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Memory
Twenty years after his mother and father jumped to their deaths from a balcony, Philippe Grimbert has written a gripping novel about the hidden memories that dominated their lives.
A colossal bestseller in Europe, Memory is the story of a family haunted by the secret of their an illicit love affair, a lost child, and a devastating betrayal dating back to the Second World War.
The day after my fifteenth birthday, I finally learned what I had always known....
Growing up in postwar Paris as the sickly only child of glamorous athletic parents, the narrator invents for himself a make-believe older brother, stronger and more brilliant than he can ever be. It is only when the boy begins talking to an old family friend that he comes to realize that his imaginary sibling had a real a half brother whose death in the concentration camps is part of a buried family secret that he was intended never to uncover.
A spare, erotic, and ultimately cathartic narrative, Memory is a mesmerizing tale of coming to terms with one's shameful past through the unraveling of a series of dark desires.
A colossal bestseller in Europe, Memory is the story of a family haunted by the secret of their an illicit love affair, a lost child, and a devastating betrayal dating back to the Second World War.
The day after my fifteenth birthday, I finally learned what I had always known....
Growing up in postwar Paris as the sickly only child of glamorous athletic parents, the narrator invents for himself a make-believe older brother, stronger and more brilliant than he can ever be. It is only when the boy begins talking to an old family friend that he comes to realize that his imaginary sibling had a real a half brother whose death in the concentration camps is part of a buried family secret that he was intended never to uncover.
A spare, erotic, and ultimately cathartic narrative, Memory is a mesmerizing tale of coming to terms with one's shameful past through the unraveling of a series of dark desires.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2004
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July 28, 2021
کتاب راز نوشته فیلیپ گرمبر یکی دیگر ازکتاب های نسبتا بی شماری ایست که به موضوع هولوکاست پرداخته است . آقای گرمبر در این رمان که براساس سرگذشت خانواده خود اوست کوشیده است آثار فاجعه نسل کشی را در خانواده ای یهودی در فرانسه از دیدگاه پسر بچه ای نه چندان معمولی بیان کند .
همانگونه که از اسم کتاب برمی آید قهرمان کتاب در سرتاسر داستان در جستجوی کشف حقیقت ورازی ایست که بر زندگی پدر و مادر والبته خود او سایه انداخته است . گرمبر هم با فلش بک و یا جلو بردن زمان داستان ، کوشیده تلاش برای کشف راز را جذابتر و پر کشش تر کند .
همانند دیگر خانواده های یهودی نجات یافته از نسل کشی ، مانند سوفی کتاب انتخاب سوفی نوشته ویلیام استایرن و یا جناب پریمو لوی در کتاب اگر این نیزانسان است ، گذشته حضوری پر رنگ در زمان حال و البته آینده آنها دارد . آشویتس اگرچه به شکل مستقیم در کتاب نقشی ندارد اما سایه مهیب آن خانواده ای را از هم جدا کرده و سپس آنها را به گونه ای نامتوازن و شکلی دیگر به هم دیگر پیوند زده است .
جدال همیشگی امید و ناامیدی و مرگ و زندگی در سرتاسر داستان ادامه دارد اما در پایان داستان اثرات ویران کننده مرگ در نهایت به انتها می رسد و به نظر می رسد آنچه که باقی و جاری مانده است همان زندگی ایست .
همانگونه که از اسم کتاب برمی آید قهرمان کتاب در سرتاسر داستان در جستجوی کشف حقیقت ورازی ایست که بر زندگی پدر و مادر والبته خود او سایه انداخته است . گرمبر هم با فلش بک و یا جلو بردن زمان داستان ، کوشیده تلاش برای کشف راز را جذابتر و پر کشش تر کند .
همانند دیگر خانواده های یهودی نجات یافته از نسل کشی ، مانند سوفی کتاب انتخاب سوفی نوشته ویلیام استایرن و یا جناب پریمو لوی در کتاب اگر این نیزانسان است ، گذشته حضوری پر رنگ در زمان حال و البته آینده آنها دارد . آشویتس اگرچه به شکل مستقیم در کتاب نقشی ندارد اما سایه مهیب آن خانواده ای را از هم جدا کرده و سپس آنها را به گونه ای نامتوازن و شکلی دیگر به هم دیگر پیوند زده است .
جدال همیشگی امید و ناامیدی و مرگ و زندگی در سرتاسر داستان ادامه دارد اما در پایان داستان اثرات ویران کننده مرگ در نهایت به انتها می رسد و به نظر می رسد آنچه که باقی و جاری مانده است همان زندگی ایست .
April 25, 2023
The only reason why I chose this book was practising my French. I knew nothing about either the author or the subject; I thought it was a romance but I was very wrong - it turned out to be a story about the Holocaust. It is an autobiographical novel in which the author, at that time a teenager in the post-war France, discovers a terrible family secret hidden from him. It is sad story about family ties, love, duty, betrayal, love and death in the times of the horrible war.
'No plot summary can quite do justice to this hypnotic, deeply moving novel. This deceptively slender volume can be read in an afternoon, but will haunt the reader for a lifetime. The author, a psychoanalyst, delves deep into the dark abyss of human loss and repression.'
(From a review by Mary Sharratt)
'No plot summary can quite do justice to this hypnotic, deeply moving novel. This deceptively slender volume can be read in an afternoon, but will haunt the reader for a lifetime. The author, a psychoanalyst, delves deep into the dark abyss of human loss and repression.'
(From a review by Mary Sharratt)
January 26, 2025
کتاب درباره ترس های کودکی هست. به نظرم موضوع جالبی داشت کتاب. تا حالا ندیده بودم نویسنده ای که اینجوری بنویسه و دوست داشتم کتاب رو
April 28, 2019
A haunting story of a boy who senses something held back from him from those around him, it is post-war Paris, he is an only child who imagines he has a make-believe brother, and he sees things from his perspective as well as his own, fights with him even.
He notices his mother's silences, his father's sadness. They are athletic, good looking parents, but they have birthed him, a delicate child they must keep from the jaws of death.
Full of fear at school, one day after watching a particularly disturbing documentary, he is overcome by emotion at the insulting comment of a boy in the class and starts a fight, something completely out of character.
The neighbour Louise is the only person he tells the truth about why he got in the fight.
He is surprised at how upset she becomes, not at his behaviour, but something else, something much greater, the burden of which overwhelms her, something she too has known all these years, and believes now she must reveal to him.
He fills in the gaps of the story, imagining the narrative himself, he knows nearly all the characters, except those that have haunted him, but he seems to have known them too. However, he too guards the secret, knowing makes it easier on him, but it can't change his relationship with his family.
Finally, to overcome the final hurdle, he needs to fill in the final gaps, to find out the facts.
The narrator shares the same name as the author, making us wonder if aspects of this story may have come from a family story, it's certainly conceivable.
He notices his mother's silences, his father's sadness. They are athletic, good looking parents, but they have birthed him, a delicate child they must keep from the jaws of death.
I survived, thanks to the care of doctors and the love of my mother. I would like to think my father loved me too - overcoming his disappointment and finding in care, worry and protectiveness enough to stoke his feelings. But his first look left its trace on me, and I regularly glimpsed that flash of bitterness in his eyes.
Full of fear at school, one day after watching a particularly disturbing documentary, he is overcome by emotion at the insulting comment of a boy in the class and starts a fight, something completely out of character.
The incident left me with a patch above one eye that I wore around school with great pride. But the injury brought me much more than ephemeral glory - it was the sign for which Louise had been waiting.
The neighbour Louise is the only person he tells the truth about why he got in the fight.
Louise was always my favourite, even though she wasn't actually part of the family. Perhaps I felt a deeper complicity with her than with my blood relatives. Affectionate as they were, my uncles, aunts and grandparents seemed surrounded by an intangible barrier forbidding questions and warding off confidences. A secret club, bound together by an impossible grief.
He is surprised at how upset she becomes, not at his behaviour, but something else, something much greater, the burden of which overwhelms her, something she too has known all these years, and believes now she must reveal to him.
The day after my fifteenth birthday, I finally learnt what I had always known.
He fills in the gaps of the story, imagining the narrative himself, he knows nearly all the characters, except those that have haunted him, but he seems to have known them too. However, he too guards the secret, knowing makes it easier on him, but it can't change his relationship with his family.
Finally, to overcome the final hurdle, he needs to fill in the final gaps, to find out the facts.
There remained a gap in my story, a chapter whose contents were not known even to my parents. I knew a way to un-stick its pages: I had heard about a place in Paris where I could find the information I was missing.
The narrator shares the same name as the author, making us wonder if aspects of this story may have come from a family story, it's certainly conceivable.
January 29, 2023
امتیاز واقعی ۳/۵
امکان لو رفتن اندکی از داستان!
دیشب بعد از تموم کردن این رمان کوتاه همش توی فکر سیمون بودم 💔 نمی‌تونم درک کنم چطوری بعضی مادران افسرده فرزندان خودشون رو هم قربانی می‌کنند! هانا افسرده بود و می‌خواست دست از زندگی و همه چی بکشه این حال رو درک می‌کنم ولی چرا باید زندگی سیمون رو هم ازش می‌گرفت؟! 😔
امکان لو رفتن اندکی از داستان!
دیشب بعد از تموم کردن این رمان کوتاه همش توی فکر سیمون بودم 💔 نمی‌تونم درک کنم چطوری بعضی مادران افسرده فرزندان خودشون رو هم قربانی می‌کنند! هانا افسرده بود و می‌خواست دست از زندگی و همه چی بکشه این حال رو درک می‌کنم ولی چرا باید زندگی سیمون رو هم ازش می‌گرفت؟! 😔
September 18, 2023
زندگی نامه‌ی نویسنده کتاب بود که بیشتر به اتفاقات و ماجراهایی که در طی جنگ دوم جهانی بر سر خانواده‌ی یهودی‌اش آمده بود، پرداخته است.
روایت داستان تقریبا قابل قبول بود و ارزش یکبار خوندن رو هم داره.
روایت داستان تقریبا قابل قبول بود و ارزش یکبار خوندن رو هم داره.
April 26, 2012
I went to the Holocaust Museum here in Dallas, TX the other day. They had a special exhibit, about the children of the Holocaust. I was fortunate to hear, Mike Jacobs' speak about his experience in the prison camps, he has written a book called, "Holocaust Survivor," that I purchased after hearing him speak. He was a child in the Holocaust, 14 years of age when the Nazis marched into his world. As was said by Brasillach during the war: "Above all, don't forget about the little ones." (pg 150)
A "Memory," is a very small book about a young boy, Philippe Grimbert, who narrates the book, he is living in Paris with his parents who own a sportswear shop. His parents seem quiet, sad and withdrawn, however they both care significantly about their bodies and exercise everyday perhaps to an extreme. Philippe is so lonely he pretends that he has a brother. "As a child, every day provided me with sorrows and fears that I fueled with my solitude. I needed someone with whom to share those tears."
Next door to him lives Louise who is basically a massage therapist.
She tells Philippe that she has known his parents before they were married. She begins to tell Philippe about his parents lives before he was born, and about secrets that no one ever talks about.
I love it when I find a small book that packs so much emotion and reality into so few pages. Not a word is wasted in this book, each word written is on purpose and contains information you need to appreciate this book.
It is amazing the harm we can do as parents, without any intention of doing so, remember we too had parents, and they too had a life before their children and the damage that they endured gets carried again and again through each of us as children, it may be a sadness, an aloneness, fears, anxiety and problems that we don't even realize. Each one of us that comes to terms with our own problems may also need to know the problems of our parents and come to terms with the result of growing up with those parents and their unique issues.
This is an amazingly small book with a large message.
A "Memory," is a very small book about a young boy, Philippe Grimbert, who narrates the book, he is living in Paris with his parents who own a sportswear shop. His parents seem quiet, sad and withdrawn, however they both care significantly about their bodies and exercise everyday perhaps to an extreme. Philippe is so lonely he pretends that he has a brother. "As a child, every day provided me with sorrows and fears that I fueled with my solitude. I needed someone with whom to share those tears."
Next door to him lives Louise who is basically a massage therapist.
She tells Philippe that she has known his parents before they were married. She begins to tell Philippe about his parents lives before he was born, and about secrets that no one ever talks about.
I love it when I find a small book that packs so much emotion and reality into so few pages. Not a word is wasted in this book, each word written is on purpose and contains information you need to appreciate this book.
It is amazing the harm we can do as parents, without any intention of doing so, remember we too had parents, and they too had a life before their children and the damage that they endured gets carried again and again through each of us as children, it may be a sadness, an aloneness, fears, anxiety and problems that we don't even realize. Each one of us that comes to terms with our own problems may also need to know the problems of our parents and come to terms with the result of growing up with those parents and their unique issues.
This is an amazingly small book with a large message.
September 17, 2023
Plus tard, ces mêmes images en noir et blanc projetteront aux yeux des incrédules les portes de wagons plombés, le brouillard de gares dont on ne revient pas.
Simon et Hannah, effacés à deux reprises : par la haine de leurs persécuteurs et par l'amour de leurs proches.
Un roman court et très beau, très poétique et extrêmement touchant qui traite d'un sujet bouleversant. Il est très dur psychologiquement de se dire que c'est une histoire vraie.
J'ai eu du mal à accrocher parce que le style de la plume est assez particulier et inhabituel.
Le narrateur / personnage principal raconte d'avantage l'histoire de ses parents que la sienne et il se met de côté pour mettre en avant les drames connus par sa famille et pour faire connaître au lecteur un choc comme celui qu'il a lui-même du ressentir en découvrant leur secret.
Dans tous les cas c'était un très beau livre que j'ai beaucoup apprécié.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
داستان کشدار و ادامه دار یهودیان و جنگ جهانی دوم. اگر می دونستم در این باره اس، قطعا نمی خوندم.کلاً حس خوبی نسبت به این موضوع ندارم و میخواستم نصفه ولش کنم.چون به نظرم پروپاگاندا حول این موضوع خیلی زیاده.
فارغ از این موضوع، خود داستان هم چندان پرکشش نبود. شاید هم حس ناخوشایند از اینکه فهمیدم موضوع کتاب چیه باعث شد خیلی لذت نبرم.
یه موضوع دیگه کتاب صفحه بندی بود. اینکه چرا صفحات کتاب، نصفه نیمه بود برام خیلی عجیب غریب و ناخوشایند بود
شاید 2.5 بیشتر حقش بود. اما پکیج جذابی نبود که رو به بالا گرد کنم.
فارغ از این موضوع، خود داستان هم چندان پرکشش نبود. شاید هم حس ناخوشایند از اینکه فهمیدم موضوع کتاب چیه باعث شد خیلی لذت نبرم.
یه موضوع دیگه کتاب صفحه بندی بود. اینکه چرا صفحات کتاب، نصفه نیمه بود برام خیلی عجیب غریب و ناخوشایند بود
شاید 2.5 بیشتر حقش بود. اما پکیج جذابی نبود که رو به بالا گرد کنم.
October 15, 2021
راز هم‌زمان چند ویژگی دل‌خواه من در قصه‌ها را داشت: گذشته‌ای که ذره‌ذره برملا می‌شود؛ رمانسی که مخاطراتی سخت پیش‌رویش است؛ دردی حقیقی و جانکاه بر جان شخصیت‌ها، که عمیقا تأثرانگیز است؛ و نهایتا رسالتی اجتماعی و انسانی که مرزهای سیاسی را درمی‌نوردد و زبانی جهانی می‌یابد
December 1, 2011
3,5 étoiles
Dans ce roman bouleversant, Philippe Grimbert raconte comment le secret qui rongeait sa famille a hanté son enfance avant de lui être révélé, le libérant de ses démons. Tout au long du récit, ce secret dévorant et destructeur est présent, créant un climat de malaise chez le lecteur même : on en ignore encore la teneur, mais le narrateur ne cesse de l’évoquer ou d’en révéler quelques bribes, par anticipation, comme s’il ne parvenait à le retenir en lui avant de le narrer tout à fait. Cela a eu pour effet de susciter ma curiosité, me laissant imaginer toutes sortes d’hypothèses et me faisant tourner les pages sans relâche, puis de me surprendre : je ne m’attendais vraiment à un secret si terrible, à une telle souffrance. J’ai donc été profondément émue par cette histoire si poignante, racontée avec simplicité et force, puis bouleversée en comprenant dans l’épilogue que ce n’était pas une fiction et que l’auteur avait vraiment vécu de cette manière le silence de ses parents et de ses proches.
Mon unique regret face à cette lecture concerne le style : fluide, agréable et facile à lire, il manque néanmoins d’un petit quelque chose, d’une particularité ou d’une touche propre à l’auteur.
Je vous le conseille !
http://minoualu.blogspot.com/2011/12/...
Dans ce roman bouleversant, Philippe Grimbert raconte comment le secret qui rongeait sa famille a hanté son enfance avant de lui être révélé, le libérant de ses démons. Tout au long du récit, ce secret dévorant et destructeur est présent, créant un climat de malaise chez le lecteur même : on en ignore encore la teneur, mais le narrateur ne cesse de l’évoquer ou d’en révéler quelques bribes, par anticipation, comme s’il ne parvenait à le retenir en lui avant de le narrer tout à fait. Cela a eu pour effet de susciter ma curiosité, me laissant imaginer toutes sortes d’hypothèses et me faisant tourner les pages sans relâche, puis de me surprendre : je ne m’attendais vraiment à un secret si terrible, à une telle souffrance. J’ai donc été profondément émue par cette histoire si poignante, racontée avec simplicité et force, puis bouleversée en comprenant dans l’épilogue que ce n’était pas une fiction et que l’auteur avait vraiment vécu de cette manière le silence de ses parents et de ses proches.
Mon unique regret face à cette lecture concerne le style : fluide, agréable et facile à lire, il manque néanmoins d’un petit quelque chose, d’une particularité ou d’une touche propre à l’auteur.
Je vous le conseille !
http://minoualu.blogspot.com/2011/12/...
June 24, 2008
A good friend of mine recommended this book, one of her favorite books of all time, to me. She said it could possibly change my life to read it. I don’t know about you, but I am all for reading books that could shake the psychic ground beneath me.
And so I immediately bought it. It is a tiny book, less than 150 pages and the pages are about 6″x4″, the size of large index cards–but oh my, it covers so much psychic and narrative ground in that spare ground! It is full of soul. And it makes me want to go back through all my novel pages and edit out all the lines and scenes without a soul, without a heart.
Because Grimbert shows us what happens when every line sings with heart and depth. This is now one of my favorite novels of all time, too. I am grateful to my friend for showing me this book.
And so I immediately bought it. It is a tiny book, less than 150 pages and the pages are about 6″x4″, the size of large index cards–but oh my, it covers so much psychic and narrative ground in that spare ground! It is full of soul. And it makes me want to go back through all my novel pages and edit out all the lines and scenes without a soul, without a heart.
Because Grimbert shows us what happens when every line sings with heart and depth. This is now one of my favorite novels of all time, too. I am grateful to my friend for showing me this book.
November 29, 2018
I normally avoid books about World War 2 as they are so sad, but this book intrigued me. It is so powerful, so emotional, and yes, so sad. This is a fictionalized version of true events the author lived with - the knowledge that at one time he had a brother killed in a concentration camp in Germany, a secret his parents never told him but which he discovered anyway. He grew up thinking things that were not true, things hidden from him out of love and protection.
Wow, this book was sad and powerful.
Wow, this book was sad and powerful.
March 26, 2017
This one story is just stupefying... The author made it perfect and easy to understand !
I am shook
Read it :)
I am shook
Read it :)
May 16, 2023
Premier livre français de cette année mais ça ne sera pas le dernier!
December 29, 2022
Libro molto breve, letto in un'ora circa.
Scrittura scorrevole aiutata da paragrafi corti, anche se inizialmente faticavo a raccogliere quanto descritto dall'autore.
Narra dell'esperienza personale e familiare dello scrittore, più precisamente nell'ambito della deportazione degli ebrei in Francia durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
Molto toccante e riflessivo.
Scrittura scorrevole aiutata da paragrafi corti, anche se inizialmente faticavo a raccogliere quanto descritto dall'autore.
Narra dell'esperienza personale e familiare dello scrittore, più precisamente nell'ambito della deportazione degli ebrei in Francia durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
Molto toccante e riflessivo.
January 20, 2023
Voilà mon nouveau livre préféré, et peut-être le meilleur que je n’ai jamais lu de ma vie, je suis bouche bée, les mots ne viennent pas mais me voilà troublée par la beauté et la vraisemblance de ce magnifique récit
July 5, 2023
Je ne m'attendais pas à ce que l'épilogue me fasse pleurer comme ça mais here we are.
February 11, 2023
Povestea are loc intr-o Franta ce tocmai a iesit din razboi, iar secretele familiare sunt mult prea adanci sa fie rostite.
Copilul fragil si bolnavicios, nascut in 1948, intr-o familie sportiva, este atat de complexat de fizicul lui cat si de imposibilitatea de a se ridica la asteptarile parintilor. Simtind ca prezenta lui deranjeaza sau incomodeaza intr-un fel, evita sa isi mai petreaca timpul cu Tatiana si Maxime, preferand compania lui Sim, un animalut de plus gasit in pod si purtand conversatii cu fratele lui imaginar.
Louise, o batrana prietena, se simte datoare sa ii spuna adevarul despre parintii lui. Astfel reuseste sa reconstitute istoria oficiala a familiei sale, dinaintea nasterii sale.
Ajuns la maturitate, decide sa scrie aceasta carte drept mausoleu pentru: Simon si Hannah, fratelui sau vitreg, si celor dragi, fara de mormant, care au suferit si pierit in cel de-al doilea Razboi Mondial.
"De ce s-ar fi dus sa se reculeaga in fata pietrei de mormant pe care era gravat numele mamei lui? Isi purta mortii in el: cei care ii fusesera cei mai dragi nu aveau mormant, numele lor nu era scris pe nici o mamura."
Este o carte mai putin cunoscuta dar pe care o recomand celor pasionati de subiectul celui de-al Razboi Mondial. Mie mi-a placut tare mult.
Copilul fragil si bolnavicios, nascut in 1948, intr-o familie sportiva, este atat de complexat de fizicul lui cat si de imposibilitatea de a se ridica la asteptarile parintilor. Simtind ca prezenta lui deranjeaza sau incomodeaza intr-un fel, evita sa isi mai petreaca timpul cu Tatiana si Maxime, preferand compania lui Sim, un animalut de plus gasit in pod si purtand conversatii cu fratele lui imaginar.
Louise, o batrana prietena, se simte datoare sa ii spuna adevarul despre parintii lui. Astfel reuseste sa reconstitute istoria oficiala a familiei sale, dinaintea nasterii sale.
Ajuns la maturitate, decide sa scrie aceasta carte drept mausoleu pentru: Simon si Hannah, fratelui sau vitreg, si celor dragi, fara de mormant, care au suferit si pierit in cel de-al doilea Razboi Mondial.
"De ce s-ar fi dus sa se reculeaga in fata pietrei de mormant pe care era gravat numele mamei lui? Isi purta mortii in el: cei care ii fusesera cei mai dragi nu aveau mormant, numele lor nu era scris pe nici o mamura."
Este o carte mai putin cunoscuta dar pe care o recomand celor pasionati de subiectul celui de-al Razboi Mondial. Mie mi-a placut tare mult.
May 17, 2022
un très beau livre sur la souffrance d'une famille et les horreurs du régime nazi avec lesquelles elle doit apprendre à vivre après la guerre, ou non.
August 8, 2025
My French teacher recommended I read this, o thought it was going to be a light read about a cute loving romance.
Oh HOW WRONG I WAS, this book broke my heart and genuinely my face has never fallen flatter quicker while reading.
100% worth the read.
Oh HOW WRONG I WAS, this book broke my heart and genuinely my face has never fallen flatter quicker while reading.
100% worth the read.
February 25, 2024
J'ai lu ce livre dans un contexte scolaire, car je vais traiter ce livre avec mes élèves, les deux premières parties ne m'ont pas particulièrement immergée dans l'histoire. Néanmoins, au fil de la lecture le mystère s'installe et on commence à redouter le secret de cette famille.
Il s'agit de l'histoire du narrateur, qui est un récrit autobiographique, Philippe Grimbert nous présente les coulisses de sa famille et nous fait un portrait presque divin de ses parents. Sportifs, athlétiques, sociables, le narrateur a l'impression de ne pas être à sa place, car depuis sa naissance il est fragile et souffre d'une maladie inconnue. Depuis toujours il rêve d'avoir un grand-frère, à l'image de ses parents, qui saurait le protéger du monde et avec lequel il pourrait partager ses maux. C'est en découvrant la peluche d'un chien dans la chambre de service qu'il décide de créer le personnage de Sim, néanmoins cette présence et ce nom viendront hanter la famille, en particulier ses parents.
Un secret hante cette famille depuis la fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale. Hannah et Simon sont deux fantômes qui hantent tous les proches du narrateur, mais on a effacé leur existence depuis sa naissance. Ce récit exprime une culpabilité qui pour beaucoup est imaginable, un crime dont beaucoup de personnes ne veulent pas parler. Le narrateur est juif, mais n'ayant jamais souffert des horreurs de la deuxième guerre mondiale, ce livre est un hommage à toutes les victimes, surtout à tous les enfants, qui n'ont pas de mémorial ou de tombe.
La fin de ce livre m'a particulièrement touchée et j'en ai même versé quelques larmes. Le narrateur a fait un portrait assez négatif de son père, néanmoins c'est le personnage qui m'a le plus touché à la fin. Je ne peux m'imaginer la douleur et la culpabilité qu'il a dû ressentir face à ce qui est arrivé à Simon et à Hannah. Le fait de ne pas savoir ce qui leur est arrivé est pour moi ce qu'il y a de pire... Le narrateur découvre grâce à Louise le secret qui pèse sur ses parents et comprend ainsi qu'il s'agit bien du fantôme de son frère qui le pèse depuis toujours. Après s'être libéré de ce poids, il soulage son père et sa mère de cette culpabilité, car en faisant des recherches il découvre ce qui leur est arrivé et même si leur destin est triste et horrible, la vérité, même si elle fait mal, est libératrice.
Il s'agit de l'histoire du narrateur, qui est un récrit autobiographique, Philippe Grimbert nous présente les coulisses de sa famille et nous fait un portrait presque divin de ses parents. Sportifs, athlétiques, sociables, le narrateur a l'impression de ne pas être à sa place, car depuis sa naissance il est fragile et souffre d'une maladie inconnue. Depuis toujours il rêve d'avoir un grand-frère, à l'image de ses parents, qui saurait le protéger du monde et avec lequel il pourrait partager ses maux. C'est en découvrant la peluche d'un chien dans la chambre de service qu'il décide de créer le personnage de Sim, néanmoins cette présence et ce nom viendront hanter la famille, en particulier ses parents.
Un secret hante cette famille depuis la fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale. Hannah et Simon sont deux fantômes qui hantent tous les proches du narrateur, mais on a effacé leur existence depuis sa naissance. Ce récit exprime une culpabilité qui pour beaucoup est imaginable, un crime dont beaucoup de personnes ne veulent pas parler. Le narrateur est juif, mais n'ayant jamais souffert des horreurs de la deuxième guerre mondiale, ce livre est un hommage à toutes les victimes, surtout à tous les enfants, qui n'ont pas de mémorial ou de tombe.
La fin de ce livre m'a particulièrement touchée et j'en ai même versé quelques larmes. Le narrateur a fait un portrait assez négatif de son père, néanmoins c'est le personnage qui m'a le plus touché à la fin. Je ne peux m'imaginer la douleur et la culpabilité qu'il a dû ressentir face à ce qui est arrivé à Simon et à Hannah. Le fait de ne pas savoir ce qui leur est arrivé est pour moi ce qu'il y a de pire... Le narrateur découvre grâce à Louise le secret qui pèse sur ses parents et comprend ainsi qu'il s'agit bien du fantôme de son frère qui le pèse depuis toujours. Après s'être libéré de ce poids, il soulage son père et sa mère de cette culpabilité, car en faisant des recherches il découvre ce qui leur est arrivé et même si leur destin est triste et horrible, la vérité, même si elle fait mal, est libératrice.
November 18, 2024
"Тайната" от Филип Гримбер, изд. Парадокс, превод Магдалена Куцарова-Леви
Оценка: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
*Тайната* на Филип Гримбер е полуавтобиографичен роман, който навлиза в дълбините на семейните тайни, травмата и влиянието на Холокоста. Развиваща се във Франция след Втората световна война, историята следва порастването на едно момче, което се бори с мрачни и натрапчиви мисли, докато постепенно разбира тайни за своето семейство, които са всъщност повлияват неговата идентичност без той дори да осъзнава това.
Въпреки че романът започва с обещаваща предпоставка — изследвайки темите за идентичност, израстване, развитие на психиката в ранна детска възраст, памет и тежестта на неизказаните истории — той не успява да предостави това, които търся като читател в по- кратката проза. Стилът на писане, макар и понякога лиричен, беше преимуществино твърде интроспективен, което макар да знам, че трябва да отстранява емоците, за да може читателя да има по- обективна оценка остави историята бездушна. . Ритъмът на разказа е неравномерен, като някои части изглеждат прибързани, а други се влачат, оставяйки впечатление за липса на баланс в повествованието. Вероятно мнението ми е непопулярно, но аз смятам, че много малко автори могат да боравят успешно с кратки текстове и сякаш напоследък анотации тип "чете се бързо, кратки глави" и подобни по- скоро ме насочват, че автора иска да поднесе "бързо" съдържание, като повечето случаи това води до минаване по повърхността на проблематиката, вместо потапяне в емоционалното торнадо на човешката психиката.
Централната загадка на семейната тайна е интригуваща, но нейното разкритие е доста едноизмерно и не успя да остави емоционален отпечатък, макар Гримбер разисква темите за травмата и вината, които са ми безкрайно интересни.
Една от силните страни на романа е разглеждането на ефектите от междугенерационната травма. Гримбер успява да улови мълчаливата тежест, н��сена от оцелелите от Холокоста и техните потомци. Въпреки това, тази тема, макар и силна, не е достатъчна да поддържа целия роман, особено когато сюжетът изглежда предсказуем, а емоционалното въздействие не е достатъчно силно.
В крайна сметка, "Тайната" имаше потенциал, но да читателите, които търсят по-завладяващ или нюансиран разказ за влиянието на историческата травма, може да останат разочаровани.
Оценка: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
*Тайната* на Филип Гримбер е полуавтобиографичен роман, който навлиза в дълбините на семейните тайни, травмата и влиянието на Холокоста. Развиваща се във Франция след Втората световна война, историята следва порастването на едно момче, което се бори с мрачни и натрапчиви мисли, докато постепенно разбира тайни за своето семейство, които са всъщност повлияват неговата идентичност без той дори да осъзнава това.
Въпреки че романът започва с обещаваща предпоставка — изследвайки темите за идентичност, израстване, развитие на психиката в ранна детска възраст, памет и тежестта на неизказаните истории — той не успява да предостави това, които търся като читател в по- кратката проза. Стилът на писане, макар и понякога лиричен, беше преимуществино твърде интроспективен, което макар да знам, че трябва да отстранява емоците, за да може читателя да има по- обективна оценка остави историята бездушна. . Ритъмът на разказа е неравномерен, като някои части изглеждат прибързани, а други се влачат, оставяйки впечатление за липса на баланс в повествованието. Вероятно мнението ми е непопулярно, но аз смятам, че много малко автори могат да боравят успешно с кратки текстове и сякаш напоследък анотации тип "чете се бързо, кратки глави" и подобни по- скоро ме насочват, че автора иска да поднесе "бързо" съдържание, като повечето случаи това води до минаване по повърхността на проблематиката, вместо потапяне в емоционалното торнадо на човешката психиката.
Централната загадка на семейната тайна е интригуваща, но нейното разкритие е доста едноизмерно и не успя да остави емоционален отпечатък, макар Гримбер разисква темите за травмата и вината, които са ми безкрайно интересни.
Една от силните страни на романа е разглеждането на ефектите от междугенерационната травма. Гримбер успява да улови мълчаливата тежест, н��сена от оцелелите от Холокоста и техните потомци. Въпреки това, тази тема, макар и силна, не е достатъчна да поддържа целия роман, особено когато сюжетът изглежда предсказуем, а емоционалното въздействие не е достатъчно силно.
В крайна сметка, "Тайната" имаше потенциал, но да читателите, които търсят по-завладяващ или нюансиран разказ за влиянието на историческата травма, може да останат разочаровани.
March 26, 2017
What a fantastic little book. I read it in one afternoon. This book is a memoir, written by a young boy as he comes to terms with the sectrets of his family. He is a lonely, sickly little boy, growing up after WW2. He makes up his family's history as his parents don't like talking about their past. His version of their history is lovely, full of warmth and love. When he learns the truth at 15 from a family friend, his world turns upside down. His version couldn't have been further from the truth.
The story is mesmerising, haunting and captivating. There are no dialogues at all, but it is so well written, that the words of the little boy capture your heart. Through the family friend's memories his past comes to life, the horror of WW2 reemerges and through it all a young boy finds meaning and truth in his life. He learns where he really comes from, learns who he is, and understands his family's history.
I could not put this book down. It's beautiful in its haunting way. I can't say enough of it.
Read it.
The story is mesmerising, haunting and captivating. There are no dialogues at all, but it is so well written, that the words of the little boy capture your heart. Through the family friend's memories his past comes to life, the horror of WW2 reemerges and through it all a young boy finds meaning and truth in his life. He learns where he really comes from, learns who he is, and understands his family's history.
I could not put this book down. It's beautiful in its haunting way. I can't say enough of it.
Read it.
April 20, 2025
از شاهکارهای ترجمه به فارسی
December 2, 2008
Extremely moving. Brings back in our life the past that we, as French people, cannot get away from, and which comes back to haunt us, no matter what. History through the lense of a very personal and intimate story always seems more poignant. Grimbert's story, told in simple, effective ways, avoids the fake pathos that would spoil the emotion, and delivers a brutally powerful tale.
June 1, 2022
زیاد جذاب نبود، قصه ای که نه پیش میره، نه اتفاق خاصی داره و نه لحظات به یادماندنی ای ایجاد میکنه
فرضا که نویسنده حرف خیلی مهمی هم درباره اثر جنگ بر زندگی ها داره
۱۵۰ صفحه هم فرصت داره
ولی هیچی نمیگه
بنابراین به لیست کتابهای ضعیف و داستان های کسل کننده اضافه میشه
فرضا که نویسنده حرف خیلی مهمی هم درباره اثر جنگ بر زندگی ها داره
۱۵۰ صفحه هم فرصت داره
ولی هیچی نمیگه
بنابراین به لیست کتابهای ضعیف و داستان های کسل کننده اضافه میشه
March 31, 2021
«آدمی هرگز در نبرد با یک مرده پیروز نمی‌شود.»
شاید بشه این کتاب رو بنام کودکان جان باخته در تبعید نامید،مدفتی برای جاودانه کردن نامشان.
▪️ منتشر شد
«سرانجام گوری به سیمون هدیه دادم.»
شاید بشه این کتاب رو بنام کودکان جان باخته در تبعید نامید،مدفتی برای جاودانه کردن نامشان.
▪️ منتشر شد
«سرانجام گوری به سیمون هدیه دادم.»
September 18, 2017
A French psychoanalyst and writer creates a fictional but autobiographical account of his family history amidst the horror of the Nazi occupation of France. It is a small pocket size book, sparse but powerful. Written from the prospective of a child as he discovers the devastating affect the war had upon his family. The surviving family members rely on secrets as surely a survival mechanism learned during and after the war trying to heal scars impossible to heal. Is left to their child to sort it all out. Lest we forget...
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March 28, 2022je pleure toutes les larmes de mon corps
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