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The Runaway

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Barcelona. 19 cm. 462 p. Encuadernación en tapa blanda de editorial. Colección 'Palabra en el Tiempo', numero coleccion(v. 24). Sarrazin, Albertine 1937-1967. Traducción Javier Albiñana. Albiñana, Javier. 1944- .. Este libro es de segunda mano y tiene o puede tener marcas y señales de su anterior propietario.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

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About the author

Albertine Sarrazin

29 books87 followers
Albertine Sarrazin (17 September 1937 — 10 July 1967) was a French author. She was best known for her semi-autobiographical novel L'Astragale.

Born in Algiers, Algeria, she was quickly abandoned and put in the care of the social services, being then christened Albertine Damien in honour of the saint of the day she was found on. She was then adopted by a family that moved her to Aix-en-Provence. Within that dysfunctional family, she was abused by a family member and constantly quarreling with them, which led to an intense distaste for authority that stayed with her the rest of her life.

Although she was intelligent and did well in her studies, Albertine's family sent her to a reformatory school in Marseille. She escaped to Paris where she satisfied her thirst for literature and art while she engaged in prostitution. In 1953, a bungled armed hold-up led to her imprisonment within Fresnes Prison. Upon escaping (and breaking her ankle in the process) she met Julien Sarrazin, and the two were soon married. The two continued to live lives of crime, spending time in and out of jail and keeping in contact through letters.

In prison, Sarrazin wrote her first novels, L'Astragale and La Cavale, which were published after her release in 1964 (the astragale of the title is the French word for the talus bone, which both she and the main character of her novel broke on their escapes from jail). Astragale was translated in English at that same time. Their success allowed the married couple to settle in Montpellier where she wrote her third story, La Traversière. The novel also performed well, but she died shortly afterwards from complications during kidney surgery; she was only 29 years old.

(from Wikipedia)

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Ghostcat.
372 reviews34 followers
July 20, 2015
This is my second book by Albertine Sarrazin, and once again I'm deeply moved by her way of telling all about her life, in a very raw and truthful way, and I keep thinking she was an amazing strong woman and quite independent for her era.
Her story touches me a lot, plus she lived in a small village next to mine in her last years, the ones that were free and happy, reunited with her beloved Julien, and when I think that she died so young and in such a hasardous way, I feel my eyes watering.
Albertine Sarazzin's autobiographics novels are a moving experience, plus her use of french slang for the sixties is a must read.
Profile Image for Michael.
673 reviews15 followers
April 4, 2014
"I think of the importance of nice things, useless things, imagination, a touch of lunacy"
Thanks to Patti Smith for bringing Albertine Sarrazin to my attention and back into print ("Astragal"). First published in English in 1967 (the year of Sarrazin's death at age 29), and out of print since, "The Runaway" is both an account of prison life and a love story. Sarrazin's ability to describe in fascinating detail the feel of being in a women's jail is reminiscent of the writings of Genet. She provides a portrait of indomitable spirit and fierce independence, devoid of any self-pity.
Profile Image for Mk.
445 reviews
August 5, 2024
Lots of jargon.


new statesman
Culture
20 March 2014
Patti Smith: why Albertine Sarrazin is the rebel author I can’t put down
French-Algerian writer Sarrazin was in prison for armed robbery when she wrote her autobiographical first novel. The singer-songwriter Patti Smith celebrates a book that guided her through her youth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Larry Singleton.
85 reviews5 followers
November 27, 2024
Ahhh the joys of coffee. When everything else in your life is going terribly disappointingly, at least there is coffee and chocolate.

There are lines in this that will stay with me for some time. Loved her descriptions of certain things.
Profile Image for Emily.
53 reviews
September 20, 2024
Lecture intéressante, la condition carcérale des femmes du point de vue d'une détenue.
Profile Image for Gülay Akbal.
589 reviews23 followers
May 3, 2017
Çevirinin oldukça eski olmasından dolayı okumak oldukça zor ve can sıkıcıydı. Keşke yeniden çevirisi yapılsa da daha tatlı okusak :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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