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MMCXIX: Les Futurs Des Belles Lettres
Appelez-le Ismaël, comme au début de Moby Dick, c’est le pseudonyme qu’il utilise quand il écrit de la fiction de conscience extra-terrestre. Sa mission ? Apporter la littérature aux confins de l’Univers…
Elle, elle s’appelle Page et elle se demande depuis combien de temps plus personne n’ose sortir dans Paris après le lever du soleil. Difficile à dire quand nul ne sait lire un calendrier…
Comme tous les matins, Quintilien se réveille avant l’aube, pour pratiquer ses exercices de diction, mais en sortant de son cubiculum il a failli marcher sur une tablette de cire déposée sur le seuil par l’IA qui se fait appeler « Le Créateur »…
« Ça devait être joli, avant… », dit Adlinn en désignant le fleuve qui s’appelait autrefois la Seine et dont le méandre arrache un triste sourire aux ruines qui s’étendent à perte de vue…
« Belles Lettres Ad Astra », « La nuit des livres », « Premières lettres » et « De l’avant », quatre nouvelles de science-fiction par quatre maîtres du genre : Norman Spinrad, Valérie Mangin, Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac et Pierre Bordage. Chacune esquisse un futur possible de ce que seront les Belles Lettres en MMCXIX.
Au début de la Première Guerre mondiale, un érudit se désolait de ne pouvoir emporter dans son paquetage une édition critique française d’Homère. La légende veut qu’ainsi fût conçu le projet d’une maison consacrée à l’édition savante des textes anciens, la société Les Belles Lettres, fondée en 1919. Un siècle plus tard, ce recueil de nouvelles est là pour assurer aux amoureux de la culture que la maison à la chouette continuera à faire rayonner l’humanisme.
Elle, elle s’appelle Page et elle se demande depuis combien de temps plus personne n’ose sortir dans Paris après le lever du soleil. Difficile à dire quand nul ne sait lire un calendrier…
Comme tous les matins, Quintilien se réveille avant l’aube, pour pratiquer ses exercices de diction, mais en sortant de son cubiculum il a failli marcher sur une tablette de cire déposée sur le seuil par l’IA qui se fait appeler « Le Créateur »…
« Ça devait être joli, avant… », dit Adlinn en désignant le fleuve qui s’appelait autrefois la Seine et dont le méandre arrache un triste sourire aux ruines qui s’étendent à perte de vue…
« Belles Lettres Ad Astra », « La nuit des livres », « Premières lettres » et « De l’avant », quatre nouvelles de science-fiction par quatre maîtres du genre : Norman Spinrad, Valérie Mangin, Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac et Pierre Bordage. Chacune esquisse un futur possible de ce que seront les Belles Lettres en MMCXIX.
Au début de la Première Guerre mondiale, un érudit se désolait de ne pouvoir emporter dans son paquetage une édition critique française d’Homère. La légende veut qu’ainsi fût conçu le projet d’une maison consacrée à l’édition savante des textes anciens, la société Les Belles Lettres, fondée en 1919. Un siècle plus tard, ce recueil de nouvelles est là pour assurer aux amoureux de la culture que la maison à la chouette continuera à faire rayonner l’humanisme.
160 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2019
1 person want to read
About the author
Pierre Bordage
179 books130 followersPierre Bordage a grandi en Vendée. Aimant le sport, il pratiquera pendant neuf ans le karaté. Il s'inscrit en lettres modernes à la faculté de Nantes. En 1975, au cours d'un atelier d'écriture, il découvre la science-fiction avec notamment les Chroniques martiennes de Ray Bradbury.
Il fera plusieurs voyages en Asie et pratiquera différents métiers, dont celui de libraire pendant plusieurs années.
En 1985, alors qu'il habite dans le Gers, il écrit son premier roman Les Guerriers du Silence qu'aucune maison d'édition n'acceptera. Il devient journaliste sportif, déménage à Paris où il rencontre en 1992 son premier éditeur, Vaugirard, qui lui propose d'écrire le Cycle de Rohel le Conquérant.
L'année suivante, il découvre chez un petit éditeur nantais, l'Atalante, un ouvrage de l'écrivain américain Orson Scott Card, traduit par son ancien professeur de banjo, Patrick Couton. Il leur propose alors Guerriers du Silence qui est accepté. Le livre est un succès inattendu et reçoit plusieurs prix littéraires, dont le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, le Prix Julia Verlanger, le Prix Cosmos 2000...
Il publie les deux autres tomes de la trilogie, puis en 1998 Wang, couronné par l'éphémère Prix de la Tour Eiffel et le premier volume d'Abzalon, toujours chez L'Atalante.
En 2000, primé par le Prix Paul Féval pour Les Fables de l'Humpur, il met à jour chez Librio le roman-feuilleton en six épisodes : Les Derniers hommes.
L'Évangile du serpent et L'Ange de l'Abîme paraissent, en 2001, chez le Diable Vauvert.
En 2008 Pierre Bordage innove de nouveau en s'associant avec l'entreprise mp3minutes pour produire un roman audio et vidéo à partir d'un scénario inédit. Cette bande dessinée vidéo s'intitule Chroniques des Ombres, actuellement téléchargeable sur le web.
Pierre Bordage s'est installé dans le sud-est de la Loire-Atlantique, à Boussay, avec sa femme et ses deux enfants.
Fin janvier 2009, sa femme décède, victime d'un accident de la route en Inde[
Il fera plusieurs voyages en Asie et pratiquera différents métiers, dont celui de libraire pendant plusieurs années.
En 1985, alors qu'il habite dans le Gers, il écrit son premier roman Les Guerriers du Silence qu'aucune maison d'édition n'acceptera. Il devient journaliste sportif, déménage à Paris où il rencontre en 1992 son premier éditeur, Vaugirard, qui lui propose d'écrire le Cycle de Rohel le Conquérant.
L'année suivante, il découvre chez un petit éditeur nantais, l'Atalante, un ouvrage de l'écrivain américain Orson Scott Card, traduit par son ancien professeur de banjo, Patrick Couton. Il leur propose alors Guerriers du Silence qui est accepté. Le livre est un succès inattendu et reçoit plusieurs prix littéraires, dont le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, le Prix Julia Verlanger, le Prix Cosmos 2000...
Il publie les deux autres tomes de la trilogie, puis en 1998 Wang, couronné par l'éphémère Prix de la Tour Eiffel et le premier volume d'Abzalon, toujours chez L'Atalante.
En 2000, primé par le Prix Paul Féval pour Les Fables de l'Humpur, il met à jour chez Librio le roman-feuilleton en six épisodes : Les Derniers hommes.
L'Évangile du serpent et L'Ange de l'Abîme paraissent, en 2001, chez le Diable Vauvert.
En 2008 Pierre Bordage innove de nouveau en s'associant avec l'entreprise mp3minutes pour produire un roman audio et vidéo à partir d'un scénario inédit. Cette bande dessinée vidéo s'intitule Chroniques des Ombres, actuellement téléchargeable sur le web.
Pierre Bordage s'est installé dans le sud-est de la Loire-Atlantique, à Boussay, avec sa femme et ses deux enfants.
Fin janvier 2009, sa femme décède, victime d'un accident de la route en Inde[
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June 15, 2025
The French publisher Les Belles Lettres, which focuses on classical works, literature, history, philosophy, philology, and alike, will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2119. In 2019, for its 100 anniversary, they had the idea to put out a little book containing four short stories around classical literature, but with a science fiction sauce. Four very different authors were presented with the task and given carte blanche, I think. I had never heard of this publisher, until I saw Pierre Bordage - one of my favourite authors - had contributed to this anthology titled 'MMCXIX: Les Futurs des Belles Lettres' (transl.: 2119: The Futures of Belles Lettres). To stay true to its values and concept, the year 2119 was put in Roman letters.
Next to Pierre Bordage, we have Norman Spinrad, a British author who's also quite popular in France. Valérie Mangin, mainly a BD-author (Bande Dessinée or comics), and Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac complete the fold in their own respective ways. The only authors I'm (somewhat) familiar with are Pierre Bordage and Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac.
Vincent Bontems, philosopher of science and technique, added a foreword to introduce the company and the idea behind this anthology. At the 2019 edition of Les Utopiales, France's (and Europe's?) largest SF-festival, there was a round table about the book. You can listen to it on actusf.com.
One must not be familiar with this publisher, any of the authors or even classicism, but it might help to improve the reading pleasure somehow (at least concerning either the authors and/or the classicism aspect). Aside from that, this is a very entertaining little anthology, therefore recommended. And it might arouse your curiosity for more classicism-meets-science-fiction stories.
----------
Contents:
e-Lucien - Histoires véritables des Belles Lettres (préface)
An introduction on the publisher Les Belles Lettres and how these four authors were chosen, how their stories link up with the classic, editorial line of the house.
Norman Spinrad - Belles Lettres Ad Astra (5/5)
A beautiful story set in space, mixing classicism and futurism. About taking stories further, or rather, farther, into space, into the future.
Valérie Mangin - La nuit des livres (5/5)
A beautiful and thought-provoking story about a ravaged and divided Paris. On the left bank, the poorer people, dependent on bread from the government and trying to buy some overripe fruit and vegetables at the market. On the right bank, those better off, the posh people, those integrating English into their French. On the left bank, one determined librarian, even if people don't read any more. He is determined to keep the written word, the knowledge alive, tries to pass it on to his adoptive daughter, who can't read, unfortunately. Just like her fellow inhabitants. This is also indicated by misspelling titles and street names, like "La Guerre des Trois" (instead of "La Guerre de Troie") or "Boulevard Rascail" (instead of "Raspail" - Wikipedia). And "rascail" sounds like "racaille", meaning "outcast", "rabble", ...
The story is, linked to Al the librarian protecting and preserving his precious library, therefore interspersed with Latin expressions:
* Absit omen!
* Sic transit gloria mundi!
* Ô tempora, ô mores!
* Deo juvat
* cui bono
* De profundis clamavi...
* Absit reverentia vero.
* O ubi campi!
* Abyssus abyssum invocat.
* ...
Books are considered collecting objects, for their looks, because it's posh and fancy to have books in your house to decorate the interior. Until one posh girl sees an opportunity and decides to "save" the library and in particular the books by transferring them from Rive Gauche (left bank) to Rive Droite (right bank), where she will open her own library with those ancient works to sell them as decorative objects. Even if posh people don't read, one thing will lead to another, fortunately. Page will soon find out what life is like on the right bank as opposed to the poor circumstances on the left bank. However, it will also be on the right bank that she will learn to read, thanks to... electricians, who must be able to read and because it's part of their training. She will unlock a hidden talent and so spread it out to other children, making it a life's quest to seek new books and preserve the written word.
Raphael Granier de Cassagnac - Premières lettres (4/5)
This story is (also) set in the world of his "Eternity" trilogy, but can be read independently. As good as it's written, I do think one would have a better appreciation if one had read the "Eternity" trilogy. It's clear, however, that philosophy does play a key role here as well.
Pierre Bordage - De l'avant (3/5)
Pierre Bordage usually writes short stories with a spiritual/philosophical layer. For this mission, he took some historical characters like Ulysses (Odysseus in Latin), the Greek goddess Athena, and others whose names I can't link to historical, except maybe Clov (Clovis I, because there's also mention of Thilde akaClothilde, the queen), or mythical characters, because Mr Bordage twisted their names a little. The setting is, based on the mention of atomic explosions ("la Grande Déflagration"), World War II. Or just after the war. However, with other alliances compared to the alliances of our own WW2.
It's a dystopian story, a bit similar to "Les Derniers Hommes", but with historical characters. Earth has been ravaged because of the bombs. So, our characters live as brutal savages, back to the basics of mankind. They come upon a bird, an owl, which is the animal spirit of Athena. As they are not familiar with such animals, it's considered a threat, must thus be eradicated. They fail, but the owl will, with its "owner" Vieux (Old Man), guide the group to a treasure. And so, after a long voyage with some perils and a bit of Earth's history, they find the "treasure", thanks to Athena's guidance. The treasure? It concerns mankind's history throughout the ages. Vital information to rebuild society.
All in all, a good story, but by the book and in hindsight, quite predictable. Mr Bordage has written better ones. Especially with the renaming of the historical characters - again, several of which I can't link - and the absence of any clarity in that respect, he could have named them any way he liked. Oh, and why oh why did he have to add a sex scene, however briefly? Totally unnecessary, totally not adding anything pertinent to the story. As was also the case in "Inkarmations", which I have read earlier this year.
This story was also reprinted in Bordage's latest short story collection: "Nouvelles Vagues"
(2025).
Les auteurs - a short bio/bibliographical description of the four authors
----------
I have long doubted to purchase this little anthology, but after having listened to an interview, I took the plunge, also because it allowed to discover authors I hadn't read (much of) yet. Except for Pierre Bordage, of whom I still have a small TBR-pile. As it's a themed anthology, it's interesting to see how each of these authors, all very different from one another, went ahead with it. While not cheap - then again, it's not an anthology printed in a quantity like more regular anthologies -, it is an interesting document and theme that could easily be turned into a full-blown anthology or more, to which various other writers could contribute.
----------
----------
Previously read by Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac:
* La Machine de l'année, published in the anthology 'Utopiales 2016' (2016)
* La Faim justifie les moyens, published in the anthology 'Nos Futurs' (2020)
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
Next to Pierre Bordage, we have Norman Spinrad, a British author who's also quite popular in France. Valérie Mangin, mainly a BD-author (Bande Dessinée or comics), and Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac complete the fold in their own respective ways. The only authors I'm (somewhat) familiar with are Pierre Bordage and Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac.
Vincent Bontems, philosopher of science and technique, added a foreword to introduce the company and the idea behind this anthology. At the 2019 edition of Les Utopiales, France's (and Europe's?) largest SF-festival, there was a round table about the book. You can listen to it on actusf.com.
One must not be familiar with this publisher, any of the authors or even classicism, but it might help to improve the reading pleasure somehow (at least concerning either the authors and/or the classicism aspect). Aside from that, this is a very entertaining little anthology, therefore recommended. And it might arouse your curiosity for more classicism-meets-science-fiction stories.
----------
Contents:
e-Lucien - Histoires véritables des Belles Lettres (préface)
An introduction on the publisher Les Belles Lettres and how these four authors were chosen, how their stories link up with the classic, editorial line of the house.
Norman Spinrad - Belles Lettres Ad Astra (5/5)
A beautiful story set in space, mixing classicism and futurism. About taking stories further, or rather, farther, into space, into the future.
Valérie Mangin - La nuit des livres (5/5)
A beautiful and thought-provoking story about a ravaged and divided Paris. On the left bank, the poorer people, dependent on bread from the government and trying to buy some overripe fruit and vegetables at the market. On the right bank, those better off, the posh people, those integrating English into their French. On the left bank, one determined librarian, even if people don't read any more. He is determined to keep the written word, the knowledge alive, tries to pass it on to his adoptive daughter, who can't read, unfortunately. Just like her fellow inhabitants. This is also indicated by misspelling titles and street names, like "La Guerre des Trois" (instead of "La Guerre de Troie") or "Boulevard Rascail" (instead of "Raspail" - Wikipedia). And "rascail" sounds like "racaille", meaning "outcast", "rabble", ...
The story is, linked to Al the librarian protecting and preserving his precious library, therefore interspersed with Latin expressions:
* Absit omen!
* Sic transit gloria mundi!
* Ô tempora, ô mores!
* Deo juvat
* cui bono
* De profundis clamavi...
* Absit reverentia vero.
* O ubi campi!
* Abyssus abyssum invocat.
* ...
Books are considered collecting objects, for their looks, because it's posh and fancy to have books in your house to decorate the interior. Until one posh girl sees an opportunity and decides to "save" the library and in particular the books by transferring them from Rive Gauche (left bank) to Rive Droite (right bank), where she will open her own library with those ancient works to sell them as decorative objects. Even if posh people don't read, one thing will lead to another, fortunately. Page will soon find out what life is like on the right bank as opposed to the poor circumstances on the left bank. However, it will also be on the right bank that she will learn to read, thanks to... electricians, who must be able to read and because it's part of their training. She will unlock a hidden talent and so spread it out to other children, making it a life's quest to seek new books and preserve the written word.
Raphael Granier de Cassagnac - Premières lettres (4/5)
This story is (also) set in the world of his "Eternity" trilogy, but can be read independently. As good as it's written, I do think one would have a better appreciation if one had read the "Eternity" trilogy. It's clear, however, that philosophy does play a key role here as well.
Pierre Bordage - De l'avant (3/5)
Pierre Bordage usually writes short stories with a spiritual/philosophical layer. For this mission, he took some historical characters like Ulysses (Odysseus in Latin), the Greek goddess Athena, and others whose names I can't link to historical, except maybe Clov (Clovis I, because there's also mention of Thilde akaClothilde, the queen), or mythical characters, because Mr Bordage twisted their names a little. The setting is, based on the mention of atomic explosions ("la Grande Déflagration"), World War II. Or just after the war. However, with other alliances compared to the alliances of our own WW2.
It's a dystopian story, a bit similar to "Les Derniers Hommes", but with historical characters. Earth has been ravaged because of the bombs. So, our characters live as brutal savages, back to the basics of mankind. They come upon a bird, an owl, which is the animal spirit of Athena. As they are not familiar with such animals, it's considered a threat, must thus be eradicated. They fail, but the owl will, with its "owner" Vieux (Old Man), guide the group to a treasure. And so, after a long voyage with some perils and a bit of Earth's history, they find the "treasure", thanks to Athena's guidance. The treasure? It concerns mankind's history throughout the ages. Vital information to rebuild society.
All in all, a good story, but by the book and in hindsight, quite predictable. Mr Bordage has written better ones. Especially with the renaming of the historical characters - again, several of which I can't link - and the absence of any clarity in that respect, he could have named them any way he liked. Oh, and why oh why did he have to add a sex scene, however briefly? Totally unnecessary, totally not adding anything pertinent to the story. As was also the case in "Inkarmations", which I have read earlier this year.
This story was also reprinted in Bordage's latest short story collection: "Nouvelles Vagues"
(2025).
Les auteurs - a short bio/bibliographical description of the four authors
----------
I have long doubted to purchase this little anthology, but after having listened to an interview, I took the plunge, also because it allowed to discover authors I hadn't read (much of) yet. Except for Pierre Bordage, of whom I still have a small TBR-pile. As it's a themed anthology, it's interesting to see how each of these authors, all very different from one another, went ahead with it. While not cheap - then again, it's not an anthology printed in a quantity like more regular anthologies -, it is an interesting document and theme that could easily be turned into a full-blown anthology or more, to which various other writers could contribute.
----------
----------
Previously read by Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac:
* La Machine de l'année, published in the anthology 'Utopiales 2016' (2016)
* La Faim justifie les moyens, published in the anthology 'Nos Futurs' (2020)
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
Displaying 1 of 1 review