{"id":134,"date":"2016-09-05T22:25:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/index.php\/2016\/09\/05\/suite-francaise-by-irene-nemirovsky-france-london-2004\/"},"modified":"2023-06-06T08:45:41","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T22:45:41","slug":"suite-francaise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/suite-francaise\/","title":{"rendered":"Suite Fran\u00e7aise by Ir\u00e8ne N\u00e9mirovsky, France\/London, 2004"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Although <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Suite Fran\u00e7aise <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>was not published until 2004, it was actually written in 1940\/1941, which makes it, like the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Robert Graves, extremely valuable. While many other novels based on the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>horror <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>of World War II have been written <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>in the years after the war, either as memoirs by people who experienced it or after extensive research by people who did not, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Ir\u00e8ne N\u00e9mirovsky <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>wrote <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>Suite Fran\u00e7aise <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>while the war was raging around her. It was intended as a suite of five novels \u2013 she only managed the first two before she was arrested for her Jewish connections (even though she and her family were Catholics) and was taken to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Auschwitz <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>where she perished<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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Photo of\u00a0 Ir\u00e8ne N\u00e9mirovsky from <\/span>en.wikipedia.org<\/span><\/a><\/i><\/div>\n
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She did leave some notes on how she was intending to write the remaining three novels; however, while the notes for book three are fairly detailed, the notes for books four and five are <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>extremely sketchy. The first <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>of the two books<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Storm in June<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>, was most probably edited <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>at some stage <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>by <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>N\u00e9mirovsky, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>whereas the second book, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Dolce<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>, reads in many parts as a first draft. Given <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>N\u00e9mirovsky<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>‘s situation, it is more than likely that she did not have the time to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>edit her second book.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

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While I do not agree with those who hail <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>I<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>r\u00e8ne N\u00e9mirovsky <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>as France’s greatest author, I feel that her <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Suite Fran\u00e7aise <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>is a valuable portrait of a time most of us living today have only read about. The characters in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Storm in June<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>, though occasionally bordering on <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>caricatures, are well described. Her powers of observation are amazing, and parallel to the tragedy of France’s invasion and occupation there is a lot of humour: at no point does her writing become sentimental or maudlin.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i><\/div>\n

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Althoug<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>h<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>he relationship between the French woman <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Lucile and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>the Germ<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>an <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>officer Bru<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>no <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>(in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Dolce<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>) never really makes lift-off, it is obvious from the notes she left that <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>N\u00e9mirovsky <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>had thought to develop their story (and their relationship) in the successive books.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>Bruno <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>says <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>to Lucile \u201cAh! Madame, this is the principal problem of our times: what is more important, the individual or society? War is the collaborative act par excellence, is it not?\u2026 \u201c, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>he is perhaps summing up one of main themes in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>Suite Fran\u00e7aise \u2013<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>a story about a tragedy, which became a tragedy in itself<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In 2015, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Suite Fran\u00e7aise<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> was made into a film by Saul Dibb. The photo above (from the film)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> is from<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/i>www.tf1international.com<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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  \u00a0   Although Suite Fran\u00e7aise was not published until 2004, it was actually written in 1940\/1941, which makes it, like the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Robert Graves, extremely valuable. While many other novels based on the horror of World War II have been written in the years after the war, either as memoirs … <\/p>\n

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