What do you think?
Rate this book
La playa
"Tres niños caminan a lo largo de una playa. Avanzan, uno al lado del otro, llevándose de la mano. Tienen sensiblemente la misma estatura, y sin duda también la misma edad: una docena de años. El del medio, sin embargo, es un poco más pequeño que los otros dos".
5 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1962
15 people want to read
About the author
Alain Robbe-Grillet
102 books433 followersScreenplays and novels, such as
The Erasers
(1953), of French writer Alain Robbe-Grillet, affiliated with the New Wave movement in cinema, subordinate plot to the treatment of space and time; directors, such as Jean Luc Godard and François Truffaut, led this movement, which in the 1960s abandoned traditional narrative techniques in favor of greater use of symbolism and abstraction and dealt with themes of social alienation, psychopathology, and sexual love.
Alain Robbe-Grillet was a French writer and filmmaker. He was along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon one of the figures most associated with the trend of the Nouveau Roman. Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Académie française on March 25, 2004, succeeding Maurice Rheims at seat #32.
He was married to Catherine Robbe-Grillet (née Rstakian) .
Alain Robbe-Grillet was born in Brest (Finistère, France) into a family of engineers and scientists. He was trained as an agricultural engineer. In the years 1943-44 Robbe-Grillet participated in service du travail obligatoire in Nuremberg where he worked as a machinist. The initial few months were seen by Robbe-Grillet as something of a holiday, since in between the very rudimentary training he was given to operate the machinery he had free time to go to the theatre and the opera. In 1945, Robbe-Grillet completed his diploma at the National Institute of Agronomy. Later, his work as an agronomist took him to Martinique, French Guinea,Guadeloupe and Morocco.
His first novel The Erasers (Les Gommes) was published in 1953, after which he dedicated himself full-time to his new occupation. His early work was praised by eminent critics such as Roland Barthes and Maurice Blanchot. Around the time of his second novel he became a literary advisor for Les Editions de Minuit and occupied this position from 1955 until 1985. After publishing four novels, in 1961 he worked with Alain Renais, writing the script for Last Year at Marienbad (L'Année Dernière à Marienbad), and subsequently wrote and directed his own films. In 1963, Robbe-Grillet published For a New Novel (Pour un Nouveau Roman), a collection of previous published theoretical writings concerning the novel. From 1966 to 1968 he was a member of the High Committee for the Defense and Expansion of French (Haut comité pour la défense et l´expansion de la langue française). In addition Robbe-Grillet also led the Centre for Sociology of Literature (Centre de sociologie de la littérature) at the university of Bruxelles from 1980 to 1988. From 1971 to 1995 Robbe-Grillet was a professor at New York University, lecturing on his own novels.
In 2004 Robbe-Grillet was elected to the Académie française, but was never actually formally received by the Académie because of disputes regarding the Académie's reception procedures. Robbe-Grillet both refused to prepare and submit a welcome speech in advance, preferring to improvise his speech, as well as refusing to purchase and wear the Académie's famous green tails (habit vert) and sabre, which he considered as out-dated.
He died in Caen after succumbing to heart problems
Style
His writing style has been described as "realist" or "phenomenological" (in the Heideggerian sense) or "a theory of pure surface." Methodical, geometric, and often repetitive descriptions of objects replace the psychology and interiority of the character. Instead, one slowly pieces together the story and the emotional experience of jealousy in the repetition of descriptions, the attention to odd details, and the breaks in repetitions. Ironically, this method resembles the experience of psychoanalysis in which the deeper unconscious meanings are contained in the flow and disruptions of free associations. Timelines and plots are fractured and the resulting novel resembles the literary
Alain Robbe-Grillet was a French writer and filmmaker. He was along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon one of the figures most associated with the trend of the Nouveau Roman. Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Académie française on March 25, 2004, succeeding Maurice Rheims at seat #32.
He was married to Catherine Robbe-Grillet (née Rstakian) .
Alain Robbe-Grillet was born in Brest (Finistère, France) into a family of engineers and scientists. He was trained as an agricultural engineer. In the years 1943-44 Robbe-Grillet participated in service du travail obligatoire in Nuremberg where he worked as a machinist. The initial few months were seen by Robbe-Grillet as something of a holiday, since in between the very rudimentary training he was given to operate the machinery he had free time to go to the theatre and the opera. In 1945, Robbe-Grillet completed his diploma at the National Institute of Agronomy. Later, his work as an agronomist took him to Martinique, French Guinea,Guadeloupe and Morocco.
His first novel The Erasers (Les Gommes) was published in 1953, after which he dedicated himself full-time to his new occupation. His early work was praised by eminent critics such as Roland Barthes and Maurice Blanchot. Around the time of his second novel he became a literary advisor for Les Editions de Minuit and occupied this position from 1955 until 1985. After publishing four novels, in 1961 he worked with Alain Renais, writing the script for Last Year at Marienbad (L'Année Dernière à Marienbad), and subsequently wrote and directed his own films. In 1963, Robbe-Grillet published For a New Novel (Pour un Nouveau Roman), a collection of previous published theoretical writings concerning the novel. From 1966 to 1968 he was a member of the High Committee for the Defense and Expansion of French (Haut comité pour la défense et l´expansion de la langue française). In addition Robbe-Grillet also led the Centre for Sociology of Literature (Centre de sociologie de la littérature) at the university of Bruxelles from 1980 to 1988. From 1971 to 1995 Robbe-Grillet was a professor at New York University, lecturing on his own novels.
In 2004 Robbe-Grillet was elected to the Académie française, but was never actually formally received by the Académie because of disputes regarding the Académie's reception procedures. Robbe-Grillet both refused to prepare and submit a welcome speech in advance, preferring to improvise his speech, as well as refusing to purchase and wear the Académie's famous green tails (habit vert) and sabre, which he considered as out-dated.
He died in Caen after succumbing to heart problems
Style
His writing style has been described as "realist" or "phenomenological" (in the Heideggerian sense) or "a theory of pure surface." Methodical, geometric, and often repetitive descriptions of objects replace the psychology and interiority of the character. Instead, one slowly pieces together the story and the emotional experience of jealousy in the repetition of descriptions, the attention to odd details, and the breaks in repetitions. Ironically, this method resembles the experience of psychoanalysis in which the deeper unconscious meanings are contained in the flow and disruptions of free associations. Timelines and plots are fractured and the resulting novel resembles the literary
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Read
May 19, 2019رمان نو را بار دیگر می بایست شناخت. اینکه با یک کتاب به شناخت یک نحله جدید برویم درست نخواهد بود. داستان کوتاه ساحل غریب، پیچیده و پر از احساس است. حقیقت این است که باید برای خواندن رمان نو(تاکید می کنم هر نوشته به نام رمان نو منظورم نیست) چشمها را شست جور دیگر باید دید
July 3, 2020
Magical! That's all I can say about this short story.
It's been a long time that I have decided to read Robbe-Grillet. I am super happy this short story was the first thing I read written by him. Looking forward to read more of what this magical pen writes.
It's been a long time that I have decided to read Robbe-Grillet. I am super happy this short story was the first thing I read written by him. Looking forward to read more of what this magical pen writes.
December 13, 2024
3 1/2 *
February 27, 2022
“La playa” describe una situación de constante movimiento pero al mismo tiempo casi estática. Se trata del recorrido que tres niños realizan en una playa, con el mar a su diestra y un acantilado a su siniestra. Detrás de ellos, las nítidas huellas se van perdiendo en la distancia hasta fundirse en una. Delante, unas aves caminan por la orilla y alzan vuelo cuando los niños están por alcanzarlas, manteniendo siempre cierta distancia. Las olas también parecen mantenerse fijas en un punto a pesar de su movimiento, nunca avanzado más de lo determinado por la marea. En un punto los niños oyen débilmente una lejana campana a la que al parecer estaban esperando, aunque uno de ellos señala que quizás no es la primera vez que suena. Todos estos elementos repetitivos o cíclicos recuerdan a la novela Djinn del mismo autor. El cuento está narrado en presente, quizá para reforzar este eterno presente que construye aquí Robbe-Grillet. El narrador simplemente describe todo lo que aparece ante el ojo del lector casi como si se tratara de una película: no hay apreciaciones subjetivas ni hay pista alguna de la interioridad de los personajes (ni de lo que sienten ni de lo que piensan, solo de lo que hacen y dicen).
Tras leer los ensayos del autor en Por una nueva novela entiendo que de acuerdo con su tesis en este cuento las cosas (los objetos, los gestos y los personajes) están presentes por sí mismas. No apuntan a significados externos ni a verdades profundas, no son meras herramientas a través de las cuales contar una historia o una anécdota. Cada una de ellas, ante todo, es. Luego podrá el lector extraer de ellos, si así lo desea, una significación o interpretación personal (¿podría aludir el cuento a la experiencia que se tiene durante la infancia de la playa interminable? ¿se lo podría interpretar como el incierto recorrido del ser humano en un mundo interminable que nunca podrá aprehender del todo?). Pero la principal impresión que deja el relato es la de estas imágenes, la de esta realidad textual construida. Seguramente esto es lo que Robbe-Grillet quería lograr, del mismo modo que a su entender había conseguido Kafka en El castillo: crear un mundo material y tangible dentro del relato y que lo que haya detrás de este (si es que hay algo) sea lo menos importante. Lo que importa es la realidad creada, porque la superficie de las cosas es lo único de lo que el ser humano puede tener certeza. Los “más allá” y las verdades metafísicas o humanas quedan, para él, de lado. En “La playa”, como en el cine, la ola es una ola y los niños son niños (nótese también que son personajes casi totalmente despojados de caracterización, como el señor K. de Kafka).
De acuerdo a lo que dice Robbe-Grillet, no es que en esta “narrativa moderna” no pase nada. Lo que ocurre es que este relato no tiene, como las populares novelas burguesas o las ficciones del realismo socialista, a las que critica, una anécdota que haga sentir cómodo y seguro al lector con su carácter de certeza, tranquilidad o inocencia. Robbe-Grillet nos presenta en su playa un mundo enigmático, infinito, inexplicado y hecho de imágenes vitales que imprimen su huella en nuestra memoria. En algunos sentidos, un mundo bastante parecido al nuestro, al que está más allá de los libros.
Tras leer los ensayos del autor en Por una nueva novela entiendo que de acuerdo con su tesis en este cuento las cosas (los objetos, los gestos y los personajes) están presentes por sí mismas. No apuntan a significados externos ni a verdades profundas, no son meras herramientas a través de las cuales contar una historia o una anécdota. Cada una de ellas, ante todo, es. Luego podrá el lector extraer de ellos, si así lo desea, una significación o interpretación personal (¿podría aludir el cuento a la experiencia que se tiene durante la infancia de la playa interminable? ¿se lo podría interpretar como el incierto recorrido del ser humano en un mundo interminable que nunca podrá aprehender del todo?). Pero la principal impresión que deja el relato es la de estas imágenes, la de esta realidad textual construida. Seguramente esto es lo que Robbe-Grillet quería lograr, del mismo modo que a su entender había conseguido Kafka en El castillo: crear un mundo material y tangible dentro del relato y que lo que haya detrás de este (si es que hay algo) sea lo menos importante. Lo que importa es la realidad creada, porque la superficie de las cosas es lo único de lo que el ser humano puede tener certeza. Los “más allá” y las verdades metafísicas o humanas quedan, para él, de lado. En “La playa”, como en el cine, la ola es una ola y los niños son niños (nótese también que son personajes casi totalmente despojados de caracterización, como el señor K. de Kafka).
De acuerdo a lo que dice Robbe-Grillet, no es que en esta “narrativa moderna” no pase nada. Lo que ocurre es que este relato no tiene, como las populares novelas burguesas o las ficciones del realismo socialista, a las que critica, una anécdota que haga sentir cómodo y seguro al lector con su carácter de certeza, tranquilidad o inocencia. Robbe-Grillet nos presenta en su playa un mundo enigmático, infinito, inexplicado y hecho de imágenes vitales que imprimen su huella en nuestra memoria. En algunos sentidos, un mundo bastante parecido al nuestro, al que está más allá de los libros.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews