There is a distinct difference between the way Ernaux describes the life of her mother and that of her father. I also read it now because I saw Ilse had been reading Ernaux’s work and as so often happens with Ilse, she nudged me (gently, urgently) through her lovely review to read her work. Ernaux usa uno stile anteriore, mette fra la penna e il sé sulla pagina una distanza oggettiva che crea una storia di fiducia e innocenza e nel linguaggio lirico ci consegna un segreto fedele al riparo necessario, alla comune salvezza, alla sorvegliata destinazione.

You can see her reaching forth, attempting to draw connection from her early childhood memories, attempting to infuse images with feelings. De fato, a vida burguesa propiciada pelo veloz desenvolvimento no pós-guerra leva a uma grande transformação da sociedade, embora não alcance a todos; e quando alcance, pode se traduzir em vidas em condições precárias.

Não há floreios, nem adjetivos, nem sentimentalismos ou ao menos choro, mas a vida como ela acontece. Il posto non è certo quello di lavoro, l’impiego, anche se la trasformazione sociale e le differenze di classe sono molto importanti in quest’opera. Over the course of the book, Ernaux grows up to become the uncompromising observer now familiar to the world, while her father matures into old age with a staid appreciation for life as it is and for a daughter he cautiously, even reluctantly admires. Zira en bariz şekilde Seneler’de gördüğümüz; bireysel ve biricik olana bakıp acayip toplumsal panoramalar çıkarmak işini müthiş bir maharetle kotarıyor kendisi, bunu bu derinlikte yapan başka yazar ben tanımadım.

She grew up in rural France, in a small Norman town where there was a very strict morality and work ethic, strongly influenced by the Catholic Church. Tanya Leslie was the first translator of Annie Ernaux into English and translated a number of her works, including A Woman’s Story (1991), A Man’s Place (1992), Simple Passion (1993), Shame (1998), I Remain in Darkness (1999) and Happening (2001). And here, what Ernaux shows beautifully is the difference of attitude towards life and a total lack of entitlement on her parents’ part.I’ve read three Ernaux so far – A Girl’s Story, Happening, and The Years of which Years is probably most praised but the one that impacted me least. In British English (I can’t speak to others) ‘one’ has class connotations, so that’s probably why that wasn’t used.