Set in the prewar indochina of duras childhood, the lover is the haunting tale of a relationship between two outcasts an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover during the waning days of the colonial period. It has been translated to 43 languages and was awarded the 1984 prix goncourt. The times literary find all available study guides and summaries for the lover by marguerite duras. Free download the lover by marguerite duras ebook the lover by marguerite duras ebook product description an international bestseller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of frances prix goncourt, the lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world since its first publication in 1984. The narrative voice the reader hears is of an older woman reflecting on her past. The lover was an intimate and fascinating reading experience. The lover by marguerite duras overdrive rakuten overdrive. Oct 20, 1991 set in prewar indochina, where duras spent her childhood, the lover is a despairing, sensuous novel about an affair between a 15yearold french girl and a 27yearold chinese man. Duras and her lover exist on the periphery of society, but they quickly realize their exclusion is not of the same type. May 03, 2015 the lover is narrated by helene lagonelle, a french woman looking back on her life in indochina now vietnam and, in particular, the romance she had with a wealthy chinese man in 1929 when she was just 15. Set in the prewar indochina of marguerite durass childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover. The author of many novels and screenplays, she is perhaps best known outside france for her filmscript hiroshima mon amour and her prix goncourtwinning novel the lover, also filmed.
Duras whiteness offers her some privileges in vietnam, such as admittance at the state boarding school, but when the news of her affair spreads, the other students are told not to. The lover, leo, is no longer chinese, but annamese native vietnamese, socially a cut below the chinese, who were a cut below the french. She was born donnadieu, but with the publication of her first novel, les impudents, in 1943, she went from donnadieu to duras and stayed that way. If the affair created a scandal, this greater social distance would have exacerbated it. The lover by marguerite duras reading the french classics duration. Marguerite duras has such a vivid way of telling the story that i was immediately drawn in. But it is the fact that the lover is chinese that took my attention. As a stunningly beautiful work of art, the lover, by marguerite duras, realistically and profoundly exposes the astonishing harmonization and clashing dissonance of love, sexuality and antagonism, memory and forgetfulness, emotions of happiness and dolefulness, and certitude of being desired. I was 29 when i first read marguerite duras s 1984 masterpiece, the lover, translated from the french by barbara bray. If there is a sparknotes shmoop or cliff notes guide we will have it listed here.
In this telling, the lover is ugly duras is blunt about that. A book that becomes one of the best sellers she had written. An international bestseller with more than one million copies in print, the lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world. Their scandalous affair served as the raw material for durass bestselling 1984 novel, the lover, for a film version shot in vietnam, and for durass revisitation of her past, the memoirlike. I was 29 when i first read marguerite durass 1984 masterpiece, the lover, translated from the french by barbara bray. Duras, when writing the novel, drew upon certain aspects from her childhood in saigon. In spare yet luminous prose, duras evokes life on the margins of saigon in the waning days of frances colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship between two unforgettable outcasts. An international bestseller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of frances prix goncourt, the love. An aloof, seemingly uncaring mother, a cruel, dominating older brother and a weak, helpless younger brother make up the family she is at once trying to. Online book the lover by marguerite duras eng kickass for. Discussion of themes and motifs in marguerite duras the lover. Read the lover by marguerite duras available from rakuten kobo. Marguerite duras erotic masterpiece the lover is the subject of a may 12 another look book discussion in her centennial year.
She implements both the first and third perspectives in the novel. Set in the prewar indochina of marguerite duras s childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover in the waning days of frances colonial empire. Set in prewar indochina, where duras spent her childhood, the lover is a despairing, sensuous novel about an affair between a 15yearold french girl and a 27yearold chinese man. Based on her childhood growing up in and around saigon in the 1930s, marguerite duras the lover is a languid, almost meditative autobiographical novel at once erotic, disturbing, beautiful, shocking and revealing.
Reading it, you feel you are looking at a darkhued portrait of lovers embracing, faces and torsos radiant in goldflake paint, surrounded by a mysterious and impenetrable jungle of. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Apr 30, 2006 their scandalous affair served as the raw material for duras s bestselling 1984 novel, the lover, for a film version shot in vietnam, and for duras s revisitation of her past, the memoirlike. The strength of the novel is in the underlying despair of the narrators triangulated memories. The lover marguerite duras summary the 1984 novel, l amant, by one of france s most esteemed writers, marguerite duras, is a ravishingly beautiful work of art. Hiroshima mon amour 1959 the lover 1992 moderato cantabile 1960. This is a beautiful, sensuous but a controversial semiautobiographical story about a 15 year old teenage girl who was physically and emotionally abused by her mother and elder brother. Sep 18, 2015 the lover marguerite duras summary the 1984 novel, l amant, by one of france s most esteemed writers, marguerite duras, is a ravishingly beautiful work of art. The lover ebook by marguerite duras 9780307801203 rakuten.
Prix goncourt winner marguerite duras 191496 is one of the most influential figures in french postwar literature, with the sea wall, the lover and moderato cantabile among her most famous novels. Apr 28, 2018 marguerite duras worn out with desire to write 1985 duration. Both the book and the film are set in french indochina and tell the love story of a french young girl and a chinese man in 1929. Apr 23, 2014 marguerite duras erotic masterpiece the lover is the subject of a may 12 another look book discussion in her centennial year.
However, the sluggish aspects of the book eventually made it a bit difficult for me to get to the ending with speedish delight. The lover by marguerite duras read online on bookmate. To read this book, upload an epub or fb2 file to bookmate. The work is an autobiographical tale of a teenage french girls. One of frances most important literary figures, duras died in paris in 1996. Marguerite duras was one of europes most distinguished writers. Published in 1984, lamant the lover is a novel based on the reallife story of its author, french writer marguerite duras. A man and a woman, say what you like, theyre different. Set in the prewar indochina of marguerite duras s childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover. Feb 26, 2010 marguerite duras was one of europes most distinguished writers. Aug 27, 2017 but it is the fact that the lover is chinese that took my attention. Read the lover, by marguerite duras online on bookmate a sensational international bestseller, and winner of frances coveted prix goncourt, the lover is an unforgettable portrayal of the incand. As in other colonies, the official presence of the french in southeast asia 1860s to 1954 provoked cultural production from both indigenous and colonial populations. Its largely based on the authors own life she was born in saigon now ho chi minh city to french parents who had emigrated.
Duras portrays her mother as crazy and desperate, frozen in time and literature as the tenacious colonial mother struggling to save a disastrous investment in 1950. Duras was the author of many novels, plays, films, interviews, essays, and works of short fiction, including her bestselling, highly fictionalized autobiographical work lamant 1984, translated into english as the lover, which describes her youthful affair with a chinese man. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Marguerite duras worn out with desire to write 1985 duration. In spare yet luminous prose, duras evokes life on the margins of saigon in the waning days of frances colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship. Marguerite duras, interview in le nouvel observateur, 1984. Colonialism and power in marguerite durass the lover. Set in the prewar indochina of duras childhood, the lover is the haunting tale of a relationship between two outcasts an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover. An international bestseller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of frances prix goncourt, the lover has been acclaimed by critics all. Set in the prewar indochina of marguerite durass childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent french girl and her chinese lover in the waning days of frances colonial empire. Echoing the french national sentiment of the 1970s and 1980s, these stories examine duras own capacity for good and evil, for forgetting, repressing. Years later, duras rewrote the novel in a harsher light as the north china lover, but the harshness is much more to do with the environment of colonial deprivation and an immersive adolescent frustration at a school where everyone is awakening to desire, but no one, except one outcast, experiences its fulfilment. Though the protagonist, a 15yearold girl, a remains unnamed, its.
Hello buddy for those of you who enjoy leisure time and do not know what activities today reading the pdf lamante epub book is one of the best solutions to increase our knowledge in todays book pdf download lamante is not only readable pdf online lamante through print media but through online media you do not need to be hard to find in bookstore stores my friend can go directly to our. At the centre of the book is duras affair with the son of a wealthy chinese. Huynh thuy le ancient house in sa dec mekong delta vietnam. Stanford book club spotlights marguerite duras the lover. Marguerite duras is the author of many acclaimed novels and screenplays, including the lover, the ravishing of lol stein, and the film script for hiroshima, mon amour. Free download the lover by marguerite duras ebook the lover by marguerite duras ebook product description an international bestseller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of frances prix goncourt, the lover has been acclaimed by critics. Set in the prewar indochina of marguerite durass childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent french girl and her chinese.
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