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J'ai saigné
Dans ce court récit autobiographique, Cendrars - qui fut amputé du bras droit en 1915 - raconte les souffrances et le chaos engendrés par la guerre et rend hommage à ceux qui, par leur courage et leur générosité, l'ont transformé en aventure humaine.
- GenresSchool
52 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
34 people want to read
About the author
Blaise Cendrars
277 books279 followersFrédéric Louis Sauser, better known as Blaise Cendrars, was a Swiss novelist and poet naturalized French in 1916. He was a writer of considerable influence in the modernist movement.
His father, an inventor-businessman, was Swiss, his mother Scottish. He spent his childhood in Alexandria, Naples, Brindisi, Neuchâtel, and numerous other places, while accompanying his father, who endlessly pursued business schemes, none successfully.
At the age of fifteen, Cendrars left home to travel in Russia, Persia, China while working as a jewel merchant; several years later, he wrote about this in his poem, Transiberien. He was in Paris before 1910, where he got in touch with several names of Paris' bélle époque: Guillaume Apollinaire, Modigliani, Marc Chagall and many more. Cendrars then traveled to America, where he wrote his first long poem Pâques à New-York. The next year appeared The Transsibérien.
When he came back to France, I World War was started and he joined the French Foreign Legion. He was sent to the front line in the Somme where from mid-December 1914 until February 1915. During the attacks in Champagne in September 1915 that Cendrars lost his right arm. He described this war experience in the books La Main coupée.
After the war he returned to Paris, becaming an important part of the artistic community in Montparnasse. There, among others, used to meet with other writers such as Henry Miller, John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway.
During the 1920's he published two long novels, Moravagine and Les Confessions de Dan Yack. Into the 1930’s published a number of “novelized” biographies or volumes of extravagant reporting, such as L’Or, based on the life of John August Sutter, and Rhum, “reportage romance” dealing with the life and trials of Jean Galmont, a misfired Cecil Rhodes of Guiana.
La Belle Epoque was the great age of discovery in arts and letters. Cendrars, very much of the epoch, was sketched by Caruso, painted by Léon Bakst, by Léger, by Modigliani, by Chagall; and in his turn helped discover Negro art, jazz, and the modern music of Les Six. His home base was always Paris, for several years in the Rue de Savoie, later, for many years, in the Avenue Montaigne, and in the country, his little house at Tremblay-sur Mauldre (Seine-et-Oise), though he continued to travel extensively. He worked for a short while in Hollywood in 1936, at the time of the filming of Sutter’s Gold. From 1924 to 1936, went so constantly to South America. This life globertrottering life was pictured in his book Bourlinguer, published in 1948.
Another remarkable works apparead in the 40s were L’Homme Foudroyé (1945), La Main Coupée (1946), Le Lotissement du Ciel (1949), that constitute his best and most important work. His last major work was published in 1957, entitled Trop, C’est Trop.
==========
Sources:
- http://www.theparisreview.org/intervi...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_...
His father, an inventor-businessman, was Swiss, his mother Scottish. He spent his childhood in Alexandria, Naples, Brindisi, Neuchâtel, and numerous other places, while accompanying his father, who endlessly pursued business schemes, none successfully.
At the age of fifteen, Cendrars left home to travel in Russia, Persia, China while working as a jewel merchant; several years later, he wrote about this in his poem, Transiberien. He was in Paris before 1910, where he got in touch with several names of Paris' bélle époque: Guillaume Apollinaire, Modigliani, Marc Chagall and many more. Cendrars then traveled to America, where he wrote his first long poem Pâques à New-York. The next year appeared The Transsibérien.
When he came back to France, I World War was started and he joined the French Foreign Legion. He was sent to the front line in the Somme where from mid-December 1914 until February 1915. During the attacks in Champagne in September 1915 that Cendrars lost his right arm. He described this war experience in the books La Main coupée.
After the war he returned to Paris, becaming an important part of the artistic community in Montparnasse. There, among others, used to meet with other writers such as Henry Miller, John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway.
During the 1920's he published two long novels, Moravagine and Les Confessions de Dan Yack. Into the 1930’s published a number of “novelized” biographies or volumes of extravagant reporting, such as L’Or, based on the life of John August Sutter, and Rhum, “reportage romance” dealing with the life and trials of Jean Galmont, a misfired Cecil Rhodes of Guiana.
La Belle Epoque was the great age of discovery in arts and letters. Cendrars, very much of the epoch, was sketched by Caruso, painted by Léon Bakst, by Léger, by Modigliani, by Chagall; and in his turn helped discover Negro art, jazz, and the modern music of Les Six. His home base was always Paris, for several years in the Rue de Savoie, later, for many years, in the Avenue Montaigne, and in the country, his little house at Tremblay-sur Mauldre (Seine-et-Oise), though he continued to travel extensively. He worked for a short while in Hollywood in 1936, at the time of the filming of Sutter’s Gold. From 1924 to 1936, went so constantly to South America. This life globertrottering life was pictured in his book Bourlinguer, published in 1948.
Another remarkable works apparead in the 40s were L’Homme Foudroyé (1945), La Main Coupée (1946), Le Lotissement du Ciel (1949), that constitute his best and most important work. His last major work was published in 1957, entitled Trop, C’est Trop.
==========
Sources:
- http://www.theparisreview.org/intervi...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 26, 2019
I've read J'ai saigné (I bled, in English) this morning : it's just one short story by Blaise Cendrars, about his recovery in 1915, because he lost his hand and part of his arm in the first world war.
The story is interesting to read, and it packs a punch. I'm one of those persons who cannot stand to see someone in pain, and this book affected me (my throat is still tight a few hours later). The suffering of the soldiers is so vivid, I can't imagine someone not being moved by this story.
Finally, the writting is very good, it's a big part of the power of this short story. I've read it in French (my mother tongue) and I hope you can find a good English translation.
I recommand reading this story, for everyone (aged 14-15 and up), especially if you like history, reflections on war and human nature.
The story is interesting to read, and it packs a punch. I'm one of those persons who cannot stand to see someone in pain, and this book affected me (my throat is still tight a few hours later). The suffering of the soldiers is so vivid, I can't imagine someone not being moved by this story.
Finally, the writting is very good, it's a big part of the power of this short story. I've read it in French (my mother tongue) and I hope you can find a good English translation.
I recommand reading this story, for everyone (aged 14-15 and up), especially if you like history, reflections on war and human nature.
January 26, 2023
J’ai du lire ce livre pour un cours de français sur la guerre, et honnêtement je ne vois ps trop l’intérêt de cette nouvelle. L’histoire est rapide, il n’y a pas d’intrigue, pas de possibilité d’attachements aux personnages. A part la mort du pauvre jeune soldats, a cause de laquelle j’ai eu un petit pincement au coeur, cette nouvelle n’a pas soulevé d’émotions en moi. Bref Dcp voilà, je l’aurai lu en 20 min au total, et voilà je l’oublierai rapidement :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2023
I liked this book and i found the subject interesting (the war). It’s an sort of autobiography by blaise Cendrars who talks about his journey at the “hospital” during the war (he was there cause he lost his right harm) and particularly the others patients and the nurse. I’m happy to have read this book but not a heart rob
March 30, 2025
Je ne connais pas bien Cendrars.
J'ai aimé lire cette nouvelle autobiographique dans laquelle l'auteur raconte les souffrances et le chaos engendrés par la guerre.
Quelques passages sont difficiles et d'un réalisme âpre.
J'ai aimé lire cette nouvelle autobiographique dans laquelle l'auteur raconte les souffrances et le chaos engendrés par la guerre.
Quelques passages sont difficiles et d'un réalisme âpre.
January 18, 2023
Pas ouf mais bon 40 pages
April 16, 2023
Court. C'est plutôt bien mais pas und histoire à pleurer.
June 28, 2023
Lecture un peu trop éprouvante pour la proposer à des collégiens.
November 4, 2023
livre de français deh..
January 4, 2025
Honnêtement, je sais pas quoi en penser…
March 5, 2026
Court mais incisif. Une belle représentation des horreurs de la guerre.
January 20, 2025
J'ai saigné est un récit de résurrection ; celle d'un homme qui a connu le charnier, la masse de morts entassés les uns sur les autres, les cris de souffrance ; celle aussi d'un homme qui a goûté la charité vécue par des infirmières dévouées, des religieuses au chevet des malades, souffrants avec eux. Bref, à travers ces quelques pages, nous sommes marqués par ces images crues de douleurs, mêlées à des paroles et des gestes lumineux. Une histoire de vie et de sang.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews