The Years (French: Les Années) is a 2008 non-fiction book by Annie Ernaux. It has been described as a "hybrid" memoir, spanning the period of 1941 to 2006.[1][2][3] Ernaux's English publisher, Seven Stories Press, described it as an autobiography that is "at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective."[3]
.jpg) Collection Blanche cover (first edition) | |
| Author | Annie Ernaux |
|---|---|
| Original title | Les Années |
| Translator | Alison L. Strayer |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Éditions Gallimard |
Publication date | 7 February 2008 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 2017 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-2-07-077922-2 |
| OCLC | 192081505 |
| 843/.914 B | |
| LC Class | PQ2665.R67 Z46 2008 |
Synopsis
editIn the book, Ernaux writes about herself in the third person (elle, or "she" in English) for the first time, providing a vivid look at French society just after the Second World War until the early 2000s.[4] It is the moving social story of a woman and of the evolving society she lived in. With this feature of book, Edmund White described it as a "collective autobiography", in his review for The New York Times.[3]
Reception
editThe Years was well received by French critics and is considered by many to be her magnum opus.[5] According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on 5 critic reviews with 4 being "rave" and 1 being "positive".[6]
It won the 2008 Françoise-Mauriac Prize of the Académie française, the 2008 Marguerite Duras Prize,[7] the 2008 French Language Prize, the 2009 Télégramme Readers Prize, and the 2016 Premio Strega Europeo Prize.[citation needed]
Translated by Alison L. Strayer, The Years won the 31st Annual French-American Foundation Translation Prize in the non-fiction category.[8] Alison L. Strayer's English translation was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2019.[9]
References
edit- ^ Schwartz, Madeleine (13 April 2020). "A Memoirist Who Mistrusts Her Own Memories". The New Yorker. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Elkin, Lauren (22 June 2018). "The Years by Annie Ernaux review – a masterpiece memoir of French life". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ a b c White, Edmund (19 January 2018). "Reclaiming the Past in the Internet's 'Infinite Present'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Laurin, Danielle (3 April 2008). "Autobiographie : Les années: le livre d'une vie" (in French). Radio-Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Peras, Delphine (11 February 2010). "Les Années par Annie Ernaux". L'EXPRESS (in French). Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "The Years". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Prix Marguerite Duras". Association Marguerite Duras (in French). Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Past Winners: Alison L. Strayer's translation of The Years by Annie Ernaux". French-American Foundation. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Annie Ernaux | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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