Birth of a Goncourt -

Calmann Levy

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  • Today, “Birth of a Goncourt” by Yann Queffélec, republished in a Pocket Book in September 2020.

Christian Dorsan, author, blogger and contributor to the

20 Minutes

Books

reading group

, recommends

Birth of a Goncourt

 by Yann Queffélec, republished in a Pocket Book in September 2020.

Her favorite quote:

So who is Françoise Verny?

She's the mother of the authors, of course.

An unwanted mom.

Everyone has their own.

She doesn't really like the idea: "Not a mother: a pimp mother!"

A brothel boss!

"


Why this book?

  • Because we (re) discover with pleasure the legendary banter of Queffélec,

    the beginnings of a writer and his relationship with Françoise Verny, the terrifying editor.

  • Because Queffélec offers his version, fictionalized or not,

    of the genesis of his Goncourt won in 1985 for Les Noces barbares, but also a knife-edge description of the literary world of that time.

  • Because the sketched portrait of Françoise Verny is a delight,

    nothing is missing, nothing is exaggerated.

    At this time, she is the popess of publishing in France, he is an ogre, their relationship will be conflictual, passionate.

    She does not pass anything to him while he does as he pleases.

  • Because this book offers a portion of Queffélec's life,

    of his intimacy, with the flights that we know him and which stamps his style.

    There is no restraint in the story, no modesty.

    He does not spare himself.

  • Because we find the accent of the

    Dictionary of love of Brittany

    , of loves for the sea, and its landscapes.

    Queffélec transposes his whole universe in this book.

    We also get lost: the great lyrical flights of this author take us on paths that lead nowhere.

    Sentences that sometimes end like the end of an echo ...


The essentials in 2 minutes

The plot.

 Returning to the port to repair a damage, the young Queffélec crosses the road of a woman who throws at him, without knowing him, "You darling, you have the face of a writer!"

He does not know that he has just entered the life of Françoise Verny, publisher, high priest of literary success in France.

Characters.

 Yann Queffelec and Françoise Verny.

Of course there are other characters (his wife, his bullshit, Verny's son etc.) but these are the two main characters.

Places.

 Paris, Brittany.

The time.

 End of the 70s, the 80s.

The author.

 Yann Queffelec is a prolific author, winner of Goncourt with the remarkable

Noces barbares

, he has also published

Dictionary of Love of Brittany

 which is a delight to read ...

This book was read with the pleasure of 

rediscovering Queffélec's verve.

Buy this book at Fnac

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