Hiroshima, Mon Amour / Une Aussi Longue Absence

by Marguerite Duras, Gèrard Jarlot, Richard Seaver (Translator)

Hiroshima mon amour ("Hiroshima, My Love") is an intense and focused drama, centering around a conversation between a French-Japanese couple - in this it was similar to Duras' autobiographical work, L'Amant, which tells the story of her affair with a Chinese man. Hiroshima also shares certain thematic qualities with Une Aussi Longue Absence ("The Long Absence"), which also focuses on memory and forgetting, although in Absence, the narrative centers on the owner of a café in a provincial French town, whose husband may have returned after a sixteen year absence, dressed as a tramp.

Illustrated with black and white photographs, and stills from the films. Includes the nouvelle vague classic directed by Alain Resnais. Translated by Richard Seaver and Barbara Wright.

Genres: France

191 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1966

About the author

Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu , known as Marguerite Duras, was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film Hiroshima mon amour (1959) earned her a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brilliant screenplays that emphasise the starkness of the individual and the importance of love. Hiroshima mon Amour uses the backdrop of Hiroshima brilliantly to tell a story of the difficulty of carrying on in a post-war world. Terrific writing.