Das extreme Leben einer unscheinbaren Frau

by Hector Bianciotti

Adelaide, die Heldin dieses Romans, ist eine kleine, ältliche, unverheiratete Frau, der ein menschenscheuer Erzähler zunächst unfreiwillig seine Teilnahme, dann seine Freundschaft, schließlich einen Lebensbericht und Nekrolog widmet. Sie stammt aus einer armseligen, aus Italien nach Argentinien eingewanderten Landarbeiterfamilie. Erst nach dem Selbstmord ihres geschundenen Vaters und dem Tod der herrschsüchtigen Großmutter im Schweinetümpel hat sie, ein stumm beobachtendes, verschrecktes, von heimlichem Ehrgeiz besessenes Kind, die dumpf dahinlebende Sippe verlassen und in einem Kloster Arbeit finden können. Dort lernte sie lesen und schreiben und erwarb sich, soweit die Klosterbibliothek es erlaubte, ein Wissen, das sie befähigte, in einen Diplomatenhaushalt zur Beschließerin und Gesellschafterin zu avancieren. Mit der Botschafterfamilie gelangte sie nach Europa, im illusionären Gefühl, die ersehnte Heimat erobert, recht eigentlich erst zu leben begonnen zu haben. Als der Erzähler sie kennenlernt, verbringt sie, im selben Mietshaus wie er, ihren bescheidenen Ruhestand, Fremdperson, einsam, doch ruhig, weil überzeugt, daß die Zeit der Schicksalsschläge vorüber sei. Ihr ist jedoch nur eine Pause gegönnt...

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Hector Bianciotti was an Argentine-born French author and member of the Académie française.

Born Héctor Bianciotti in Calchin Oeste in Córdoba Province, Argentina, Bianciotti's parents were immigrants from Piedmont, who communicated among themselves in the dialect of that region but who forbade its use with their son. Instead, they spoke Spanish to him. Bianciotti began his study of French in 1945. He arrived in France in 1961 and completed his French naturalization in 1981. In 1982, he stopped writing in any language but French, his favorite.

Bianciotti was elected to the Académie française on 18 January 1996 to Seat 2, succeeding André Frossard.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I need to improve my French.
There were some striking passages in this book! Lots of folded down corners so I could turn back to beautiful prose.
Lots of f***ed up stuff happens in the plot.
It's French, although the author isn't really French, but I think he was pretty French by the time he wrote this.
Oh yeah, and one time I was reading it on the train (in the USA) and some teenage French girl saw me reading it. I saw her see me. When she was standing near me, about to get off at her stop, she said, "Vous parlez francais?" We briefly chatted. She said this book looks really hard, even for a French person. No kidding, French girl. What you said.
Explaining the plot, such as it is, about Adelaide, "la-bas," Rosette, Monsieur Tenant, Mme Mancier-Alvarez, the people from Adelaide's childhood, Rosette's parents, the clientele, etc., isn't really the point...in fact, this is kind of like a French film in that plot really takes a backseat to everything else going on, and it was the meditative observations on life, language, memory, geography, connection, souls, and all that that drew me in.
But what do I know? I need some intermediate French reading, I think. This was hard. I'm going to take a French class.

[Maurizio Manco · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Talvolta il tutto si agita, e il terrore o la bellezza sopraggiungono. Non c’è altro da dire…" (p. 81)

"L’uomo […] è un animale che si distrae da se stesso e c’è solo il dolore, e talvolta l’amore, che lo inchiodino al suo posto." (p. 116)

"La prima esperienza della felicità è feroce: quando scompare, tutto manca nello stesso tempo." (p. 274)