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Betty Blue: The story of a passion : a novel
English, French (translation)
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1951
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August 8, 2011
I went to university in 1989, so of course, like pretty everyone my age, I had a Betty Blue poster on my wall (along with The Big Blue and Blue Velvet and The Queen is Dead). And like most of my year, I fell in love with the film at one of the late night showings at Oxford's Phoenix Cinema.
It wasn't until 20 years later that I finally read the book. It is so so different - the film has an epic sweep, all massive skies, moody saxophone and impossibly gorgeous colours as befits the Cinema du Look. But the book is a relentless stranglehold of intensity as the nameless narrator, who sort of plays with the idea of being a writer but doesn't really care about much other than drinking beer and hanging out falls under the spell of Betty, who is determined that he will make something of the talent she believs he possesses. Betty is his opposite, never happy except when she's on the move, constantly wanting more - not more in material terms, but more of life itself. She is one of the great existential heroes in literature, hungry for life itself, and ultimately driven mad when life refuses to keep up with her hunger for it.
The ending has a strange diversion about a bank robbery that adds an element of farce missing from the film. I can't quite work out whether this gives added poignancy or detracts from an intensity that becomes almost unreadable, as we follow Betty's final descent into madness and (it's not a spoiler, we know from the word go that this is heading in only one direction) death. Betty personifies the way the world takes beauty and freedom and slowly cages and crushes it. A haunting, mesmerising, exquisite exploration of the glorious fragility of life.
It wasn't until 20 years later that I finally read the book. It is so so different - the film has an epic sweep, all massive skies, moody saxophone and impossibly gorgeous colours as befits the Cinema du Look. But the book is a relentless stranglehold of intensity as the nameless narrator, who sort of plays with the idea of being a writer but doesn't really care about much other than drinking beer and hanging out falls under the spell of Betty, who is determined that he will make something of the talent she believs he possesses. Betty is his opposite, never happy except when she's on the move, constantly wanting more - not more in material terms, but more of life itself. She is one of the great existential heroes in literature, hungry for life itself, and ultimately driven mad when life refuses to keep up with her hunger for it.
The ending has a strange diversion about a bank robbery that adds an element of farce missing from the film. I can't quite work out whether this gives added poignancy or detracts from an intensity that becomes almost unreadable, as we follow Betty's final descent into madness and (it's not a spoiler, we know from the word go that this is heading in only one direction) death. Betty personifies the way the world takes beauty and freedom and slowly cages and crushes it. A haunting, mesmerising, exquisite exploration of the glorious fragility of life.
September 21, 2011
Betty Blue is venerated on campuses for its anti-establishment, free-spirited, all-you-need-is-love-provided-the-bitch-is-hot stance: the film is a hotbed of classic French passion and anarchic comedy. The novel however, is more in your Bukowski-Miller vein, with its likeable tossbag narrator and occasional moments of hideous self-aggrandisement.
Béatrice Dalle was about twenty in the film: in the book Betty is thirty. So this is not a story about young love that can’t be contained in a series of small pathetic provincial French towns. This is more a tale of life-scarred soldiers seeking that elusive something that keeps them bound to the world. Betty finds it through her lover’s novel, the narrator finds it through Betty and his enslavement to her charms (whatever these might be), and throughout, the love between them seems almost entirely one-way, as Betty slides into dementia.
The novel is stylishly written in the first-person but the American translation is a little corny in places, like listening to dubbed actors saying things like “hey, baby” in a studio. And again, that gaping question remains: is the narrator so stupid he can’t see Betty’s mental illness coming a mile off? Are we supposed to believe he doesn’t want to face her illness in case he loses her? Hmm. Also: it’s shocking how faithful to the novel the film seems to be. Barely a scene here has been omitted, though the book doesn’t open with a three-minute explicit sex scene in a slow zoom. In fact, sex isn’t really integral to the novel.
I’ve lost you now, haven’t I? Oops.
Béatrice Dalle was about twenty in the film: in the book Betty is thirty. So this is not a story about young love that can’t be contained in a series of small pathetic provincial French towns. This is more a tale of life-scarred soldiers seeking that elusive something that keeps them bound to the world. Betty finds it through her lover’s novel, the narrator finds it through Betty and his enslavement to her charms (whatever these might be), and throughout, the love between them seems almost entirely one-way, as Betty slides into dementia.
The novel is stylishly written in the first-person but the American translation is a little corny in places, like listening to dubbed actors saying things like “hey, baby” in a studio. And again, that gaping question remains: is the narrator so stupid he can’t see Betty’s mental illness coming a mile off? Are we supposed to believe he doesn’t want to face her illness in case he loses her? Hmm. Also: it’s shocking how faithful to the novel the film seems to be. Barely a scene here has been omitted, though the book doesn’t open with a three-minute explicit sex scene in a slow zoom. In fact, sex isn’t really integral to the novel.
I’ve lost you now, haven’t I? Oops.
June 13, 2025
Роман, какъвто малцина съвременни френски автори могат да напишат.
Джиан е сладкодумец, но не щади читателя и аз много харесвам прозата му. Изчел съм всичко, което е излязло от него на български и почти никога не ме е разочаровал.
Джиан е сладкодумец, но не щади читателя и аз много харесвам прозата му. Изчел съм всичко, което е излязло от него на български и почти никога не ме е разочаровал.
January 14, 2013
Its original French title is 37°2 le matin, which means "37.2°C in the Morning". (37.2°C [99°F] is the normal morning temperature of a pregnant woman.)
Read
January 18, 2022Yazarların "yazar karakterleri" her zaman ilginç gelmiştir bana. Size de öyle geldiği oluyor mu? Bu kitapta da böyle bir karakterimiz var karşımızda. Yalnız bu kitabı okumadan önce, femme fatale kavramı hakkında bir bilgi sahip olmak gerektiğini düşünüyorum.
Peki bitirdikten sonra, sizin de aklınıza şu şiir geldi mi?
"Yıkıcı bir aşk bu,
Yıkıyor milletin ortasına
Tutku yükünü." (Cemal Süreya)
Peki bitirdikten sonra, sizin de aklınıza şu şiir geldi mi?
"Yıkıcı bir aşk bu,
Yıkıyor milletin ortasına
Tutku yükünü." (Cemal Süreya)
November 12, 2024
One of those rare occasions where the film is better than the book; at least going by this translation, which felt a bit too Americanized to me. The doomed love affair and Betty's descent into madness was no doubt intense, and it did reignite the memories of Béatrice Dalle's Betty (a film I had not thought about since the mid 90s). If I'm going to read of a love affair, I'd rather take a downbeat one over something Hollywood-esque, so at least it had that going for it, but I'm just kicking myself for not going with the original French version.
June 8, 2025
Love and passion are two different things, even though they intoxicate us in the same way and make us feel alive. Passion often drives us to act impulsively, ready to do anything, fueled by the feeling of freedom. That’s exactly what happens to the unnamed protagonist of Philippe Djian’s novel Betty Blue (originally published in French as 37°2 le matin) when he meets Betty. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. A woman he can’t quite believe he managed to win over, since he has nothing to offer her. He’s a handyman at a resort who once wanted to be a writer, but after finishing one manuscript, he never wrote anything else. And then Betty enters the picture.
When the novel begins, the two of them are already in a tumultuous relationship that is mostly based on sex. Very quickly, intoxicated by her obsession with him, he lets her move in without worrying about her outbursts of anger and mood swings. “That’s just her character,” he tells himself. One of the reasons he likes her so much, and he does everything he can to keep her by his side.
When, after a fight, Betty finds his manuscript and reads it, he becomes, in her eyes, the greatest living writer whose novel deserves to be published. That becomes her mission, but with every rejection, Betty spirals deeper into psychological decline.
One event after another tests their relationship, and her mental breakdown continues until the climax and her time in a mental institution. And the writer? Well, what else can he do? He does everything he can to keep her. He threatens people, beats them, robs them dressed as a woman, sells pianos, fixes plumbing. He tries to write because Betty wants that from him. Life with her is better than life before she walked in. She is his muse and his nightmare. When she tells him she hears voices, he tells her everything will be okay, unwilling to admit to himself that something was wrong with her from the very beginning.
Perhaps the best indicator of their relationship is the scene near the end when a nurse asks him questions about her — what’s her name, where is she from — to which he can barely answer. So was their relationship truly love, or just passion? As skillfully as Djian balances between eroticism, violence, and melancholy, this is not a love story to aspire to. It’s a depiction of a toxic and destructive relationship, no matter how much we might like to think it’s an eternal love. Yes, his final act could be interpreted as a sign of his love for her — his robbery and everything he does — but is it really?
The novel is certainly a classic of modern French literature, well worth reading, although it could have been shorter, as there are quite a few parts that don’t move the story forward — in fact, they stifle it. Fortunately, Djian’s writing is fluid and simple, making it an easy read. It feels like a blend of Bukowski, Henry Miller, and Kerouac, but with Djian’s own personal touch.
Ultimately, Betty Blue is a novel that leaves a bitter aftertaste but fascinates with its brutal honesty. It’s not a story about the love we would wish for, no matter how attractive the wild and unrestrained relationships may seem, but a story about the love that can destroy us. Djian takes us into a world where passion knows no limits and love becomes a dangerous game. It’s worth reading precisely because of its raw, imperfect portrayal of human emotions.
When the novel begins, the two of them are already in a tumultuous relationship that is mostly based on sex. Very quickly, intoxicated by her obsession with him, he lets her move in without worrying about her outbursts of anger and mood swings. “That’s just her character,” he tells himself. One of the reasons he likes her so much, and he does everything he can to keep her by his side.
When, after a fight, Betty finds his manuscript and reads it, he becomes, in her eyes, the greatest living writer whose novel deserves to be published. That becomes her mission, but with every rejection, Betty spirals deeper into psychological decline.
One event after another tests their relationship, and her mental breakdown continues until the climax and her time in a mental institution. And the writer? Well, what else can he do? He does everything he can to keep her. He threatens people, beats them, robs them dressed as a woman, sells pianos, fixes plumbing. He tries to write because Betty wants that from him. Life with her is better than life before she walked in. She is his muse and his nightmare. When she tells him she hears voices, he tells her everything will be okay, unwilling to admit to himself that something was wrong with her from the very beginning.
Perhaps the best indicator of their relationship is the scene near the end when a nurse asks him questions about her — what’s her name, where is she from — to which he can barely answer. So was their relationship truly love, or just passion? As skillfully as Djian balances between eroticism, violence, and melancholy, this is not a love story to aspire to. It’s a depiction of a toxic and destructive relationship, no matter how much we might like to think it’s an eternal love. Yes, his final act could be interpreted as a sign of his love for her — his robbery and everything he does — but is it really?
The novel is certainly a classic of modern French literature, well worth reading, although it could have been shorter, as there are quite a few parts that don’t move the story forward — in fact, they stifle it. Fortunately, Djian’s writing is fluid and simple, making it an easy read. It feels like a blend of Bukowski, Henry Miller, and Kerouac, but with Djian’s own personal touch.
Ultimately, Betty Blue is a novel that leaves a bitter aftertaste but fascinates with its brutal honesty. It’s not a story about the love we would wish for, no matter how attractive the wild and unrestrained relationships may seem, but a story about the love that can destroy us. Djian takes us into a world where passion knows no limits and love becomes a dangerous game. It’s worth reading precisely because of its raw, imperfect portrayal of human emotions.
September 30, 2023
"Forse il mondo è troppo piccolo per lei"
Betty è una donna che sposta sempre il limite, una donna che sogna, che vede al di là dell'esistenza quotidiana, che ha bisogno di pensare che chi le sta accanto sia un uomo speciale.
Per Zorg al contrario, tutto è abbastanza. Non ha grandi ambizioni, il profumo del chili e la sua donna accanto, che non ama ma venera, gli sono sufficienti per essere felice. O meglio è la felicità di Betty, il suo sorriso, che lo rende felice.
"mi rimettevo a guardare quella donna a pochi metri da me ed era la cosa più importante della mia vita"
Betty non riesce a realizzare nessuno dei suoi sogni né delle sue ambizioni.
E questa frustrazione, questa insufficienza della vita, la portano a compiere gesti dapprima sopra le righe, poi completamente folli. Trascinando in caduta verticale pure chi la ama in maniera incondizionata.
"Betty corre dietro a qualcosa che non esiste. E un animale ferito, capisci, ricade sempre un po’ più in basso. Forse il mondo è troppo piccolo per lei"
"All’inizio si pensa di trovarsi davanti a una piccola crepa, ma se si guarda appena più da vicino si scoprono voragini imperscrutabili. A volte la solitudine umana è imperscrutabile"
Ed è una voragine di solitudine e dolore che porta Betty a fare gesti autolesionistici estremi, gesti sconvolgenti che comportano il suo annullamento tramite pesanti cure psichiatriche.
E l'annullamento della sua donna è per Zorg inaccettabile.
Un romanzo crudo, violento, che assume a tratti i connotati del thriller. Stupefacente il lirismo di alcuni passaggi
"Camminavamo in silenzio. Ci sono momenti in cui il silenzio fra due persone può raggiungere la purezza di un diamante e quella sera era così. Non so come altro dirlo. Per cui, certo, la strada non è più proprio una strada, le luci diventano fragili come in un sogno, i marciapiedi brillano, l’aria ti punge in faccia e senti montare in corpo una felicità senza nome"
Non so se avrò mai il coraggio di vedere il film tratto da questo romanzo.
Grazie a Blackhill per il consiglio di lettura e a Nood per averla resa possibile.
March 14, 2024
A strange read – an arguably too long novel with a hectic and frantic energy that feels all over the place, but is equally intense in the feelings it ultimately provokes.
Betty Blue revolves around a nameless narrator who has just finished a novel that no one wants to publish. Meanwhile, he indulges in a love affair with the beautiful Betty, a girl with itchy feet and self-destructive tendencies.
This feels more like an on-the-run novel than an on-the-road one. The chaotic energy this radiates demands patience and focus, but if you're willing to get on the ride you'll be able to see the melodramatic depths and deeper longings hidden underneath the formless wanderings of the two main characters. Neither the narrator nor Betty seem to really have a plan for what's ahead of them and while the former just tries to get by, the latter attracts problems like a magnet.
Betty really is the catalyst for everything here. Through the eyes of the narrator we get to witness his passion for her and while the only thing she can provide him with is faith in him and his literary talents (she appears to be the only one convinced that the novel he has written is a masterpiece), her charm is electric and so nonchalant, that she gets him to continuously regress to crazier actions in order to keep their romance alive.
The ending added power to this read. Clocking in almost 400 pages in its German translation, this did have passages that felt long and weary to me, but I had to make it to the last section of this in order for things to suddenly come together and make sense overall: Betty's descent into madness is an emotionally strong and haunting tale that suddenly becomes metaphorical for how harsh reality can treat its free souls (and women in general).
The film adaptation supposedly became a cult classic in the mid-80s and while I'm too young to having witnessed that myself, I'm really eager to watch that adaptation now!
Betty Blue revolves around a nameless narrator who has just finished a novel that no one wants to publish. Meanwhile, he indulges in a love affair with the beautiful Betty, a girl with itchy feet and self-destructive tendencies.
This feels more like an on-the-run novel than an on-the-road one. The chaotic energy this radiates demands patience and focus, but if you're willing to get on the ride you'll be able to see the melodramatic depths and deeper longings hidden underneath the formless wanderings of the two main characters. Neither the narrator nor Betty seem to really have a plan for what's ahead of them and while the former just tries to get by, the latter attracts problems like a magnet.
Betty really is the catalyst for everything here. Through the eyes of the narrator we get to witness his passion for her and while the only thing she can provide him with is faith in him and his literary talents (she appears to be the only one convinced that the novel he has written is a masterpiece), her charm is electric and so nonchalant, that she gets him to continuously regress to crazier actions in order to keep their romance alive.
The ending added power to this read. Clocking in almost 400 pages in its German translation, this did have passages that felt long and weary to me, but I had to make it to the last section of this in order for things to suddenly come together and make sense overall: Betty's descent into madness is an emotionally strong and haunting tale that suddenly becomes metaphorical for how harsh reality can treat its free souls (and women in general).
The film adaptation supposedly became a cult classic in the mid-80s and while I'm too young to having witnessed that myself, I'm really eager to watch that adaptation now!
November 13, 2008
This is the third time I've read this book. Each time I reach the end I cry. In spite of the fact that the plot often veers into the realm of the absurd and the narrator can be cloyingly self congratulatory, the language is by turns hysterically funny and breathtakingly lovely. I don't often praise love stories (though I do often enjoy books about writers), but the sense of passion and amour-fou Djian conjures up is impossible not to get caught up in. If you don't read the book, I suggest you rent "Betty Blue" which I rank among my favorite book-to-film adaptations.
May 31, 2023
Bir karakerin adı verilmiş romanlar beklentimi artırıyor. Romana adını verebilecek kadar sıra dışı birinin hikayesini okuyacağım beklentisini yaratıyor ister istemez. Betty Blue'nun hakkını teslim etmem lazım, bu beklentimi karşıladı hatta aştı diyebilirim.
Betty deli dolu bir kadın. Biraz melankolik biraz da takıntılı bir karakter. Romanı onun sevgilisinin gözünden birinci tekil şahıs olarak okuyoruz ve hayatımıza yavaş yavaş dahil oluyor Betty, onu tanımaya başlıyoruz. Daha ilk sayfalarda farklı olduğu anlaşılıyor. Hayatı herkesin normal kabul ettiği standartlardan biraz farklı yaşıyor, olaylara bakışı da hayatı yaşayışı gibi bi değişik. Hayatı bir fırsat, gerçekten yaşanması gereken bir tecrübe olarak görüyor. Belki de bu yüzden hayalkırıklıklarına uğruyor, bu da onu melankoliye boğuyor zaman zaman. Sevgilisiyle arasındaki aşk ve tutku da roman boyunca bize eşlik ediyor. Öğrendiğimiz kadarıyla Betty güzel bir kadın, bu da onu arzulanır kılıyor, aynı zamanda ayak uydurulması gereken biri olma ayrıcalığına sahip oluyor Betty bu güzelliği yüzünden. Doğruluğunu savunamam elbette ama güzel kadınların ve hatta adamların hayatta diğerlerine göre torpilli olduğu gerçeğini hepimiz kabul ederiz herhalde, toplumun güzel insanlara karşı bir zaafı olduğu yalan değil. Betty'nin de acayiplikleri, zaman zaman şiddete varan delilikleri sevgilisi tarafından sineye çekiliyor roman boyunca. Malum o kadar güzel ki bunları yapmaya hakkı var..
Olay örgüsü romana hizmet edecek şekilde yaratılmıs. Kullanılan dil sade ama bazı benzetmeler ve kullanılan dil ve mizah yerli yerinde olduğundan edebi olarak da zevk aldığım bir okuma oldu. Anlatılan karakterler ve hikayenin gerçekliği benim için önemli, sıra dışı karakterler anlatılsa da inandırıcılığı zedeleyecek öğeler olmaması da romanın başarılı yönlerinden biri. Kitabı evet çok sevdim ve filmi de merak ettim, bulabilirsem izlemeyi düşünüyorum.
Betty deli dolu bir kadın. Biraz melankolik biraz da takıntılı bir karakter. Romanı onun sevgilisinin gözünden birinci tekil şahıs olarak okuyoruz ve hayatımıza yavaş yavaş dahil oluyor Betty, onu tanımaya başlıyoruz. Daha ilk sayfalarda farklı olduğu anlaşılıyor. Hayatı herkesin normal kabul ettiği standartlardan biraz farklı yaşıyor, olaylara bakışı da hayatı yaşayışı gibi bi değişik. Hayatı bir fırsat, gerçekten yaşanması gereken bir tecrübe olarak görüyor. Belki de bu yüzden hayalkırıklıklarına uğruyor, bu da onu melankoliye boğuyor zaman zaman. Sevgilisiyle arasındaki aşk ve tutku da roman boyunca bize eşlik ediyor. Öğrendiğimiz kadarıyla Betty güzel bir kadın, bu da onu arzulanır kılıyor, aynı zamanda ayak uydurulması gereken biri olma ayrıcalığına sahip oluyor Betty bu güzelliği yüzünden. Doğruluğunu savunamam elbette ama güzel kadınların ve hatta adamların hayatta diğerlerine göre torpilli olduğu gerçeğini hepimiz kabul ederiz herhalde, toplumun güzel insanlara karşı bir zaafı olduğu yalan değil. Betty'nin de acayiplikleri, zaman zaman şiddete varan delilikleri sevgilisi tarafından sineye çekiliyor roman boyunca. Malum o kadar güzel ki bunları yapmaya hakkı var..
Olay örgüsü romana hizmet edecek şekilde yaratılmıs. Kullanılan dil sade ama bazı benzetmeler ve kullanılan dil ve mizah yerli yerinde olduğundan edebi olarak da zevk aldığım bir okuma oldu. Anlatılan karakterler ve hikayenin gerçekliği benim için önemli, sıra dışı karakterler anlatılsa da inandırıcılığı zedeleyecek öğeler olmaması da romanın başarılı yönlerinden biri. Kitabı evet çok sevdim ve filmi de merak ettim, bulabilirsem izlemeyi düşünüyorum.
July 15, 2024
Zapravo, 4.5⭐️ jer amerikana, jer ‘80. godine, jer odlični likovi, jer još bolja priča, jer je film takoðe odličan i jer je Booka napokon, posle par velikih promašaja, objavila nešto vredno čitanja.
September 4, 2007
Es gibt so viele phantastische Stellen in diesem buch. Es ist wie ein flirrender Sommer, voller hitze und Staub. Volle drinks und voller Liebe. Mich berührt dabei aber nicht nur die Story und die Charaktere (und wer ist eigentlich auf die Idee gekommen, der Protagonist heiße zorg???), es ist der Stil, dem ich mich hingeben kann wie einem Lied. Ein Tanz der Worte, den man versteht und mitgeht, oder der einem nicht sagt.
January 11, 2008
This is one of my favorite stories and films. The movie is in my top 5, and the book is at least in the top 25. Wonderfu style, difficult but fascinating characters. It's been hailed as both pro and anti-feminist. A feat that, if achieved in any book/film/etc. makes me like it that much more. It's a great read and hard not to come away from, without some kind of strong opinion one way or the other.
August 3, 2020
Силен роман. В традицията на Джак Керуак, Кен Киси, Чарлз Буковски, а е възможно той да е повлиял на Уелбек, та дори и Бегбеде. Главният герой е як пич с нежно сърце, голям пияч, неуморим любовник, луда глава, майстор на крошетата, че и писател. Нищо оригинално, но пък добре изпълнено, въздейства.
February 2, 2025
From the plot, dialogue, narrative, writing style, informality all the way to the characters and their own mentalities, problems, points of view, personalities…ending, aesthetic and vibes. Energy and emotions that this book brings to you. Impeccable.
January 12, 2017
2,4 въпреки силния финал (преди него протяжността ме отегчи)
Изключително смесени чувства остави в мен тази книги... Посегнах към нея с не много големи очаквания. Рейтингът й в goodreads ме заслепи. Писане, типично за 70-те и 80-те, не много екшън, тук-таме където екшън, не е кой знае какъв.
СПОЙЛЕРИ:
Историята: 35-годишен писател, нереализирал се, се влюбва в някаква мацка, която е луда и пълна откачалка. Книгата едва ли не хвърля светлина към бийт поколението и живеенето им ден за ден; днес си на работа тук, ядосат се, палиш бунгалата, бягаш, утре си там.. Всъщност писателят е един комплексар, който да речем че отрича материалното, и се влюбва до уши в Бети, която обаче мечтае само за пари, коли и почивки по острови.
Поведението на Бети обаче страницата след страница от освободено започва да стряска читателя, защото въпросната прави каквото си иска и сякаш само в 80-те години е било невъзможно или почти невъзможно престъпленията й да се разкрият: палят бунгала, трошат магазини, пребиват литературния агент, който връща опустошителна критика към автора (чието име не запомних, не знам дали го й споменават в книгата)
Стига се до там, че след редица перипетии главния герой решава да обере нещо като банка, или по-скоро фирма инкасо, за да е щастлив с Бети. Проявите й на лудост обаче вече са безспир... отиват на остров, тя отвлича дете, ама в поведението й има десетки сигнали, че не всичко е както трябва с главата й, докато един ден тя не влиза в лудница. След като е очевидно, че Бети не е добре с главата, изважда си окото при скандал, любимият й решава да й напълни гърлото със салфетки, за да им остане любовта луда и бурна до края...
Четивен стил, добро начало, убедителни образи, представяне на един много интересен западен свят и то преди 30 години, когато хората наистина са имали свободата да правят почти каквото си искат, най-малкото промяната на работа от днес за утре, което в днешно време е буквално период в живота на човек с оглед сигурност, финанси и спокойствие.
На много моменти обаче книгата беше мудна и разказваше за неща, които не ме вълнуват: кой как си ремонтира колата, повтаряне на едни и същи разсъждения, описание на дребнодневие тип: станах, изпиках се, измих си зъбите и отворих хладилника.
Изключително смесени чувства остави в мен тази книги... Посегнах към нея с не много големи очаквания. Рейтингът й в goodreads ме заслепи. Писане, типично за 70-те и 80-те, не много екшън, тук-таме където екшън, не е кой знае какъв.
СПОЙЛЕРИ:
Историята: 35-годишен писател, нереализирал се, се влюбва в някаква мацка, която е луда и пълна откачалка. Книгата едва ли не хвърля светлина към бийт поколението и живеенето им ден за ден; днес си на работа тук, ядосат се, палиш бунгалата, бягаш, утре си там.. Всъщност писателят е един комплексар, който да речем че отрича материалното, и се влюбва до уши в Бети, която обаче мечтае само за пари, коли и почивки по острови.
Поведението на Бети обаче страницата след страница от освободено започва да стряска читателя, защото въпросната прави каквото си иска и сякаш само в 80-те години е било невъзможно или почти невъзможно престъпленията й да се разкрият: палят бунгала, трошат магазини, пребиват литературния агент, който връща опустошителна критика към автора (чието име не запомних, не знам дали го й споменават в книгата)
Стига се до там, че след редица перипетии главния герой решава да обере нещо като банка, или по-скоро фирма инкасо, за да е щастлив с Бети. Проявите й на лудост обаче вече са безспир... отиват на остров, тя отвлича дете, ама в поведението й има десетки сигнали, че не всичко е както трябва с главата й, докато един ден тя не влиза в лудница. След като е очевидно, че Бети не е добре с главата, изважда си окото при скандал, любимият й решава да й напълни гърлото със салфетки, за да им остане любовта луда и бурна до края...
Четивен стил, добро начало, убедителни образи, представяне на един много интересен западен свят и то преди 30 години, когато хората наистина са имали свободата да правят почти каквото си искат, най-малкото промяната на работа от днес за утре, което в днешно време е буквално период в живота на човек с оглед сигурност, финанси и спокойствие.
На много моменти обаче книгата беше мудна и разказваше за неща, които не ме вълнуват: кой как си ремонтира колата, повтаряне на едни и същи разсъждения, описание на дребнодневие тип: станах, изпиках се, измих си зъбите и отворих хладилника.
July 3, 2021
Ich weiß immer noch nicht wirklich, was jetzt die Haupthandlung war. Das Buch ist so inkonsequent in Logik und Handlung, dass ich erst auf den letzten 20 Seiten wirklich Lust bekommen habe weiter zu lesen.
Beispiele:
Als Betty ins Krankenhaus kommt, wird der narrator nach ihren Daten gefragt (Versicherung, geburtsort etc.) und als er die nicht weiß, kommt er nicht mal auf die Idee ihre Schwester, bei der beide 1 Jahr lang gelebt haben, anzurufen, sondern tut dies erst NACHDEM er sie umgebracht hat?
Eddie und Bettys Schwester Lisa werden sobald er Bob und Annie trifft einfach nicht mehr erwähnt. Es wirkt als hätte der Autor einfach vergessen, dass er die beiden Charaktere auch noch erfunden hatte zuvor und sich erst gegen Ende an sie erinnert hat.
Genauso mit seinen Büchern. So schnell wie die „Er-ist-talentierter-Schriftsteller-ohne-Anerkennung“-trope eingeführt wird, wird sie auch wieder vergessen und erst ganz am Ende hört man wieder etwas davon.
Irgendwann wird angedeutet dass Betty abhängig von irgendeinem Schlafmedikament ist aber es wird nie wieder erwähnt
Trotzdem muss ich auch positive Punkte anmerken, wie z.B.:
- der letzte Satz / Absatz regt zum Denken an; man weiß nicht mit wem er spricht und fragt sich sogar ob er nicht auch „verrückt“ wird, wie Betty
- the fact dass er am anfang und ende chilli macht, fand ich, hat einen schönen bogen gespannt und das alles nochmal gut zusammen gezogen aber war jetzt auch nichts weltbewegendes
außerdem fand ich interessant, wie der Erzähler mit dem Thema Gender und Feminismus umgegangen ist? also einerseits wie er sich öfter als Frau verkleidet hat, wenn auch nur als Kostüm, aber auch wie er sich öfter mit Frauen sympathisiert, die auf der Straße von „geilen Böcken“, wie Dijan schreibt, angemacht werden und diese Männer verachtet.
Fazit: nicht zu empfehlen; es war den Aufwand nicht wert.
Beispiele:
Als Betty ins Krankenhaus kommt, wird der narrator nach ihren Daten gefragt (Versicherung, geburtsort etc.) und als er die nicht weiß, kommt er nicht mal auf die Idee ihre Schwester, bei der beide 1 Jahr lang gelebt haben, anzurufen, sondern tut dies erst NACHDEM er sie umgebracht hat?
Eddie und Bettys Schwester Lisa werden sobald er Bob und Annie trifft einfach nicht mehr erwähnt. Es wirkt als hätte der Autor einfach vergessen, dass er die beiden Charaktere auch noch erfunden hatte zuvor und sich erst gegen Ende an sie erinnert hat.
Genauso mit seinen Büchern. So schnell wie die „Er-ist-talentierter-Schriftsteller-ohne-Anerkennung“-trope eingeführt wird, wird sie auch wieder vergessen und erst ganz am Ende hört man wieder etwas davon.
Irgendwann wird angedeutet dass Betty abhängig von irgendeinem Schlafmedikament ist aber es wird nie wieder erwähnt
Trotzdem muss ich auch positive Punkte anmerken, wie z.B.:
- der letzte Satz / Absatz regt zum Denken an; man weiß nicht mit wem er spricht und fragt sich sogar ob er nicht auch „verrückt“ wird, wie Betty
- the fact dass er am anfang und ende chilli macht, fand ich, hat einen schönen bogen gespannt und das alles nochmal gut zusammen gezogen aber war jetzt auch nichts weltbewegendes
außerdem fand ich interessant, wie der Erzähler mit dem Thema Gender und Feminismus umgegangen ist? also einerseits wie er sich öfter als Frau verkleidet hat, wenn auch nur als Kostüm, aber auch wie er sich öfter mit Frauen sympathisiert, die auf der Straße von „geilen Böcken“, wie Dijan schreibt, angemacht werden und diese Männer verachtet.
Fazit: nicht zu empfehlen; es war den Aufwand nicht wert.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2013
Uno sfogo. Uno strillo, prima ancora di essere un noir. Una storia quasi picaresca, a tratti assurda, per l'accavallarsi incessante delle vicende; narrata da un protagonista che vede lucidamente quanto le piccolezze umane rovinino la bellezza della vita, e prova come può a contrastare questa profanazione. Fino all’ “estrema ratio”. Un romanzo di rottura, duro, dal ritmo coinvolgente, che tuttavia rivela a ogni piè sospinto un desiderio di serenità, di contemplazione, un intimo raccordo con la dolcezza.
Per una fortunata coincidenza, ho incontrato l'autore a una presentazione del libro. Dalla sua viva voce ho appreso anche di un altro intento di questo scritto: infrangere certo perbenismo letterario francese, con un uso libero, provocatorio, volutamente dissacrante, della lingua, ben fuori dai canoni [compassati e rigidi] che da sempre, oltralpe, governano l’espressione scritta. La nuova traduzione in italiano del bravissimo Daniele Petruccioli, rende bene questo obiettivo, restando perfettamente allineata anche ai 25 anni di età del romanzo, oggi riproposto.
Per una fortunata coincidenza, ho incontrato l'autore a una presentazione del libro. Dalla sua viva voce ho appreso anche di un altro intento di questo scritto: infrangere certo perbenismo letterario francese, con un uso libero, provocatorio, volutamente dissacrante, della lingua, ben fuori dai canoni [compassati e rigidi] che da sempre, oltralpe, governano l’espressione scritta. La nuova traduzione in italiano del bravissimo Daniele Petruccioli, rende bene questo obiettivo, restando perfettamente allineata anche ai 25 anni di età del romanzo, oggi riproposto.
July 6, 2023
"37,2 le matin" raconte l'histoire de deux perdants-nés qui courent à leur perte. Pour un lecteur nord-américain, il ressemble énormément à "L'Astragale" d'Albertine Sarrazin. Il a aussi des éléments du film de Jean-Luc Godard "À bout de souffle". Pourtant, Philippe Dijan se veut américain. Avant le début, du roman il présente une citation de Richard Brautigan un des chefs de la contre-culture américaine des années 1960. Dans le roman, Dijan mentionne Jack Kerouac de la génération "beat" plusieurs fois.
C'est un roman de la vie de bohème qui offre rien de nouveau mais qui est quand même bien écrit. Il plaira à ceux qui adorent le genre.
C'est un roman de la vie de bohème qui offre rien de nouveau mais qui est quand même bien écrit. Il plaira à ceux qui adorent le genre.
August 23, 2024
Film nisam gledala i nisam znala kakva je priča na kraju, a kraj mi se nije svideo.
Ne volim ni priče u kojima su likovi iscrpani, iscrpeni, sve je iscrpljeno... Ima li života i energije u mladim ljudima? Nema... Analizirajte i likove iz knjige i današnju omladinu.
Ne volim ni priče u kojima su likovi iscrpani, iscrpeni, sve je iscrpljeno... Ima li života i energije u mladim ljudima? Nema... Analizirajte i likove iz knjige i današnju omladinu.
October 12, 2024
Irgendwie ne wilde Reise, die letzten hundert Seiten sind absolut batshit crazy und ich wurde maximal unterhalten (im Mittelteil wurde es ab und zu etwas langatmig, die letzten hundert Seiten haben mich da schön durchgeschüttelt), aber ja naja viel war entschuldbar dadurch, dass ich dem Protagonisten abgekauft habe, dass er einfach sein ganzes Leben Betty dedicated, was dann das Ende irgendwie voll zerstört hat? mocht ich nicht :(((
Kapitel 23 hat mich unvorbereitet erwischt, was ging da ab
Kapitel 23 hat mich unvorbereitet erwischt, was ging da ab
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2015
beautiful. rough. anxious. sad. happy. lively. but beautiful, above all.
out of my expectation.
recommendation to everyone.
amazing, live characters of flesh and blood.
beautiful quotes, scenes, feelings, dialogues, narration.
unperfectness written in a perfect way.
love.
out of my expectation.
recommendation to everyone.
amazing, live characters of flesh and blood.
beautiful quotes, scenes, feelings, dialogues, narration.
unperfectness written in a perfect way.
love.
August 1, 2019
Всички са някаква форма на шизоидно разстройство...
March 1, 2021
Funny how I had forgotten about this novel. And what a novel it is! It's been hugelly influential for me as a young reader, and probably later as an author. So French, yet so American. I really loved it, that's all. I wonder if I'll like it so much now? :)
September 2, 2020
Yeraltı edebiyatı ile ilgili fikrimi değistiren kitap.. cok etkileyici :)
October 15, 2024
Hab es zur falschen Jahreszeit gelesen.
December 28, 2025
Saw the film first - it stayed with me for so long… then read the book. Beautiful, tragic, compelling. I cried m eyes out.
May 20, 2022
Cok cok etkilendim! Dili cok akiciydi. Tavsiyedir!
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