Annie Ernaux on Writing, Politics, and the Fear of Falling Short
In an interview conducted at her residence in Val d'Oise, Annie Ernaux elaborates on her anthology, 'Écrire la vie' (Gallimard), and her journal 'L'Atelier noir' (éditions des Busclats). Although she initially felt unsettled by the idea of compiling her works, Ernaux emphasizes that writing is an ongoing process. She recounts her literary evolution from 'Les Armoires vides' (1974) to 'Les Années' (2008), highlighting her working-class background. For Ernaux, writing serves to 'save lived time' and transition from 'je' to 'on'. The Quarto features personal photographs and an unpublished diary. She also contemplates 'La Place' (1984), her literary inspirations, and her anxieties about writing, as well as reflections on time, aging, and mortality.
Key facts
- Annie Ernaux published 'Écrire la vie' (Gallimard) and 'L'Atelier noir' (éditions des Busclats) in 2011.
- 'Écrire la vie' is a 1,000-page Quarto volume collecting her works from 1974 to 2008.
- 'L'Atelier noir' is a journal of writing notes from 1982 to 2007.
- The interview took place at Ernaux's home in the Val d'Oise, a 40-minute train ride from Paris.
- Ernaux's first published book was 'Les Armoires vides' (1974).
- 'La Place' won the Prix Renaudot in 1984.
- Ernaux mentions her literary influences: Proust, Jean Rhys, Leiris, Pavese, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Flannery O'Connor, Nizan.
- Ernaux was born in 1940 in Normandy and experienced World War II and the Liberation.
- She underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer.
- The interview was conducted without recording; the journalist transcribed by hand over three hours.
Entities
Artists
- Annie Ernaux
- Cesare Pavese
- Marcel Proust
- Jean Rhys
- Michel Leiris
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Flannery O'Connor
- Paul Nizan
- Marguerite Duras
- Marguerite Yourcenar
- Georges Perec
- Alain Resnais
- Jean Genet
- Roland Barthes
- Karl Marx
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Bernard Pivot
- François Maspero
- Michèle Perrein
Institutions
- Gallimard
- éditions des Busclats
- Centre Pompidou
- Prix Renaudot
- Prix Goncourt
- Prix Interallié
- Canal+
- Unef
- PC (Parti Communiste Français)
- CGT
- artpress
Locations
- Val d'Oise
- Paris
- Normandy
- Rouen
- Yvetot
- Sotteville-sur-Mer
- Bordeaux-Caudéran
- Venice
- Moscow
- Cergy
- Japan
- Egypt
- Chile
- Albania
- Leipzig
- Ernemont
Sources
- artpress —