Теорія хмар

by Stéphane Audeguy, Стефан Одеґі, Ганна Залевська (Translator)

Роман «Теорія хмар» побачив світ 2005 року й одразу отримав чотири престижних відзнаки, серед яких Prix Maurice-Genevoix 2005 і Prix du Style 2005. Що знайде в ньому читач? По-перше — нестандартну оповідь. Автор Стефан Одеґі (до речі, викладач історії кіномистецтва) робить літературному твору щеплення кінематографом: усі сюжетні лінії, що вибудовують мереживо теорії хмар, розбито на фрагменти й змонтовано на кшталт фільму. Ми навіть не розуміємо, як потрапляємо в полон авторського стилю: драматичні сцени, зображені у трохи відстороненій і подекуди іронічній манері, вражають сильніше за тисячі знаків оклику. По-друге — безперечний гуманізм. Начебто випадкові й не завжди реальні історії про дивакуватого науковця, про хлопчика з Хіросіми, про паризьку бібліотекарку й, звичайно, про хмари дивним чином виводять нас на екзистенційні питання, актуальність яких для людства не зменшується з плином часу. Швидше — навпаки. Рід людський «уже не знищити… якщо тільки він сам цього не зробить».

Genres: Fiction, France, Contemporary, French Literature, Books About Books, Historical Fiction, Novels

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Stéphane Audeguy (born 1964 Tours) is an award-winning French novelist and essayist.
He studied literature at the University of Paris, where he also taught. He served as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville between 1986 and 1987. He returned to France and now lives in Paris where he teaches art history and film history at a local high school.

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively blend of fiction and non-fiction translated from the French. This book is a mini-history of the development of early meteorology. Basically it's a series of mini-biographies of the lives of early European cloud scientists. The vignettes are woven around a simple plot: an elderly, wealthy Japanese man is a collector of rare books about clouds. He hires a young woman to catalog his Paris library. That's pretty much the plot.



What makes the book fascinating are the bizarre lives that some of these scientists led: apparently cloud-gazing pushes folks over the edge, just as it does our elderly Japanese gentleman. If you generally don't read science books, don't let that stop you. The science in this book is very user-friendly -- no numbers and about the level of a freshman college term paper. (Edited 12/18/2016)

[Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

MacGuffin (n): The device, the gimmick, if you will, or the papers the spies are after... The only thing that really matters is that in the [story] the plans, documents or secrets must seem to be of vital importance to the characters. -- Alfred Hitchcock

Well, here it's clouds that are the MacGuffin. From these diaphanous, yet immensely heavy, objects (Audeguy tells us that a cloud weighs several thousand tons) Audeguy hangs his tale. Or rather his tales, for as it turns out, aside from Luke Howard, the inventor of the names of clouds, the historical characters that people this novel are fictitious.

If Audeguy’s clouds are the MacGuffin, then what they do in the plot in being the thing that his characters run after is to underline his point about life and death. Or rather, his point about the importance of focusing on things of a human scale and not getting your head too far up the clouds. Clouds can be deadly, as he rather heavy handedly hammers home with his examples of the volcanic ash cloud of the Krakatoa explosion, the poison gas clouds of World War I, and the atomic mushroom cloud over Hiroshima.

Far better to stick your head into something somewhat closer to home, and somewhat more associated with life. Which in the case of at least one of the characters means having lots and lots of oral sex.

[Jelena Milošević · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ako ste hteli da saznate nešto više o pojavama na koje obraćate pažnju samo ukoliko pada kiša iz njih i ometa vas u svakodnevnim aktivnostima ili kad vas njihov oblik u vedrom danu podseti na neku životinju, čudovište ili predmet , obavezno pročitajte ovaj maestralni i uvrnuti roman. Ali to nije sve, iza oblaka i njihove klasifikacije krije se mnogo toga što možete da naučite o Parizu, Drugom Svetskom ratu i mnogim drugim zanimljivostima tog doba. Velika preporuka!

[rybkaponi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Відверто кажучи, до початку читання думав що це нонфікшон, хто ж там читає ті анотації.
Але ні, це таки роман. Роман про життя Вірджинії Латур. Чи ні. Роман про життя Акіри Кюмо, кутюр‘є, що вижив. Або знову ні. Роман про Річарда Аберкромбі, метеоролога, що вирушив у навколосвітню подорож з метою створення великого Атласу Хмар. Словом, все складно. Але все починається з Люка Говарда і його споглядань за хмарами.
Загалом не дуже цікаве і доволі нудне чтиво, але якщо вам таки цікаво почитати про створення і розвиток метеорології як такової то велкам. Але не очікуйте, що оповідь буде йти тільки про хмарки та й усе, звісно ні. На читача чекає і Хіросіма, і жіночі піхви, і описи сексуальних збочень. Дивна книжка, загалом, да

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My feelings about this book can best be described as mixed. I was alternately enthralled and a bit bored, entranced and exasperated. Basically it breaks down like this: Tales of the factual and fictional historical figures who turned their gaze to the clouds - fascinating; Tales of the modern folks who turn their gaze back on these historical figures - rather tedious. That's not a hard and fast rule, but it works out generally. Basically, if Audeguy is talking about clouds, it's a good book, and the rest of the time he's being rather boring about the sex lives of the characters. I'm not opposed to sex in literature, but it should perhaps serve some purpose in plot or characterization. There wasn't much characterization going on, perhaps in part due to Audeguy's aversion to quotation marks, which left all conversations described rather than overheard, which gets annoying after a while. Also, though I didn't do a really careful cross checking, some of the chronology seemed to be quite messed up. Maybe it was just deliberately obfuscated for effect or something, could be, but it failed to be artistically interesting if that were the case. The language was a bit of an issue as well, sometimes exceeding the bounds of good taste in its floweriness.

I would recommend this book with some reservation. I think the good bits are worth reading, but one must slog through the eye-rolling matter throughout. I picked it up because it discusses Luke Howard, who is the originator of the latin cloud names we use to this day: cirrus, cumulus, stratus and nimbus, and was a Quaker. So... this falls into my Quaker geekery bookshelf, if I were to create one, which I wont. I'd be interested in a more factual book on the clouds, and indeed have flipped through some at the library. Clouds are jolly interesting when you get right down to it, as is, I suppose, anything when you look at it with a truly open eye.

[Milan]

Akira Kumo je, kao dete, nekim čudom preživeo eksploziju atomske bombe u Hirošimi. Danas je ekcentrični (da je siromašan bio bi lud) čuveni modni kreator zaluđen za sve što ima veze sa oblacima. On unajmljuje bibliotekarku Viržini Latur kako bi katalogizovala njegovu čudnovatu zbirku. Dok to radi ona sluša Akirine priče o pionirima meteorologije, o naučniku koji je dao nazive oblacima, o slikaru koji ih je slikao... Sve priče su kombinacija činjenica i Akirine mašte.

Najneobičnija je priča o izvesnom naučniku Ričardu Aberkrombiju koji je krajem 19. veka krenuo na put oko sveta kako bi napravio najsveobuhvatniji atlas, katalog, oblaka. Plod ovog putovanja je misteriozni Protokol Aberkrombi, knjiga koju niko nikada nije video i koja je vremenom postala mit. Sada je Aberkombijeva stogodišnja ćerka, koja je sve vreme skrivala Protokol, na samrti, a Akira to vidi kao priliku da se konačno dočepa tajanstvenog kataloga i popuni svoju zbirku.

Viržini Latur, po njegovom nalogu, odlazi u London kako bi pokušala da dobije ovaj Protokol.

I tu će konačno saznati tajnu Aberkombijevog života i tajnu koju krije Protokol.

"Teorija oblaka" je spoj istorijskih činjenica i romantizovanih priča oko njih, priča o strasti, erotici, žudnji, usamljenosti, ali pre svega priča o životu, kako pojedinačnom, tako i životu kao fenomenu. A sve to spajaju oblaci na nebu.

Nije loša knjiga. Zanimljivo napisana, dobrim stilom, lako se čita, drži pažnju, ima moćan kraj...
Šta je problem sa knjigom? Epski je neoriginalna. Sve te teme, ideje, motive, pa i samu poentu smo čitali u malom milionu sličnih knjiga...

Tokom čitanja stalno prolaze misli o poznatom i već pročitanom. I sve to kvari utisak.

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knjiga me se nije dojmila.. standardno odličan prevod Jelene Stakić 😎

[Живко Славов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Великолепно начало на литературната кариера на Стефан Одьоги. Открих романа съвсем случайно и всичките месеци, през които го четох, му се наслаждавах бавно. Определено няма нужда да се бърза. Разказването е плавно и увлекателно, всяка сцена се свързва безпроблемно с всяка следваща, колкото и голямо да е темпоралното разстояние между тях. Романът разказва за катаклизмите, през които преминават няколко души, за да открият себе си. Историите им се преплитат и допълват през вековете, а развръзката е както очаквана, така и разтърсваща.

[Flavi Bi. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a strange book. so unequal as well. I could not stop it but so many times I had to really pull myself together to keep reading. Some amazing historical chapters, really fascinating. And at the same time, some stories kept coming that felt out of the blue and sexually explicit for reasons I can’t get my head around… I don’t know what else to write, a huge question mark in my head after finishing it, but I read it all 🤷‍♀️

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel starts out on the precious side, but either I became accustomed to the preciousness or the tone improved as the novel progressed. There is much here that’s delightful, and some good historical stories, but overall I preferred the present to the past. The meteorology is also captivating. A 3.5.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and airy, like a summer salad, or, fittingly enough, a sky full of cirrus wisps, The Theory of Clouds held my attention even while being mostly completely forgettable. The writing style is simple, clean, and the plot similarly straight-forward: two stories running parallel, one faux-historical, the other fictitious in a more modern setting. Only a day later, I must admit I couldn't tell you much about the novel -- not the kind of book that you sink into, or really absorb and are changed by -- and yet, I found it quite enjoyable, in a way that I rarely enjoy such simple books.
Admittedly, this hardly sounds like a glowing review. But read it; The Theory of Clouds is plenty enjoyable, and fun, as a light summer read should be.

[Lucid_kiwi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleased to find out that the first man to come up with the Latin cloud names was a pharmacist (being a pharmacist student and struggling to see the poetic side of it).

The book is light, serene, airy. It didn't feel like it was a story about something in particular, it was just a peacefully and steadily flowing story. Some parts are a bit unusual and some plain weird but I'm guessing that was intentional to point out the absurdity of life (or maybe I'm it's just me). It was a shame that during the few days it took me to read the book, the sky was covered in dull gray never ending stratus clouds.

Recommended (even if you don't like it, it's a short read, so not that much to lose).

[Niki Vervaeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genoten van dit boek waarin een Japanse Couturier, gefascineerd door wolken en wolkenclassificaties, op ontroerende wijze verliefd wordt. Prachtig ineengeweven levensverhalen, geschiedsschrijving, romantiek, wetenschap en zoveel meer.

Bijgevoegde recensie is eigenlijk wat ik wou schrijven
http://8weekly.nl/recensie/boeken/sta...

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpectedly sensual, meandering story involving a Japanese collector of meteorology books in Paris and his assistant. Lovely, sparse prose and a tone of yearning—but for what?—create the kind of book that pulls you through to the end.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I reviewed a book this highly... but it was poetic. Simple yet expansive in its imagery. Simply loved it.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this was intriguing for sure but it took me a while to get accustomed to the switches in subjects and characters. The writing is definitely quite bizarre but nonetheless pretty beautiful.

[Adelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Дали аз имах големи очаквания... обаче съм разочарована.
Историята на метеорологията през живота на един учен от зората на тази наука. Парадоксалното е, че той не публикува никога труда на своя живот, защото всъщност в него няма метеорология. Пътувал човекът, обиколил света, за да фотографира облаци, съставил Протокол от над 300 страници, обаче снимал други работи :) Паралелно с тази линия върви едно общуване между японски дизайнер, запленен от облаците, и една библиотекарка.
На мен ми се изгуби свързващото звено между двете, макар че библиотекарката започна да систематизира Протокола за публикуване и да разсъждава върху живота на метеоролога.
Одьоги има хубав, поетичен стил - това носи удоволствие при четенето на "Теория на облаците"

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the novel that worked best were the ones involving the most research: a possible history for the inventor of meteorology, the dedication of artists to perfect their method and an eye-witness account of the destruction following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. None of this, however, is acknowledged by the author - at least not in this translation - which makes it all the more incredible that these elements could be woven into a story about book collectors. Obviously someone likes to read, but like most bibliomania-themed stories, there could be other things the characters could be doing with their lives. Kinky sex seems to be the only alternative suggested by this author.

[Aleksandra Fatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uopšte mi nije jasno zašto ova divna knjiga ima ovako niske ocjene! Ovo je krajnje topla, uvrnuta, zabavna knjiga, kao i sve francusko! Osjećaj dok sam čitala ovu knjigu, bio je kao dok sam gledala Ameliju Pulen, prosto te usporenost i povezanost tjeraju da čitaš sa posebnom pažnjom i da je zatvoriš sa osmijehom! 5⭐ za šarmantnog Francuza ☁️🤍!

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samen met Rivieren (Martin Michael Driessen) mijn favoriet van de laatste jaren

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the gentle title! This is an astonishingly vivid novel which recounts so many shocking events that it transcends the banality of that dreamy title. I was amazed at its dramatic range and its particular foci...from England in John Constable's day,to 1945 Hiroshima & the East Indies, to contemporary Paris...& its cast of strange, obsessive characters sustains the tangled plot to a point of utter oblivion....clouds of a gathering & devastating storm. This is not for the over-sensitive reader either; it touches & more on some very intimate perversions & activities which surprised me with their unfashionable objectivity...The translation from the French suffers the same American-English tropes of so many novels...perhaps publishers need to have different versions for the trans-Atlantic readers who are irritated by 'train station', 'cookies' & 'sidewalks' etc.,when the action is happening in London, & the protagonists are Victorian gentlemen? I must be getting cantankerous in my old age!

[Cecilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le style est fluide, mais pas simpliste. L'histoire mêle fiction et non-fiction, très habilement (au point de nous pousser à vérifier certaines choses pour savoir dans quelle case les mettre, réel ou non ?). Les personnages sont à la fois simples et complexes dans leur psychologie, leurs histoires de vie qui se tracent au fil des pages.

Au prétexte d'une théorie et d'une recherche sur les nuages, on se voit emmené dans d'autres histoires et d'autres préoccupations. Notamment, et régulièrement, le corps et le plaisir du corps. Par moments, le récit n'a plus aucun rapport avec la météorologie et puis d'un coup on a un lien avec un nuage. C'est parfois déroutant.

J'ai choisi le livre uniquement sur son titre, sans regarder aucune info à son sujet, ni même sur l'auteur. La lecture que j'achève ne me fait pas regretter.

[fede ૮ ․ ․ ྀིა · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF around 20%

tried my best but im not vibing w this book at all! the sexual content comes out randomly after the first few chapters and its an abrupt change, after that the content of the books shifts towards a different direction, which i didnt like😭 i actually wanted to learn more about clouds and how they are seen and interpreted by different artists and scientists. but oh well!! i also felt like the characters werent analyzed in depth, there were a lot of stereotypes left and right, and it made it difficult for me to keep reading. in the end, i gave up.

trigger warnings: sexual content (often mentioned) and violence

(i havent written a review in mooonths so excuse my chaotic ramblings lol- since i have been spending a lot of time at the library and borrowing lots of books ill mostly likely post more reviews soon!!)

[Kateryna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Дивна книга, після прочитання якої лишилося двояке враження.
З одного боку, захопливі розповіді про вчених, які досліджували хмари та зображення історичних подій, від яких розбивається серце (Хіросіма, або виверження Кракатау), а з іншого - нудний сексуальний наратив, роль якого у творі досі лишається для мене незрозумілою.
Ніби взяли дві книги: фікшн і дешевий жіночий роман - і змішали у рандомному порядку сторінки.

[Noah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Die Kernhandlung um die Geschichte der Meteorologie ist interessant und ich habe einiges gelernt.

Leider ist die Rahmenhandlung zugleich mit Programm überfrachtet (von Hiroshima bis zu viel Sex) und lässt zugleich die Protagonisten allesamt ohne Tiefe und eigenen Character erscheinen. Der Stil ist grauenhaft - typisch für "Chick-Literature".

[Julia Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre est particulier, le rythme est lent. Cependant, il est incontestable que l'on apprend une quantité de choses monstres en le lisant. Stéphane Audeguy est sans doute une personne très cultivée et passionnée. Je reconnais que son écriture est certes particulière mais avant tout unique, il a un dont pour l'écriture. Cela va de soi.

[Canlit4ever · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars really. There is a lot to learn in here about the history of weather, and it is interesting. The story has several characters across time and cultures and geography. The author doesn’t quite pull off an ambitious attempt to pull these very disparate elements together, and like the characters themselves, falls short of success. The quest is intriguing though, and so is the book.

[Oana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to pull myself to read it, especially in the beginning, but I’m happy I didn’t give up.
I enjoyed the book and found interesting things about the most powerful volcanic eruption on Earth to date, etc.
It’s not really about clouds and meteorology, but about the lives of those interested by clouds.

[David Vinyals · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sé si és una descripció encertada, però penso que aquesta obra parla de tot i de no res, com els núvols. Té un costat coherent i copsable i un altre de desconcertant i imprevisible. Alguns fragments m'han deixat indiferent o fins i tot decebut. D'altres m'han captivat i despertat aquelles pessigolles que se senten quan gaudeixes de la lectura.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful... no real interest in developing the inner life of the characters, sentences designed to sound deep or mysterious but which just don't make sense (a problem with the translation?), and various sexual narratives that are clearly just male sexual fantasies. Cliched meandering. Hated it.