Three French Novels: Voice, War, and Baroque Excess
A review in artpress discusses three recent French novels, each exploring distinct literary territories. Alain Veinstein's 'L'Intervieweur' (Calmann-Lévy) draws on his experience as a radio interviewer for France-Culture, crafting a fable about voice and silence that critics mistakenly conflated with the author himself. Pierre Bergounioux's 'B-17 G' (Le Flohic) imagines the final moments of ten US airmen aboard a B-17 bomber shot down over Germany, using precise descriptions and metaphor to achieve hallucinatory realism. Patrick Grainville's 'L'Atlantique et les amants' (Seuil) follows lovers Eric and Lena along the Atlantic coast, indulging in baroque, epic prose that tackles passion, nature, and mythology with Hugolian flair. The review critiques the confusion between author and narrator in Veinstein's case, praises Bergounioux's mastery of metaphor, and warns minimalists away from Grainville's excess.
Key facts
- Alain Veinstein's novel 'L'Intervieweur' was published by Calmann-Lévy.
- Veinstein is a long-time interviewer for France-Culture.
- The novel is a meditation on voice and the link between language and silence.
- Pierre Bergounioux's 'B-17 G' was published by Le Flohic.
- The book is inspired by a photograph of a burning B-17 bomber from WWII.
- Bergounioux imagines the lives of ten US airmen from takeoff to being shot down.
- Patrick Grainville's 'L'Atlantique et les amants' was published by Seuil.
- The novel features themes of physical passion, surfing, bullfighting, and mythology.
- Grainville's style is described as baroque and epic, with Hugolian accents.
Entities
Artists
- Alain Veinstein
- Pierre Bergounioux
- Patrick Grainville
- Catherine Millet
- La Bruyère
- Proust
- Eurydice
- Poseidon
- Anubis
- Minotaur
- Orion
Institutions
- France-Culture
- Calmann-Lévy
- Le Flohic
- Seuil
- artpress
- L'Infini
Locations
- France
- Germany
- Atlantic Ocean
Sources
- artpress —