Things seen

92 pages

English language

Published Feb. 20, 2010 by University of Nebraska Press.

ISBN:
978-0-8032-1077-6
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OCLC Number:
427644838

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5 stars (1 review)

1 edition

Pointillistic observations of the life in the mid-1990s

5 stars

I'm embarrassed to say that I was totally unfamiliar with Annie Erneaux prior to hearing the announcement that she received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022. So I decided to check out some of her works at the library. Things Seen is a brief (92 pages) work which consists of short observations between 1993 and 1999. Erneaux observes what she sees on the street, in stores, on the train, on television, and elsewhere. The book consists of quick, sharply drawn vignettes. She describes characters vividly only to have them disappear, just as you might see someone interesting on the subway and then never again. She has a keen eye how humans relate to one another (such as a daughter constantly berating her mother in public), and is brutally self aware regarding her own treatment of the poor. She does not give one man money in the street, but the …

Subjects

  • Ernaux, Annie, -- 1940- -- Diaries
  • Authors, French -- 20th century -- Diaries