Personne

by Gwenaëlle Aubry

Personne est le portrait, en vingt-six angles et au centre absent, en vingt-six autres et au moi échappé, d'un mélancolique. Lettre après lettre, ce roman-abécédaire recompose la figure d'un disparu qui, de son vivant déjà, était étranger au monde et à lui-même. De «A» comme «Antonin Artaud» à «Z» comme «Zelig» en passant par «B» comme «Bond (James Bond)» ou «S» comme «SDF», défilent les doubles qu'il abritait, les rôles dans lesquels il se projetait. Personne, comme le nom de l'absence, personne comme l'identité d'un homme qui, pour n'avoir jamais fait bloc avec lui-même, a laissé place à tous les autres en lui, personne comme le masque, aussi, persona, que portent les vivants quand ils prêtent voix aux morts et la littérature quand elle prend le visage de la folie.

Genres: Fiction, France, French Literature

156 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2009

About the author

Gwenaëlle Aubry (born 1971) is a French novelist and philosopher.

She studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in the Rue d'Ulm and at Trinity College, Cambridge. She graduated with the Doctor of Philosophy. She lectured in ancient philosophy, at the Nancy 2 University, from 1999 to 2002, a research fellow at CNRS since 2002. She taught philosophy at the Paris-Sorbonne University.

She has published several books and articles on ancient philosophy and its contemporary reception, and translated Plotinus.

She is the author of five novels: The Devil spotter is the story, haunted by the figure of Persephone, of the passion of a teenager for a mature man; The Detached was the story told by 'a young woman, Margot, distant sister of Florence Rey, from the prison where she is incarcerated. She says her love for Peter, her experience of rebellion and radical rejection. The voice of this prisoner, which still resounds in isolation, is a story about prison, bereavement and deprivation.

Resident of the Villa Medici in 2005, she wrote a novel on the ugliness in our lives, through the inner monologue of an ugly woman on the aesthetic discourse of indifference of the beautiful and the ugly. Following this, she composed an anthology, The (dis) taste of ugliness.

She adapted for France Culture, a radio play of The Death of Virgil, by Hermann Broch.

In 2009, she won the Prix Femina for Personne, a story about her father who suffered from manic-depression. From the diary he kept which she found after his death, and also her own memories, she traces the fragmented portrait of a man who was a stranger to himself and the world.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Constantina ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am cumpărat "Nimeni" de Gwenaëlle Aubry acum trei ani (să fie?), când reducerile chiar erau reduceri și nu știam prea multe despre carte, doar îmi plăcea coperta și știam că era vorba despre un tată.

Un tată care a fost mereu altcineva, autoarea l-a văzut în viață prin ochii fiicei, iar citindu-i jurnalul a pătruns în nuanțele ființei lui și a scris această carte.

A purtat întotdeauna o mască ("persona", în latină semnifică acel cuvânt, titlul în franceză "personne" înțelegându-se ca "nimeni" și "persoană") și poate nimeni nu i-a cunoscut vreodată adevăratul sine. Profesor de Drept vestit, venind dintr-o familie bună în care succesul conta poate mai mult decât afecțiunea, a fost și un om cu probleme psihice, a fost odată un tânăr îndrăgostit, un tată mândru de copiii lui cineva care a fost mânat de datorie să ajute, un visător realist, un aventurier, o persoană care și-a scris gândurile într-un jurnal, alături de cifrele care i-au ordonat viața. Și, totuși, un nimeni.

Prezentându-și relația cu tatăl ei, cu gândurile lui și ceea ce a făcut după moartea acestuia, Aubry împletește în carte două confesiuni, pe a ei și pe a bărbatului care a crescut-o și legănat-o.

Îl vei înțelege pe tatăl autoarei în această carte? Poate că da, poate că nu. Dar vei descoperi o ființă care a fost "Oaia neagră și Napoleon al Marelui Nord, Călugăr iezuit și James Bond, Polițistul și Trădătorul, Nebunul și Înțeleptul, toți găzduiți cu forța într-un singur trup, care prin ei a suferit mii de morți și a trăit tot atâtea vieți, reuniți într-o singură prezență, de acum înainte dispărută în neant"? Dacă îți dorești, cu siguranță, pentru că și el a fost o persoană în continuă căutare și evoluție.

*Vai, autoarea scrie superb, am adorat cum cuvintele s-au îmbrățișat pentru a crea această carte.

[Flø · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique. La troixième fois, je vais le lire en français. De toute manière, très belle traduction roumaine (Svetlana Cârstean).

[luii · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aveam așteptări foarte mari de la cartea aceasta și sunt oarecum dezamăgită. Cartea vorbește despre tatăl autoarei, un suferind de nebunie și, prin urmare, este ceva foarte personal, delicat, care ori te prinde ori nu. Eu nu cred că am avut starea necesară pentru a aprecia această carte, cel puțin așa îmi place să cred. Nu pot să zic că mi-a plăcut. Am cedat când mai aveam vreo 70 de pagini și nu cred că po să o reiau.

[Anthony Lacroix]

Pas terminé. C’est trop déprimant et loin de moi comme univers. Je ne devrais plus lire des livres pour la simple raison que c’est l’ouvrage préféré de quelqu’un

[Laetitia]

je suis mitigée, y a des passages qui m’ont vraiment émue aux larmes, et d’autres dont je trouvais le style bcp trop enflé, parfois une sorte de romantisation de la maladie qui m’a mise mal à l’aise mais qui n’est pas constante

[Bookkaholic Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

(See our full review over at Bookkaholic.) Aubry explores questions of self-identity and self-knowing in a completely different way. No One is wholeheartedly realist, infused with philosophy and pushing at the limits of language, examining the notion of being without a "self" in a psychological reality, through someone whose bipolar disorder has rendered him so. Part memoir, part highly-stylized fiction, and part Barthesian wordplay.

[Korey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book proved to me that I am not the literature-guru I sometimes believe myself to be.

I didn't really "get it" and therefore only marked it as "ok/2-stars." The style was interesting and some of the confusion felt by the father was palpable, but for the most part I was getting lost in the long run on paragraphs with dozens of commas and new thoughts entering the already perplexing subjects.

[Pascale · Rating 1 out of 5]

What makes a good memoir? I've still got to find a theoretical answer to that, but when even the saddest family tragedy leaves me stone cold, I know there's something wrong. Poor little rich girl had a daddy, once a renowned law professor, who went loco and turned into a hobo. It's heart-breaking all right, she writes elegantly and eloquently about it, and I couldn't have cared less.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une très belle écriture, des longues phrases qui d'habitude me plaisent. Mais ce style, combiné avec les différents angles du portrait difficile à saisir de son père qui vit avec un trouble bi-polaire, m'ont fait perdre intérêt.

[Koby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel bounces between pretension and sincerity; this alternation makes it sometimes difficult to follow, but ultimately a rewarding read.

[Ioana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Îi dau 2 stele pentru că nu a fost ceea ce credeam eu, mă așteptam să fie mai bună, mai cu substanță

[Francesca Tuccillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi piace molto la scrittura anche se a volte l’ho trovata difficile e non so se sia dovuto alla traduzione fatta.
Comunque un libro che mi ha fatto spesso riflettere sulla debolezza umana

[Sophie Torris · Rating 2 out of 5]

L’auteure tente de comprendre son père maniaco-dépressif à partir des extraits de ses carnets dont elle hérite à sa mort. Belle plume et effets de style, mais j’ai trouvé la lecture fastidieuse.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte draguta. Mi-a placut cand am vazut ca exista o asemenea carte dedicata si tatalui. Am citit jumatate din ea si n-am mai putut continua, multumita cartii " Foamea ucigasa " care m-a bagat in reading slump. Dar, mi-a placut foarte mult cu toate ca mai nimeni n-a auzit de ea. Recomand s-o cititi.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aubry's father was never a regular father. He struggled with mental disorders her entire life. After he dies, she finds a manuscript in his home. This story is her tells her fathers story while, also, trying to make sense of his disorder, of all mental illness.

First, this is a 'fictional memoir'. I've never been a big fan of these types of books. I feel like I am being told a lie and it's being sold as the truth. I don't like them in general. Especially if I know some background of the person(s) it's about. Thankfully I know nothing of Aubry or her father.

The book goes back and forth between Aubry's memories and thoughts to parts of her fathers own memoirs. It gave some good insight into the life of someone struggling with mental illness and, also, into the life of their family members, also struggling to deal with it. The chapters are named by the letters of the alphabet, each one corresponds to a word that reminds her of her father. I liked how they were broken up in such a personal way.

Aubry's writing is very simple but beautiful. The simplicity of it really adds emotion to the narrators voice. In it you can feel her love, hate and confusion for her father. I enjoyed that aspect of it. The fathers voice is unique, too. You could see how intelligent he was during his lucid times and how confusing it was for him during his 'mad' times. It was very interesting.

The story can be dull at times. It didn't keep my attention the entire way. There were parts where I really struggled.

Also, the layout of the writing drove me crazy. The lack of punctuation and capitalization, in places, made it confusing and hard to get through. I'm not sure if it was supposed to add to the insight of mental illness or if it is the result of poor editing. Though, it may not be like this in the finished, published, book.

It was an interesting read and beautifully written. I think it's worth a read if it sounds like something that would interest you.

Find more reviews at www.theultimatebooknook.blogspot.com

[Geraldine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perplexe... ce livre aborde le theme de la folie, et essaie de nous evoquer ce que c'est de vivre avec des gens malades... Je ne sais pas trop, j'ai trouve le livre pompeux (oui on a compris que l'absence de virgules et les phrases a rallonge rappellent la spirale de la folie, et la confusion du fou et de son entourage...), fluide, mais sans vrai attrait. C'est presque un cas d'etude, et on en attendrait plus de tendresse (l'auteur evoque quand meme son pere).
L'insertion des carnets du fou est intelligente, mais n'apporte pas grand chose etant donne que l'auteure les a commentes ou les commente a posteriori. Les chapitres sont "alphabetises" comme quelque chose qu'on classe au fur et a mesure qu'on en finit avec un chapitre, et a vrai dire, je ne vois pas trop ce que l'alphabet vient faire dans tout ca... l'ordre retrouve peut-etre...
Surfait. Decevant.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a view of mental illness and how it affects family. It was a little difficult to read only because it was a translation. However, I really enjoy different views of people affected by mental illness. It touches alot of people. In this book, the point of view is from a daughter who deals with a father who is mentally ill and after his death, she finds transcripts that he has written, as he was also an author. Although it is also fictional, and relating to it as I am also affected by a father with mental illness, it tells of a truth. I enjoyed the story, and the sadness that it displays.

[Ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing example of poetic language that binds reality and fiction that succinctly captures bipolar disorder of the author's father and her relationship to him and his death. Tin House brings an apt example of l'autofiction with this fictional memoir.

[Alexandru Crăcea · Rating 4 out of 5]

O carte interesanta, atipica as putea spune.
Se numara printre putinele carti care pun in lumina ideea de mental ilness (neconturata totusi complet), ideea de contemplare asupra propriei existente, oarecum mizere, vazuta din perspectiva celor apropiati persoanei in cauza.
Cartea prezinta parcursul vietii unui tata, plin de intrebari, incertitudini si momente lipsite de prezenta de spirit, viata prezentata de catre fiica acestuia care traieste impreuna cu el toate aceste momente "grele", momente care induc ideea ca el ar fi un "nimeni", dar nu doar in sensul propriu al cuvantului.
O carte buna, interesanta pe care o recomand cu mare drag.

[Pat Garmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a First Reads giveaway. The book is a narrative about mental illness from the points of view of the patient (Father) and his daughter. It vividly portrayed the rollercoaster of emotions and, at times, absence of emotion experienced by both father and daughter. It was a compelling tale that was often difficult to read because of the compassion I felt towards a daughter so conflicted by pain,embarrassment, and an abiding love for her father.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

a tin house book so that is good. nominated for translation prize french into english 2013, didn't win.
novel about a young woman, daughter, going through her dead father's papers (she finds a novel he didn;t publish, so really, this is two novels in one) and effects . he was a brilliant thinker and loving man, except when he was a confused monster and babbling idiot when his bipolar kicked in. a meditation on bipolarism. and asks what if? what if?

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novelized memoir by the daghter of a man with unspecified mental illness. The text incorporates notes by the father. I wish author had pushed herself more toward a little more coherence and depth. As it is, we don't learn a lot more after the first quarter of the book. Could have done as well with an essay.

[Mojobzh · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est un très beau roman, un récit émouvant par une fille qui retrace les multiples visages, les multiples vies d'un père souffrant de la folie qui vient de mourir et qui n'a jamais trouvé qui il était réellement dans la vie.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting writing format and the switching from different voices at times had me a little lost but I caught up eventually. I preferred the advance reader copy title "Personne" which is what I read. I would recommend this book if you like obscure stories.

[Leeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy at times and too poetic for my taste, I did like the premise of Aubry's book and her decision to include her father's own words. There were a lot of awesome lines sprinkled throughout, well-written and poignant. But her style was too heavy for me and bogged down a lot of the chapters.

[Yvonne Stegall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, thank you first reads! (received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads)

[Reid]

NYT

[Mairead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Geoff Wyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book, another great recommendation from Shannon Cain (who's up on her autofiction).

[Agoaye Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique !
Le récit d'une fille sur la maladie mentale (PMD) de son père. Ses mots croisés aux siens.
Une écriture subtile et intelligente. Une déclaration à vif !