, 2004-2005). 10 gears.
Hosted by Nikolai Alexandrov.
The author of the project is Anatoly Golubovsky.
Screenplay Alexey Anikin, Charlotte Dubosc.
Directed by Konstantin Gadaev, Konstantin Murashev.
Cameramen Alexey Egorov, Alexander Milkin.
“Modern French Writers” - this title unites ten programs in the cycle. Viewers will see conversations literary critic and journalist Nikolai Alexandrov with leading contemporary writers of France.
The programs of the cycle are united both stylistically - in design and video sequences - and by some substantive constants. Each writer was asked to answer a series of questions from the so-called literary “Proust Questionnaire.” Each program contains quotes from literary works"hero" as examples of him literary style. Interviews with writers are supplemented by Nikolai Alexandrov's author's remarks, and are also interspersed with video sketches about the life of modern France.
Fernando Arrabal. One of the few remaining witnesses and participants of the famous era of surrealism. An artist, film director, writer, poet - he is already a cultural monument in himself. Fernando Arrabal talks about himself and those with whom his life brought him together. And among them are Salvador Dali and Yukio Mishima.
Michelle Tournier. One of the most famous and oldest modern French writers, member of the Goncourt Committee. The writer talks about his work, his passion for philosophy, and the specifics of his attitude to a number of literary problems.
Frederick Beigbeder. One of the most popular French writers in France and the most read in Russia, the author of the bestseller "99 Francs" talks about himself and his work. Including about last novel"Windows on the world" dedicated to events September 11 in the USA.
Marie Darriesec. The work of this writer is still little known to the Russian reader. Only one of her novels, “Hruisms,” has been translated into Russian. In her story, Marie Darriessec touches on topics such as women's literature, feminine theme in literature, mysticism and atheism, nature, love.
Jean Eshnoz. In order to truly feel the prose of this writer, laureate of the Prix Goncourt and one of the most sophisticated writers of modern France, you need to meet him and appreciate his taste and French grace.
Vincent Ravalec. Conversation with a contemporary French writer" new wave" concerns not only literature, but also the films he shot. Part of the conversation is devoted to the analysis of modern French youth culture, as well as the time of the writer’s childhood - the early 1970s.
Andrey Makin. French writer of Russian origin, laureate of the French literary Goncourt Prize. Talking about his childhood, the circumstances of his emigration, his first attempts to “grow into” French literature, Makin pays a lot of attention to the problem of bilingualism, the difficulties of translation and the peculiarities of his creative style.
Philippe Delerme. This writer is little known to Russian readers. Of all that he wrote, only one small collection of unique short stories and essays, “The First Sip of Beer,” was translated into Russian. Delerme talks about his biography, creativity, and the books he has written.
Epilogue. The final program is dedicated to comparative analysis creativity of modern French writers. Issues common to all writers are touched upon, such as working with language, attitudes towards cinema and theater, and the inclusion of the work of each writer in the world literary context. The writers presented in the series themselves speak out on these issues.
The program includes an interview with translator Irina Kuznetsova.
In early autumn, when the rains and warm sweaters have not yet become boring, you especially want a cozy and pleasant read - not too complicated, not too long and, of course, about love. Especially for those who can’t wait to wrap themselves in a blanket and spend a couple of pleasant hours in the company of heroes similar to each of us, Natasha Bayburina I selected 6 novels by contemporary French authors. Happy reading!
“Later I will understand that you find love when you are not looking for it; This stupid common statement is, oddly enough, true. And I will also understand in time - amazing discovery - that this also applies to writing a book. There is no need to specifically look for ideas and waste tons of paper on drafts: the book should come on its own, the first step is behind her. You just have to be ready to let her in when she knocks on the door of imagination. And then the words will flow on their own, easily and naturally.”
“All my previous loves were just drafts, you became a masterpiece.”
Feminine and sophisticated, writer Valerie Tong-Cuong is often called the new Anna Gavalda. Her novels have been translated into many foreign languages, and one of them is already being made into a film. The book “Providence” brought Valerie not only world fame, but also a nomination for the prestigious French Femina Prize. This novel is about hope, the butterfly effect and banal little things that connect absolutely different people. If I were asked to describe this book in one sentence, I would say this: “Providence” is one of good books, after reading which you want to live and do something good.
“Some of the people I know go to the other side of the world to do good for people; I try to do what I can for those I love and who are nearby.”
An absolutely charming story about friendship, love, children and the child in each of us. The plot centers on two French bosom friends (who are also single fathers) who are trying to arrange their life in London, exchanging the capital of France for 5 o’clock tea and endless rains and fogs. Everyone will find something of their own in this book: beauty (one of the heroines is a florist), humor (some dialogues are hilarious), the romance of antiquity (part of the action takes place in a library) and, of course, hope. Attention: if you like the book, I highly recommend watching the French film of the same name - it's real small masterpiece and an ode to joi de vivre - the small joys of everyday life.
“No self-respecting Parisian on the Boulevard Saint-Germain would cross the road on a white zebra crossing when the light is green. A self-respecting Parisian will wait for heavy traffic and rush straight ahead, knowing that she is taking a risk.”
This collection of Gavalda's stories is a real treat. Each hero of the book is your acquaintance, whom you will definitely recognize from the first lines. best friend, a sales assistant in a clothing store, your sister, neighbor and boss - all of them (with their fears, joys and sorrows) are collected in one small book, to which I personally return again and again. After reading all the stories, you will sort the tiny volume into quotes, advise your friends, and (if this is your first acquaintance with the author) read all of Gavalda’s other books in one gulp.
“Anna gets into a taxi, I quietly slam the door, she smiles at me from behind the glass, and the car starts moving... In a good movie, I would run after her taxi in the rain, and we would fall into each other’s arms at the nearest traffic light. Or she would suddenly change her mind and beg the driver to stop, like Audrey Hepburn - Holly Golightly in the finale of Breakfast at Tiffany's. But we're not at the cinema. We are in a life where taxis go their own way"
Frederic Beigbeder has two novels that do not irritate me. This is “Una and Salinger” (the story of the great love of the famous writer and future wife of Charlie Chaplin) and, of course, the book “Love Lives for Three Years.” It is written so modern, simple and in clear language, which cannot leave anyone indifferent. If you have ever climbed the wall from unrequited feelings, played the same sad song on your iPod in circles, imagined yourself as a movie hero, walking around the city alone, if you have ever fallen in love at first sight, you were on your way from betrayal, wrote “drunk” messages to their ex-lover, and if, of course, you are ready to experience all this madness one more time, do not deny yourself the pleasure. In the company of a crazy Beigbeder and a couple of cups of tea, time will definitely fly by!
“My technique worked. This is exactly what I told myself the first time I sat down on the sand to look at the sea. Chance brought me to the right place - it seemed that I was alone in the whole world. I closed my eyes, the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore a few meters away from me lulled me to sleep.”
Despite the fact that Agnès's first book did not initially meet with approval from publishers, after a few years the novel became a real bestseller. Having received another refusal for publication, Madame Lugan posted the manuscript on the Internet, and fame instantly fell upon her! What is not motivation for novice bloggers? The plot centers on the story of Parisian Diana, who lost her husband and little daughter in a car accident and gave herself a chance to new life, leaving France for an Irish village. " Happy people reading books and drinking coffee” - this is absolutely not stressful reading, very simple, very cozy, a little naive and sometimes too romantic. This book is good to take with you to a cafe when you want to quietly drink a cup of espresso or a glass of Bordeaux in silence and solitude.
FRENCH PROSE. LITERARY RECOMMENDATIONSFrance has always been “ahead of the rest” in terms of culture. There were eras that were brighter and less bright, but France never gave leadership to anyone for a long time.
Today's book boom in France was preceded by a rather difficult period, let's say, a crisis. " New novel", once revolutionary, has degenerated into fashion, literature for literature's sake (this in no way concerns its pillars and creators: Claude Simone, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor - writers for all times). And the audience either cooled down to modern prose, or switched to reading material.
But around the mid-80s, everything changed. A new generation of writers emerged who did not want to put up with cinema’s monopoly on entertainment. Young writers preferred to return to narration, to the technique of storytelling. This approach does not at all imply that prose is reduced to a pure plot - often the plot is difficult to trace, for example, with Beigbeder. We are not talking about realism in the traditional sense. It’s just that the author is always turned to events, to action, and not to pure descriptiveness. TO real life and to the person.
It is impossible to describe the entire current literary landscape of France in a nutshell, but I would like to show the best that it has. French writers are completely different from each other. On the one hand, for example, Jean-Philippe Toussaint the leader of a movement that critics have dubbed “minimalism” for its attempt to achieve an emotional effect using minimal means. On the other hand, a crazy dreamer Vincent Ravalec, working in the key then " cruel romance", either fantasy or anti-science fiction. He writes very different things Virginie Depant- this is both tough prose about the wrong side of life and novels about happy love.
Among French writers there are those who are already ranked among the classics - or “almost classics”: Romain Gary, Jorge Semprun, Patrick Modiano, Michel Houellebecq, above mentioned Jean-Philippe Toussaint. In our library they are presented in the “Illuminator” series. Michel Houellebecq and Frederic Beigbeder we are represented in almost in full. There are many more names that can be named: Amelie Nothomb, Martin Page, Jean-Christophe Grange, Christian Oster etc. In genre series there is also interesting names. “The Cure for Boredom” and “Intellectual Bestseller” feature master detectives: Sebastien Japrisot "The Long Engagement", Henri Löwenbrück "Testament of the Ages", Jean-Christophe Grange "Purple Rivers" and "Black Line", Philippe Delelis “The Last Cantata”, Maurice G. Dantec “The Red Siren”, Gérald Messadier “And if this was He? etc. Authors are presented who have not published in Russian until recently. This Christian Oster and his novels “The Housekeeper” and “Dating”, Laurence Causset with the novel about the death of Princess Diana “August 31”, Chinese Dai Si-jie (or De Xizhi), writing in French. His novel “The Di Complex,” about the adventures of a wandering psychoanalyst in today’s China, is something like “Don Quixote” on the ruins of a totalitarian regime. His book “Balzac and the Chinese Dressmaker” became a bestseller.
French prose today is a fresh look at the world, and the world is changing rapidly. Its theme is man in today's reality, which strives to zombify him, man. The French are extremely inventive - especially in literature - in terms of different ways to escape the mechanization and commercialization of life. The figure of Beigbeder immediately comes to mind.
“The French Line” is the most characteristic and striking examples of modern French-language literature. Among the young authors we can name such authors as Anna Gavalda "Just Together" etc., Martin Page “How I became an idiot”, N. Bismuth « Scrapbook« and others. At any time, there are not so many writers whose work gives rise to new trends and shapes the literary landscape of the era. The masters of French literature are represented by such names as Marguerite Duras, Georges Perec, Pierre Quignard, Jean Eshnoz, Raymond Queneau.
I would also like to note these interesting writers How Antoine Blondin ("Monkey" in winter"), Russian emigrant Irene Nemirovsky (French Suite), Patrick Rambaud (“The Village Fool”), Eric-Emanuel Schmitt (“Oscar and the Pink Lady”, “Odette” etc.), Jean-Pierre Milovanoff ("Aureline") etc.
I would like readers to get acquainted with the work of the masters of French literature and introduce authors new to it. Which in their country have long become national pride.
Today naughty Frederic Beigbeder celebrates his 50th birthday. We took advantage of this occasion and remembered the best French writers of our time.
Thanks to Beigbeder, Houellebecq, Levy, Verber and Gavalde, modern French literature is read and loved far beyond the borders of France. There is an opinion, for example, that Beigbeder and Houellebecq are more popular abroad than at home. This can be explained by the fact that the publishing business in France, although it is not blooming and smelling, is not stopping either - new writers appear here every week, but it was still possible to single out the most read ones.
Frederic Beigbeder
An advertising agency employee easily survived his dismissal - the reason for the dismissal was a scandalous novel 99 francs (today - 14.99 euros), which tells about the side of the advertising business hidden from ordinary people. Coming from a wealthy family, Beigbeder, in principle, could not work or write, but after 99 francs he was unstoppable - with a slight delay, the book Love Lives for Three Years, published three years earlier, and then any equally cynical and snobbish book became popular , Beigbeder's creation was a success with the public simply because of his name on the cover.
Michel Houellebecq
Most famous French writer outside of France. Houellebecq's novels are sharp, juicy, and often psychologically difficult. Each work contains the reflections of an intellectual, attempts to understand the world without losing respect for people. Read: Expanding the space of struggle, Elementary particles, The possibility of an island.
Daniel Pennac
The charming intellectual humorist is known in France for his children's books (Dog the Dog, Eye of the Wolf), and then found himself in the ironic detective genre, starting a series of novels about the loser Benjamin Malossin (read: Cannibal Happiness, The Carbine Fairy, The Little Prose Trader, Mister Malossin) . The cartoon Ernest and Celestine: The Adventures of a Mouse and a Bear, based on Pennac's script, received the French Cesar Award (“colleague” of the Oscar).
Bernard Werber
A philosopher and graphomaniac, Werber filled all bookstores - and not only in his homeland. The most famous works- a trilogy about ants (Ants, Day of the Ant, Revolution of the Ants - practically the Matrix, in general!) and the highly pretentious Star Butterfly, drawing haunting parallels with the Bible.
Guillaume Musso
Relatively young French novel ist, wildly popular among French readers. As soon as Musso’s new novel comes out, you immediately see it in the hands of every second person on the subway and in a restaurant. Read: After... (two literary prizes and the film adaptation Hostage of Death, 2008), Paper Girl, Tomorrow.
Antoine Volodin
The author wrote more than 30 works in different genres- and signed them different names. The author's real name is still kept secret - only the Russian grandmother, birth in Burgundy, translation of Tokareva, Strugatsky, Limonov and others into French is known. Without giving critics the opportunity to attribute it to any literary movement, Volodin rushes between genres, and asks to call his style post-exoticism. Read: Dondog and everything you find in Russian.
Andrey Makin
Andrei Sergeevich Makin is the grandson of a French emigrant who settled in Russia in 1917. He studied in Moscow, then went to France and asked for asylum. He taught Russian to the French and wrote books that they did not want to publish - then he passed them off as translations of Russian works into French. After that, they began to publish him - and for his third novel (The French Testament) he received the most prestigious literary award in France - the Gongur Prize.
Pascal Quignard
Winner of the Gongur Prize, essayist, poet, prose writer - writes both novels and philosophical essays, and poetry. Read: Sex and Fear (on the evolution of eroticism in ancient art), Staircases of Chambord (studying the architecture of the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, main character reflects on happiness and human relationships), All the mornings of the world (about art and love).
Mark Levy
The prolific novelist once built a business in Silicon Valley - worked computer graphics. After the success of his first book (Only if it was true - the book was filmed hollywood movie Between Heaven and Earth with Reese Witherspoon) stops doing business and devotes himself entirely to literature. Levi - popular writer among housewives and the quiet intelligentsia. To a person accustomed to aggressive and intellectual prose, his books may seem something like a sophisticated Daria Dontsova.
Anna Gavalda
There are only eight novels - and what popularity! Ever since the first novel - I loved her. I loved him - it became clear that Françoise Sagan’s laurels haunted Anna. Later she found her own path: each of her works is a story about love, to one degree or another, and how it adorns every person. Read: Just together, A consolation game of petanque.
French classic prose
Introduction
French classicism was most clearly manifested in drama, but also in prose, where the requirements for compliance with aesthetic standards were less strict, it created a unique genre inherent to it - we mean the genre of aphorism. In France XVII century, several aphorist writers appeared. We call this those writers who did not create either novels, stories, or short stories, but only short, extremely condensed prose miniatures or wrote down their thoughts - the fruit of life observations and reflections.
Aphorism like literary genre I have not yet found either my historian or my interpreter. Meanwhile, this genre has firmly established itself in literature. La Rochefoucauld, Labruyere, Vauvenargues, Chamfort - brilliant masters of aphorism - gave classic designs this genre. Its origins should be sought in the “Characters” of the ancient Greek writer Theophrastus. However, the French literature preceding the named writers had already created special artistic techniques, on the basis of which the genre of aphorism was born as a literary genre (“Essays” by Montaigne). The aphorism genre requires enormous skill. The word in it is worth its weight in gold. There is no, there should not be anything superfluous. Laconism is one of the main advantages of an aphorism.
Aphorists
A brilliant master of aphorism was La Rochefoucauld (1613–1689). An aristocrat, a participant in the Fronde, who spent a stormy youth, in his declining years he turned to literature and wrote the book “Reflections, or Moral Sayings and Maxims” (1665). The writer created a unique model of “man in general” and outlined a kind of universal psychology suitable for all times and peoples. The moral portrait of humanity, drawn by the skillful and cold pen of the French author, is completely devoid of any attractiveness. There is not a single tolerable feature. The picture turned out to be quite gloomy. The writer does not believe in truth or goodness. Even in acts of humanity and nobility, he is inclined to see hidden ill will, a spectacular pose, a mask covering selfishness and selfishness.
Here are some examples. A certain man felt sorry for his enemy. “How noble this is!” - we will say. La Rochefoucauld will smile skeptically and say: “There is more pride here than kindness.” Isn't it nice to humiliate your enemy with compassion? To him? Elderly man wants to help his young man life experience. La Rochefoucauld with bitter sarcasm will throw out a sardonic phrase: “Old madmen are much worse than young ones!” or “Old age is a tyrant who prohibits, on pain of death, all the joys of youth.” The lovers remain touchingly faithful to each other. We admire their constancy. La Rochefoucauld will try to dispel our illusions: “They hold on to their first lover for a long time when they cannot find another.” About women of strict morals, he will ironically respond: “Most decent women are like hidden treasures, which are safe only because they are not sought.”
There are holy tears, tears of compassion, sadness, tears of separation, tears of happy meeting. La Rochefoucauld does not believe any of this: he sees lies and vanity everywhere. “There are tears that often deceive ourselves, after they have deceived others”; “There is nothing more intolerable than a smart fool”; “There is nothing more rare than true kindness; what is called kindness is usually only connivance or weakness.” The world is ruled by man’s selfish interest, his pride, his vanity, his selfishness. These misanthropic observations, presented with the brilliance of a great stylist, amazed reading France. The “high society” recognized itself. La Rochefoucauld's psychological studies, as we have already said, laid claim to universal universality.
The technique of abstraction, the ultimate exposure of ideas in artistic image- this is perhaps the most important thing that connects La Rochefoucauld with the artistic method of classicism. His “characters,” if considered from the point of view of literary skill, are nothing more than classicist images-ideas, brought to the limit of generalization, to the complete absence of any specific features of the individual.
Moliere, a year after the publication of “Sayings,” La Rochefoucauld staged his comedy “The Misanthrope” in the theater, in which he brought up for public discussion the issues posed in La Rochefoucauld’s book.
With the characteristics of French society the second half XVII century was made by La Bruyère (1645–1696). In 1688 he published the book The Characters of Theophrastus, translated from the Greek. The book was replenished with each new edition and was repeatedly corrected by the author. The initial idea of a simple translation of the text of the ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Aristotle, ultimately resulted in an independent original work - “Characters or Manners of Our Age.”
The son of a bourgeois, La Bruyère differed significantly in his views from the aristocrat La Rochefoucauld. His comments about the nobility are very disparaging; and vice versa, judgments about the people are full of deep sympathy. We have already quoted his statement about the French peasants. La Bruyère also reveals many vices human nature, but his outlook on life is brighter. People in his view are by no means as terrible as in the gloomy picture of La Rochefoucauld. La Bruyère's character system is in the spirit of classical theory. Here is the same desire for a universal human universality of types, as was the case with La Rochefoucauld.
However, La Bruyère classifies his characters according to class characteristics (usurers, monks, nobles, bourgeois, peasants, etc.). It is impossible not to cite here the writer’s observations relating to the world of the rising bourgeoisie in his days. “There are vile souls,” La Bruyère writes, “molded from dirt and garbage, in love with goods and gain, just as noble souls are in love V glory and virtue; They. capable of only one pleasure - to gain or lose nothing; curious and greedy only for rumors of a ten percent gain; busy only with their debtors; always concerned about the decline in value or depreciation of money; bogged down in contracts, deals and papers. Such creatures are no longer people, they are owners of money.”
"The Princess of Cleves" by Madame de Lafayette
In 1678, Claude Barbin, publisher of Boileau, La Fontaine, Racine, La Rochefoucauld and others famous writers XVII century, published the novel by an unknown author “Princess of Cleves”. A narrow circle of French nobility immediately recognized the author of the novel in Madame de Lafayette, already a well-known novelist who had previously published several of her works.
Countess de Lafayette (1634–1693) is one of the regular visitors to Madame de Rambouillet's salon. A deep friendship connected her with La Rochefoucauld, one of the veterans of the noble opposition to absolutism. It was not without the influence of this sober, skeptical mind that the entire style of the novel, free from pomposity, was formed.
If we talk about literary traditions, then Madame de Lafayette’s novel is in the spirit of memoir narratives. Memoirs were written in the 16th century (Voiture, Margaret of Navarre, etc.), and the 17th century is full of memoirs (Cardinal de Retz, etc.). The advantage of this genre lies in the accuracy of descriptions with maximum stinginess visual arts. Writers of memoirs avoided rhetorical embellishments, but they were very careful about correctly conveying the portrait likeness of the historical figures they saw. A historical anecdote, a catchphrase accidentally dropped by someone, was eagerly picked up by memoirists, so that they could later take their place in a kind of protocol recording of memories. Madame de Lafayette’s novel borrowed from the genre of memoirs both the meager severity of the narrative and the sober truthfulness.
The novelist, slyly rejecting authorship, wrote about her work: “I find it very pleasant, is it well written? Long, without undue polish, full of delightful subtleties, it can be re-read more than once, and especially what I find in it is a wonderful depiction of court society and its way of life. There is nothing romantic or out of the ordinary in it, as if it were not a novel; Actually, this is a memoir, that’s what the book was originally called, as I was told, and only then the name was changed. This, sir, is my opinion about The Princess of Cleves. Madame de Lafayette was on friendly terms with Racine. This friendship stemmed from common literary interests. Madame de Lafayette made Racine's contribution to French tragedy, namely the deepest penetration into the life of the heart, into the property of the novel.
Racine's tragedy with its superbly sculpted psychological portraits became a school of psychological mastery for writers. Madame de Lafayette was the first to use the playwright's achievements in a different genre - in the novel. And subsequent French literature followed the path opened by her. In the 19th century Stendhal opposed artistic method Madame de Lafayette (the faithful portrayal of characters as the main task of the novelist) to the method of Walter Scott, condemning English writer for an excessive penchant for depicting historical realities, or, as the French romantics of the 20s said. XIX century, local color.
Anatole France in his article about “The Princess of Cleves” wrote: “Mme de Lafayette was the first to introduce the natural into the novel, she was the first to draw human characters and genuine feelings in it, she worthily entered into the concert of the classics, harmoniously echoing Moliere, La Fontaine, Boileau and Racine, who turned the muses to nature and truth. "Andromache" dates from 1667, "Princess of Cleves" - 1678, modern literature comes from these two dates. "The Princess of Cleves is the first French novel in which the main interest is concentrated on the truth of passions."
The plot of the novel is simple. It can be stated in a few lines. The young wife of the aging Prince of Cleves meets the equally young Prince Nemours at a ball. Young people fall in love with each other. Not wanting to hide anything from her husband, who is deeply respected by her, the Princess of Cleves tells him about her new feelings. This confession kills the husband who is passionately in love with his wife. The Princess of Cleves remains faithful to the memory of the deceased, removing her loved one from herself forever. That's the whole story.