Alain Jaubert's 'Tableaux noirs': A Sensory Autobiography of Childhood

Alain Jaubert's autobiographical novel 'Tableaux noirs' (Éditions Gallimard) traces the early sensory memories of Antoine, beginning with the sounds of Allied bombings in Paris at age three or four. The narrative shifts between the chaos of war, the intimate world of women in his mother's couture house on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and the formative experiences of art, music, and literature. Key events include the arrival of Sarah, a young woman whose yellow star is removed by Antoine's mother, and her subsequent departure, his parents' divorce, and his expulsion from school. The novel explores the tension between the questioning of education and the wonder of learning through forms, sounds, colors, and words.