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Robert des noms propres

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Les tueurs ont des fragilités plus ou moins incompréhensibles. Et l'on n'imagine pas l'influence du hoquet d'un fœtus sur une fillette de dix-neuf ans enceinte, à fleur de peau ! A fortiori après huit heures d'insomnie. Ajoutez à cela une petite querelle sur le choix du prénom… et hop, voilà Lucette qui vide le chargeur d'un revolver sur la tempe de son mari endormi ! Rien de tel pour faire disparaître le hoquet ! Vite fait, bien fait… D'ailleurs, tout file sur les chapeaux de roue dans ce nouvel opus d'Amélie Nothomb. Robert des noms propres est l'histoire de cette enfant née en prison, dont la mère a flingué sèchement le père avant de baptiser sa fille Plectrude et de se suicider dans sa cellule. Il y a mieux comme géniteurs ! Surtout quand par la suite on est recueilli par un oncle et une tante qui vous élèvent comme une princesse, à tort et à travers, avec qui tous les coups sont permis, les plus excentriques, les plus capricieux. C'est là l'itinéraire d'une gamine hors norme, belle et farouche, rebelle et prodigieusement intelligente, cancre et douée à la fois, qui se voit danseuse et petit rat à l'Opéra, se nourrit des pages du dictionnaire Le Robert, sombre dans l'anorexie avant de connaître les révélations de sa naissance, de vivre avec "l'homme de sa vie" et de rencontrer… l'auteur ! Conduisant son récit avec légèreté et une distance ironique, Amélie Nothomb démontre bien encore (à raison d'un roman par an !) qu'elle possède le feu de l'écriture. Le feu de Dieu et des démons à en croire la touche finale de ce Robert des noms propres, au titre aussi subtil que Cosmétique de l'ennemi ou Hygiène de l'assassin--Céline Darner

189 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

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About the author

Amélie Nothomb

102 books5,912 followers
Amélie Nothomb, born Fabienne Claire Nothomb, was born in Etterbeek, Belgium on 9 July 1966, to Belgian diplomats. Although Nothomb claims to have been born in Japan, she actually began living in Japan at the age of two until she was five years old. Subsequently, she lived in China, New York, Bangladesh, Burma, the United Kingdom (Coventry) and Laos.
She is from a distinguished Belgian political family; she is notably the grand-niece of Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb, a Belgian foreign minister (1980-1981). Her first novel, Hygiène de l'assassin, was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year with a.o. Les Catilinaires (1995), Stupeur Et Tremblements (1999) and Métaphysique des tubes (2000).

She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française; the Prix René-Fallet; and twice the Prix Alain-Fournier.
While in Japan, she attended a local school and learned Japanese. When she was five the family moved to China. "Quitter le Japon fut pour moi un arrachement" ("Leaving Japan was a wrenching separation for me") she writes in Fear and Trembling. Nothomb moved often, and did not live in Europe until she was 17, when she moved to Brussels. There, she reportedly felt as much a stranger as everywhere else. She studied philology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. After some family tensions, she returned to Japan to work in a big Japanese company in Tokyo. Her experience of this time is told in Fear and Trembling. She has written a romanticized biography (Robert des noms propres) for the French female singer RoBERT in 2002 and during the period 2000-2002 she wrote the lyrics for nine tracks of the same artist. Many ideas inserted in her books come from the conversations she had with an Italian man, from late eighties and during the nineties. She used the French Minitel, while he used the Italian Videotel system, connected with the French one. They never met personally.

Source: Wikipedia

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5 stars
1,141 (20%)
4 stars
2,037 (36%)
3 stars
1,750 (31%)
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536 (9%)
1 star
130 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 545 reviews
Profile Image for leynes.
1,316 reviews3,684 followers
January 24, 2025
I am left without words. And not in a “I just read the best book in my entire life, this was mindblowing”-kind of way, no, there is just no way I will be able to put Amélie’s weird ass narrative into words. Logically, I shouldn’t have even liked this book. It’s way too bizarre and fucked up for my usual taste but somehow this really worked and I adore the shit out of this novel.

This is by no means an all-encompassing recommendation as I have the feeling that a lot of readers will not enjoy Amélie’s work, the average 3.5 stars-rating here on Goodreads should be indicator enough that a lot of people didn’t like this narrative as much as I did.

Personally, I really appreciate how original Amélie’s story seemed to me. It was truly a breath of fresh air. In a vaguely surreal story, an extraordinary little girl is born from strange circumstances - her mother murdered her father, gave birth in prison, and then hanged herself. Plectrude, as the girl is unfortunately named by her mother, is adopted by her aunt and lives a fairy-like existence until she enrolls into the Paris Opera Ballet School, a rigorous institution portrayed as a "scalpel to slice away the last flesh of childhood.”

The story is so surreal that its most violent moments almost become comedic. Lucette murders the father of her child and yells for the police to get her, with such an unshakable air of jejuneness, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. When the police officer arrives and slowly but surely realizes that Lucette killed her husband because she disagreed with his preferred choice of a first name for their baby, I lost it completely.

To be fair, I think I read this book at the perfect moment. Had I read it sometime different I probably would’ve quickly grown annoyed and irritated by these melodramatic characters, the romanticisation of Plectrude, the aloofness with which important topics such as eating disorders, suicide and domestic abuse were handled etc. but somehow all of this mixed together worked very well for me. Throughout the entire narrative, I always felt that Amélie was in charge of her own story, I didn’t think that she was perpetuating unhealthy ideas and ideals without being 100% aware of it and choosing to do so willingly.

Plectrude. The name says it all. She is idealised wherever she goes. She is lazy and idle, yet gets hailed as a genius and high flyer at school. She gives the most absurd answers and yet the teachers don’t dare to correct her. The other kids are somewhat afraid of her but do look up to her. At her ballet school she soon becomes the “star of her generation”. The teachers praise her for her thinness, the other dancers envy her. Clémence, who takes little Plectrude in after Lucette hanged herself, pampers her daughter and thinks she can do no wrong. It is absolutely ridiculous how proud Clémence is of her mad behaviorisms.
–Pourquoi ça se termine toujours mal? demanda un jour Rosalyne.
– Parce que c’est beaucoup plus beau comme ça, assura Plectrude.
Nonetheless, I always felt Amélie’s presence throughout these lines, felt that Amélie consciously decided to write these melodramatic and absurd characters; to portray our reality by means of ridiculing and exaggerating it. There are still plot devices that can easily infuriate the reader, e.g. the fact that Plectrude overcomes her severe depression by meeting the love of her life. The girl who was just about to jump from a bridge throws herself in the arms of her lover instead and finds solace there. That felt off, but I can somehow still forgive it. I actually feel quite mad myself writing this review because I cannot put my thoughts adequately into words.

There are so many little moments of brilliancy that made me scream YES (in my head and aloud as well). When Plectrude’s anorexia is finally diagnosed by a medic, the failure that were her parents and the ballet school as an institution that fostered an abusive environment for kids are critically called out. (“No one knew it.” — “No, no one wanted to know it.”) A lot of people closed their eyes in all the wrong moments, so that Plectrude would become a “star”. The idea of Plectrude, of what her name destined for her, seemed more important than the girl herself. And even though she was insufferable, I felt for her, especially after her mother turned on her and began one of the most savage bullying tirades that I ever had to read about. Seriously, if you are battling with body image and are easily triggered: do not read this book.

“My mother wants my death!” Plectrude realises this too little too late. And by the end of this tale, death is inevitable, but not at the hands of her own mother, but at the hands of the author herself. Amélie Nothomb appears on the page, befriends Plectrude and reminds her that murder is inevitable. Who dies at the end and why is for you to find out.

Robert des noms propres is one of the weirdest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I won’t forget it for a long long time and I cannot wait to read more by Amélie, one fucked up soul paying tribute to another.
Profile Image for Guillermo Jiménez.
486 reviews361 followers
February 28, 2009
Con cada libro más que leo de Nothomb me sucede que pierde algo. En «Cosmética del asesino» percibí ese epílogo de un párrafo final como lo más innecesario que he visto en mucho tiempo. En esta novela sucede algo similar. Las novelas se desploman al final. Caen en picado y echan a perder el poco o mucho/ buen o mal trabajo de la novela.

¿Por que leer a Nothomb? Siendo honesto: porque puedo leerla en una tarde, o en un viaje en autobús. La leo, porque a pesar de todo lo que no dice, dice mucho con tan poco. Esos retratos de las relaciones madre-hija, padre-hijo y sus variantes son brutalmente acertados. La mirada que muestra de algunas de las manías y obsesiones contemporáneas tiene una acidez y una comprensión dignas de reconocerse.

En este libro (y me pregunto qué hace Sergi Pamies traduciendo a Nothomb al español, y además, con algunas áreas de oportunidad en su traducción) pareciera jugar con la idea del cuento de hadas, pero, esto solo en apariencia y al inicio, en muy pocas páginas se desentiende formal y estructuralmente de este 'género'.
Profile Image for Paula Mota.
1,664 reviews563 followers
June 27, 2025
- Por que matou o seu marido?
- Para proteger o bebé – afirmou ela, desta vez com uma seriedade trágica.
- Ah. O seu marido ameaçara-o?
- Sim.
- Devia tê-lo dito logo de início.
- Sim.
- E de que o ameaça?
- Queria chamar-lhe Tanguy se fosse um rapaz e Joëlle se fosse uma menina.


Decidi dar uma segunda oportunidade a Amélie Nothomb, a quem atribuí 2* há muitos anos com o seu “Cosmética do Inimigo”, mas é uma autora que continua a não funcionar comigo. “Dicionário de Nomes Próprios” é um conto de fadas dos tempos modernos, com temas contemporâneos como as expectativas parentais, a imagem corporal feminina e a anorexia, mas abordados de forma francamente estúpida e protagonizado por personagens doentes da cabeça a precisarem de urgente auxílio psiquiátrico.

No momento de sair de casa, perguntou-se como iria proceder: lançar-se-ia para debaixo de um comboio, de um automóvel, ou mergulharia no Sena? Nem sequer pensara neste problema: “Logo se verá”, concluiu. “Se nos preocuparmos com este género de pormenores, nunca faremos nada.”
Profile Image for iva°.
738 reviews110 followers
October 3, 2019
postoji nekoliko elemenata koje a. nothomb redovito provlači kroz svoje priče - mršavost/izgladnjivanje, savršenstvo djetinje dobi (10. godina života je apsolutni vrhunac) i čudnovati međuljudski odnosi - dovoljno realni da bi bili mogući, a istovremeno sasvim nevjerojatni u stvarnom svijetu.

volim autore koji mi ne priređuju velika iznenađenja i koji godinama ostaju vjerni svom stilu, a stil a. nothomb je jedan od najupečatljivijih koje sam srela. i namjerno kažem "najupečatljiviji", a ne "najljepši" ili "najumješniji". kroz neočekivane obrate, bizarne situacije i tihu duhovitost, njoj opraštam i sitne nespretnosti i poneku kvrgu u tekstu.
Profile Image for Bücherwunder.
151 reviews383 followers
May 25, 2017
Amélie Nothomb ist einfach eine Heldin der skurrilen Geschichten und besondereren Persönlichkeiten, all das spürt man hier beim Lesen wieder deutlich. Es ist eine Geschichte, wie ich sie schätze: kurzweilig (aber nicht gedankenlos), unterhaltsam (aber nicht niveaulos) und spannend. Auf wenigen Seiten erzählt sie hier beinah von einem ganzen Leben. Einem Leben, von dem ich nicht weiß, ob ich glauben kann, dass es so tatsächlich passiert sein soll. Aber das spielt auch gar keine Rolle, denn ich war gefesselt und wurde wunderbar unterhalten.
Profile Image for nis.
76 reviews103 followers
February 6, 2022
Amélie Nothomb no escribe: dispara.
Y esta es toda mi reseña.
Profile Image for Rizal.
153 reviews25 followers
August 9, 2015
This is an unusual book for me.

First of all, the arc/rhythm of this book. This book starts with strong and bold introduction. A story about a happy couple, in love and in trance with each other embraces and affections. Both consummate and the girl pregnant, too soon by age but ripe enough with the idea. The girl, Lucette carrying a baby of 8 months, rubs her belly and wish that soon she will have a baby that interest in the idea of becoming a dancer. The father, Fabien who are far from reach when she needed wants a different fate for his child. She killed him as she loathed on how he want to name his child, Tanguy. The child born in a jail and named her, Plectrude. The mother committed suicide soon after.

There are not so much dynamics in the middle arc. Plectrude fate lies with Lucette's sister, Clemence. She immediately raised and shaped Plectrude as her own among 2 of her own children. Clemence became obsessed with Plectrude. She shaped her up to be a dancer just like her late sister wished for. Plectrude was a different 'mould' from any other typical children. She has a very unique set of eyes, as what they call as 'eyes of a dancer'. At age 13, she was in love with a new transferred boy named, Mathieu Saladin. Awed by his scar across his face but distasted by his behaviour. Heartbroken and ashamed, she left her school and joined a dance school, Petit Rats. She pushed her limits as she weight as a feather and just like a feather without a wind blow, she fell. Enraged, not by herself but by her new mother. Revoked the title as her mom, as a golden child, Clemence spilled out the dark truth about her true mother, Plectrude crushed.

In the end. At age 19, just like her mother, she's pregnant. She decides that she will do no harm to the father of her child and just like her mother she had the urge to kill herself right after the baby born. She's dangling her feet at the bridge, contemplating between the sorrow of her child fate will have with her and the promising of her child life in others care. Far from sight, a voice she once knew called her. Saved by a man named Mathieu. Her long lost crush. For 7 years of waiting and searching for her to come back, he found her and this time he sealed his lips with her. Never letting go.

At the finish 'line', she met Amelie Nothomb (the author) and she killed her as Amelie questioning and comparing the fate of her mother and hers. Both of the character, Plectrude and Mathieu endings unwritten.

Thoughts. I am enjoying this book at the beginning and the ending. Very unusual and a bit strange. Interesting read, nonetheless. That's all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rêbwar Kurd.
1,025 reviews88 followers
July 8, 2025
شخصیت «روبر» در این رمان کوتاه، همچون آینه‌ای تمام‌نما، تصویری عمیق و پیچیده از یک قاتل و در عین حال روایتگری است که از درون تاریک‌ترین زوایای روان انسان پرده برمی‌دارد. املی نوتومب، با قلمی تیز و بی‌رحم، روایتی تک‌صدایی ارائه می‌دهد که فراتر از یک داستان جنایی ساده، به کاوش در هویت، تقابل بین واقعیت و دروغ، و مرزهای اخلاقی می‌پردازد.

زبان متن ساده و روان است اما در سادگی‌اش پیچیدگی‌های فلسفی و روانکاوانه پنهان است؛ جایی که هر جمله به مثابه کلیدی می‌ماند برای گشودن قفل‌های ذهن راوی و به چالش کشیدن خواننده. روبر، شخصیت اصلی، نه قهرمان است و نه صرفاً ضدقهرمان؛ بلکه انسانی درگیر تضادهایی است که هویت و نفس او را شکل داده‌اند.

کتاب «فرهنگ اسامی خاص روبر» علاوه بر روایت جذاب و مهیج خود، خواننده را به تأمل در مفهوم «نام» و هویت می‌کشاند�� مفهومی که همواره در سایه سایهٔ گذشته و انتخاب‌های فردی و اجتماعی شکل می‌گیرد. نوتومب به زیباترین شکل ممکن نشان می‌دهد چگونه اسامی، هویت و سرنوشت به هم گره می‌خورند و چطور داستان هر انسان، در پس نامش جریان دارد.

این اثر نه تنها در دنیای ادبیات بلکه در فضای روانشناسی و فلسفه نیز جایی ویژه دارد و مخاطب را با پرسش‌هایی بنیادی در مورد ماهیت انسان، حقیقت و عدالت تنها نمی‌گذارد. نوتومب با ظرافت و جسارت، خواننده را به سفری در میان لایه‌های تاریک و پیچیده‌ی ذهن دعوت می‌کند که تا پایان با او همراه می‌ماند و پس از آن نیز در ذهنش باقی می‌ماند.
Profile Image for Diana Hincu.
74 reviews24 followers
October 15, 2019
Cartea 6. Belgia.
Foarte interesanta cartulie. Dar si usor bizara.
Aparent, naratiunea trece cu repezeala unei comete si personajele scapa cu descrieri laconice. Durerile is trecute prea repejor, cam ca apelul in registrele scolare. Iar finalul ricoseaza, culmea, din cauza insasi a autoarei.
Daca insa iti intorci caleidoscopul si vezi istoria ca si o scriere a "genului gotic", apare o cu totul alta culoare. Tonul horror pare deja destul de justificat si contrastul cu personajul romantic, frumos. Si aici deja observi si iubiri obsesive de mama, si parintii care isi insarcineaza copiii prin procura sa le duca dorintele proprii, si destinul tragic al unei neadaptari sociale. Or cartea devine grea, si lectura, moralizatoare astfel. Am citit cartea cu sprinceana ridicata mai toata lectura.

Depinde daca i-ai dat voie lui Amelie Nothomb in timp scurt, cit tine lectura, sa iti devina confidenta. E o chestie de gust.
Profile Image for Noemi Lopez Schroder.
54 reviews72 followers
September 1, 2019
Me ha volado la cabeza, me ha sobrecogido, me ha dejado sin aliento. Las novelas que he leído de Amelie Nothomb siempre me sorprenden, me desgarran, me hacen reflexionar sobre la complejidad del ser humano, de la vida, de nuestro ser y nuestras profundidades, muchas veces turbias y grotescas.
Ésta historia de la pequeña Plectrude me ha conmocionado, y retrata a la perfección muchas de las turbulencias que he padecido en mis propias carnes.
Los hechos y acontecimientos, en muchas ocasiones son muy diferentes, pero la manera de percibir y sentir la vida... Ha sido un espejo de mi infancia y mi adolescencia.
Es de esos libros que te dejan roto, y que te marcan de tal manera que jamás olvidaré lo que he leído.
Profile Image for Gedankenlabor.
849 reviews123 followers
April 18, 2020
„Im Namen des Lexikons“ von Amelie Nothomb - >>Name ist Schicksal. Davon ist Lucette überzeugt, als sie ein Kind erwartet. Diesem Kind soll ein aufregendes Leben vergönnt sein, deshalb entscheidet Lucette sich für die totale Extravaganz, für einen Namen, den sie in einem Lexikon des 19. Jahrhunderts gefunden hat: Sie nennt ihr Kind Plectrude.<<
...mit diesem Namen geht so vieles einher! Als Leser wird man hier in eine Geschichte geführt, die so unglaublich vieles zwischen den Zeilen bereit hält, dass es mich schier überwältigt hat! Es kommen viele Details zusammen, die tiefere Bedeutung haben und das Gedankenkarussell stark zum rotieren bringen. Amelie Nothomb hat hier ein Buch kreiert, was insbesondere am Ende ein klares unterschwelliges Statement setzt und mich überrascht und im Moment des Lesens sehr schockiert hat! „Im Namen des Lexikons“ ist ein absolut lesenswertes Buch und meinerseits eine große Leseempfehlung!
Profile Image for Karina Tarasenko.
21 reviews6 followers
January 7, 2025
Amélie Nothomb nous régale, comme toujours, avec ses personnages étranges et originaux. L’histoire est intéressante, bien que parfois tirée par les cheveux, comme c’est souvent le cas dans ses romans. Cependant, les dernières pages sont problématiques : elles devraient être coupées du livre, car elles gâchent l’ensemble de l’œuvre.
Profile Image for Jane.
47 reviews
April 18, 2020
Ich hatte mir mehr erhofft. Es las sich gut. Ich tendiere trotzdem eher zu zwei Sternen als zu drei. Die Geschichte hat mich nicht vom Hocker gerissen. Eher belanglos. Es war mein erstes Nothomb-Buch. Ich hoffe die anderen sind aufregender....
Profile Image for H.A. Leuschel.
Author 5 books282 followers
April 15, 2021
Je viens de terminer ce livre épatant qui, dans un cadre surréaliste, décrit la descente dans l’enfer de l’anoréxie nerveuse d’une jeune danseuse. C’est une histoire qui montre bien les épreuves d’une adolescente surdouée et incomprise et poussée vers l’autodestruction par l’école de danse et sa mère adoptive.
Profile Image for Carolina Varela.
Author 3 books53 followers
September 4, 2015
Ayer le comentaba a una amiga que yo soy una fangirl de Nothomb. Sin embargo, eso no debería nublar mi vista de lo que realmente me pasó con este libro.
Por lo general un autor no necesariamente deslumbra con todas sus creaciones y muchas veces nos topamos con una historia de nuestro autor favorito que no nos convence del todo.
Este es el caso.




El personaje de Plectrude queda truncado, esperaba todavía más porque era realmente poderoso. Queda al final como una pobre niña destinada a sufrir cuando estuvo desde el principio planteada como una antiheroína. O al menos eso me pareció todo el tiempo.

Mathieu Saladin fue un personaje tibio, desarrollado incluso menos que Clementine, que Roselyne, que Denis. Su vida pasó en unas cuantas líneas y el amor por Plectrude no me convenció para nada.

Buena historia. Pésimo el cierre.
Profile Image for Simona.
974 reviews228 followers
May 10, 2020
Lo stile graffiante, sarcastico e, a tratti, cinico, dei romanzi della Nothomb, qui manca. La scrittrice racconta di una storia che sembra una fiaba in cui convergono alcune delle tematiche già presenti nelle sue opere. I problemi legati ai disturbi dell'alimentazione (vedi l'anoressia in "Biografia della fame"), il rapporto difficile con i genitori, ma anche i sogni che riversano sui figli, oltre alla difficoltà di integrarsi all'interno della società, della scuola, come in questo caso.
Plectrude, la protagonista, tenta di trovare il suo posto nel mondo, anche se non è semplice, considerando che non sempre riesce a farsi accettare e interagire. Il finale, dalle tinte noir e melodrammatiche, lascia molti dubbi e troppe domande a una storia che avrebbe potuto dare molto di più.
Profile Image for Rebecka.
1,233 reviews102 followers
June 7, 2016
I often find Nothomb a little bit too keen to shock. Her stories often contain such implausible elements -- presented as if they were mere nothings -- as to render the whole thing just... slightly ridiculous. In addition, her books are usually too short. Once you've managed to get somewhat into the story, it's over. And here that's a shame, because the ballet school part was really good. That could have been developed into a much more powerful novel, but then Nothomb has to go and ruin it with exaggerated weirdness. The book did make me curious about the singer the story is based on though.
Profile Image for Flor.
21 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2020
El final, wtf.
Profile Image for Kirian zito.
7 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2024
Amélie Nothomb, con Dizionario dei nomi propri, ci regala un romanzo intriso sul destino, sull'identità e sulle aspettative altrui. Centro di gravità permanente è Plectrude, una bambina il cui nome stesso si rivela profezia e fardello, carico di predestinazione, nome assegnato dalla madre biologica, Lucette che così facendo profetizza il percorso tormentato della nascitura, costantemente plasmata dalle aspettative degli altri.
“Plectrude sì: questo finale rude suona come uno scudo.
– La chiami Gertrude, allora. È più semplice da portare.
– No. L’inizio di Plectrude fa pensare a un pettorale: questo nome è un talismano.
– È un nome grottesco e la sua bambina diventerà lo zimbello di tutti.
– No, la renderà tanto forte che saprà difendersi.”


Il tema della mediocrità attraversa l'intero romanzo: Lucette uccide il marito non per un movente concreto, ma perché lo ritiene “mediocre”, una colpa imperdonabile ai suoi occhi.
“Parlava fra sé e sé: “Ho fatto bene a uccidere Fabien. Non era cattivo, era mediocre. La sua pistola era l’unica cosa di lui che non lo fosse”

Lo stesso rifiuto per l’ordinario si riflette nella zia-madre adottiva Clémence, che cresce Plectrude come una bambina prodigio, investendo su di lei sogni di irrealistica grandezza. Si dimostrerà cieca di fronte ai segnali di sofferenza della ragazza, ignorando ogni richiesta di aiuto e trasformando i suoi problemi in motivi di vanto, come se fossero il prezzo da pagare per il raggiungimento dell’eccellenza. Tuttavia, quando Plectrude non riesce a incarnare le sue aspirazioni, Clémence arriva a provare un sincero disprezzo misto a odio, scaturito dal fallimento delle sue proiezioni, sentimenti che si manifestano in modo sempre più evidente.
“Umiliata, desolata, rimase immobile a contemplare la sua opera.
Fu allora che sua madre disse, con voce secca:
– Mi disgusti.”


Plectrude adorata e trattata come una principessa, vive un'infanzia dorata, solo crescendo, uscendo dalla campana di vetro si infrange contro le dure verità della società e le pressioni della perfezione: il balletto rappresenta l’apice di questa ossessione. Il rigore dell’addestramento professionale, i disturbi alimentari e l’ambiente spietato della scuola di danza spingono Plectrude a confrontarsi con la fragilità del suo corpo e la precarietà della vita e degli affetti che l’hanno sempre circondata.

La morte, onnipresente fin dall'inizio, aleggia come un’ombra sul destino della protagonista. Lucette, madre biologica, con l’omicidio del marito e il successivo suicidio, sembra imprimere sul feto un marchio oscuro, predestinandola a un ciclo di autodistruzione. Dopo la scoperta delle sue vere origini, Plectrude si ritrova a interrogarsi sul peso di questo lascito funesto, intraprendendo un percorso di ricerca incessante che la conduce pericolosamente vicino al suicidio, come un inevitabile eco dal passato.

Il finale, al confine tra la finzione e la metanarrazione, è particolarmente sorprendente, (forse troppo, De gustibus) Nothomb sembra voler mettere il dito nella piaga, stuzzicare i turbamenti di Plectrude.
L’atto finale, il secondo omicidio incarna quella violenza forse sperata lungo il corso di tutta la narrazione, lasciando così al lettore gli interrogativi sulla predestinazione e sulla libertà di scegliere il proprio destino.

Anche in Dizionario dei nomi propri Nothomb usa la sua ironia, forse in maniera meno magistrale del solito ma comunque asciutta e precisa. La storia è una commistione di eventi tragicomici e inquietanti. La protagonista, vive, cresce e sperimenta, traduce per noi questa sua vita, si aliena, si contorce, soffre. Nothomb gioca con il tempo e la memoria, un mix di grazia e violenza, un balletto a cui si assiste volentieri ma che forse non si comprende del tutto, specialmente una volta calato il sipario.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Galina.
160 reviews139 followers
December 17, 2012
Пропуснах странния разказ за живота на Плектруда - момичето с очи на танцьорка, когато се появи на българския пазар преди повече от пет години. Напоследък съм се заела да наваксвам заглавия, които спечелиха популярност, но до които аз поради някаква причина все не стигах.
Хм, чете се за час и не знам дали това е добре или не, но е характерно за Амели Нотомб. Крайно нетрадиционните сюжетни линии, които заплита, винаги притежават лекота, която буквално ме кара да препускам по страниците. Без да изморява, без да досажда, без да прекалява и без да се врязва в съзнанието особено. Проблемът е, ако изобщо може да се възприема като проблем, фактът, че твърде често след нейните романи остава приятно усещане, но то не е подплатено със силни, устойчиви впечатления. Обикновено за нея си мисля като за онази ексцентрична авторка, която пише добре, но ми е трудно да свържа заглавията на книгите й с подробности от действието, описано вътре.
Специално "Речник на собствените имена" ми се струва, че ще се превърне в много приятен филм - цветен, пъстър и по европейски непривичен. Дали има вече такъв?

Харесах си следните цитати:

"... да си на десет години е най-хубавото нещо, което може да се случи на едно човешко същество..."

"Десетте години са най-слънчевият момент от детството. Юношеството все още не се забелязва на хоризонта. Това е просто едно зряло детство с дългогодишен опит, непомрачено от чувството на загуба, което се настанява с първите белези на пубертета. На десет години човек не е непременно щастлив, но непременно е жив, по-жив от всякога."
Profile Image for Tessa.
597 reviews51 followers
March 20, 2015
Unusual and charming is definitely this author's trademark.

Plectrude, is the daughter of Lucette, born from tragedy she is raised by her mother's sister and is permitted to live a most unusual life. Nothing is too good for her and there is nothing that pleases her that her adoptive parent won't offer her.

She is a quite, dreamlike child. She enters a dance school after she is unable to adapt to the normal children's school. Her dreams and magic are slowly being erased in the dance school where the only important thing seems to be the ability to be the most thinnest girl in school. If you want to be a ballerina you need to fly, in order to fly you need to be thin, to erase yourself for the normal existence, the existence of those who need food in order to survive.

From a psichological point of view this story can be considered a horror story masked as a fairytale. It was incredible and it definetelly deservs a second read. Too bad for that wierd ending. It made me give this book 3 stars instead of 5. :(
Profile Image for Rimantė :).
132 reviews35 followers
March 22, 2019
APŽVALGA

Amélie Nothomb "Tikrinių vardų žodynas".

Prieš keleta mėnesių Nothomb "Gyvsidabris" mane pakerėjo savo nuostabiai keista istorija. Kai Kauno senamiesčio bibliotekoje išvydau dar dvi tos pačios autorės, to paties leidimo ir keistajai Alma littera kolekcijai priklausančias knygas - negalėjau išeiti nepasiėmus. Šiandien pristatau Amélie Nothomb "Tikrinių vardų žodynas". Dar viena nuostabi, keista ir jaudinanti istorija. Prasideda ji itin dramatišku vaiko atėjimu į šį pasaulį. Nepaprasto vaiko, kuris nuo pat gimimo išsiskiria iš kitų ne tik labai savitu vardu, pasakišku grožiu, bet ir charakterio ypatybėmis. Visgi, nors šis vaikas auga tarsi būdamas pranašesnis už kitus, bet neišvengia itin skaudžių patirčių. Istorijos pabaiga genialiai parašyta, o paskutinis sakinys paverčia šią istorija besitęsiančia į amžinybę. Man labai patinka kaip Amélie Nothomb pasakoja istorijas kaip jose pateikiami itin rimti klausimai, temos, kaip skatina susimąstyti apie įvairiausius dalykus. Itin rekomenduoju susipažinti, jei dar neteko su šios rašytojos kūryba. 

5/5
Profile Image for Bea.
430 reviews25 followers
March 5, 2023
Ik lees Amélie Nothomb graag, een luchtige stijl, soms licht absurd, een beetje eerder donkere humor, maar altijd heel elegant.
Tot nu toe heb ik - toevallig - voornamelijk haar (semi-)autobiografisch werk gelezen, haar Japanse romans.
Robert des noms propres is dus het eerste fictieve werk. En dat viel zeker mee.

Wat er gebeurt wanneer ouders hun hun ambities, hun verloren gewaande dromen op hun kinderen projecteren, daarover gaat het in dit boek.
Pléctrude is van vóór haar geboorte al voorbestemd om 'speciaal' te zijn. Dat gevoel zet zich verder in de kleuterklas, de lagere school en tot in 'l'école des rats' (les petits rats zijn de jongste balletdansers van de L'Opéra de Paris)
Tot het plots (of eigenlijk toch niet zo plots) misgaat...

Klein, maar heel fijn boekje.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,232 reviews35 followers
June 11, 2017
Name ist Schicksal. Davon ist Lucette überzeugt, als sie ein Kind erwartet. Diesem Kind soll ein aufregendes Leben vergönnt sein, deshalb entscheidet Lucette sich für die totale Extravaganz, für einen Namen, den sie in einem Lexikon des 19 Jahrhunderts gefunden hat: sie nennt ihr Kind Plectrude.

Dieses Buch hat mich überrascht, zum Lachen gebracht, unterhalten, in Spannung versetzt, verzaubert, berührt, gefesselt, erstaunt und meinen Wortschatz erweitert und das auf 147 Seiten. 
Highlight. 
Profile Image for Chiara Santamaria.
Author 5 books1,263 followers
May 26, 2021
I Trigger Warning che servirebbero sui libri della Nothomb... mamma mia. Solo per questo: abuso, disturbi alimentari, suicidio.
Ad ogni modo, lei sempre brava, i libri sempre simili in modo rassicurante, quindi 'sai ciò che compri'.
La bambina Plectrude, rimasta orfana, viene cresciuta dalla zia che in qualche modo proietta su di lei ogni desiderio di perfezione mai raggiunta, santificando le sue scelte estreme. Quando Plectrude, ovviamente bellissima e magrissima, sia mai!, troverà la sua passione nel diventare ballerina - ambiente di per sé pro-ana a bomba - le cose si metteranno male.
Profile Image for Erla Diljá.
41 reviews2 followers
Read
December 17, 2023
Byrjaði að lesa hana í óveðri og hálku á Möðrudalsöræfunum.

Sagan kom mér margoft á óvart. Skrítin, óvenjuleg, mér bauð við en ég vildi ekki leggja hana frá mér því ég þráði að vita hvað myndi gerast næst.

Hlustaði á Mitchum Yacoub í fyrsta sinn meðan ég las (það verður ekki það síðasta). Borðaði líka mögulega tobleroneið sem átti að fara í jólaísinn en við skulum ekki ræða það frekar.
Profile Image for Rasaxx.
276 reviews5 followers
October 13, 2024
Keista knyga. Tikrai labai taikliai parinktas knygų serijos, kurioje ji išleista, pavadinimas - "Keista kolekcija".

Parašyta su humoru, bet vietomis šiurpoka. Tragiška Plektrūdos jau pati gimimo istorija. Keistos scenos mokykloje, šiurpi baleto mokyklos -žiurkyčių mokyklos kasdienybė.

Apie knygų galią:

"Be jokios abejonės, kiekvienas žmogus raštų visatoje turi tokį kūrinį, kuris jį pavers skaitytoju, ir galima spėti, kad juos suveda likimas. Tai ką Platonas sako apie antrąją žmogaus pusę, kitą žmogų, kuris kažkur blaškosi ir kurį reikia rasti, kitaip lieka netobulas iki gyvenimo pabaigos, dar labiau tinka pasakyti apie knygas."
Profile Image for Crvena Kraljica.
109 reviews4 followers
February 27, 2015
Ovo je prvi roman od ove autorice koji sam pročitala i naravno, nisam ostala ravnodušna.
Sama priča počinje ljubavlju između devetnaestogodišnjakinje, trudne Luccete i devetnaestogodišnjaka Fabiena, koji su u braku. Oboma se s vremenom brak čini kao nešto konfuzno i nimalo romantično. Ona očekivanja koje su oboje imali prije, dok su se igrali mame i tate ,rasplinula su se kao mjehuri od sapunice.
Jednog dana Lucette koja je bila u 8. mjesecu trudnoće, a kojoj je beba u trbuhu stalno štucala, uzme revolver i zbog živčanosti i nervoze ubije muža na spavanju. U zatvoru rađa djevojčicu Plecrude i nedugo zatim se objesi. Djevojčicu na usvajanje uzima Luccetina sestra koja već ima dvoje djece.
I tek tada započinje prava radnja u kojoj pratimo život ove male djevojčice ,koja već na početku odudara od konteksta obične djevojčice.Njena neobičnost nalazi se u opsjednutosti plesom, točnije baletom, te željom da jednoga dana postane slavna balerina. Kako god se činilo neobično, djevojčica jedva prolazi osnovnu školu i upisuje se u baletnu školu Opere u Parizu.
Ono što je mene fasciniralo u pisanju Ammelie Nothomb je upravo njena neobičnost, te način na koji od jedne sasvim obične priče stvara neobičnu i nesvakidašnju radnju.U knjizi nam vješto opisuje strogi režim diktiran učiteljima baleta.
Tu prije svega mislim na izgladnjivanje i stalne vježbe koje zahtjevaju jako veliku snagu volje. Nisam se samo jednom pitala dok sam čitala ovu knjigu, da li zaista tako nešto postoji. Četrnaestogodišnja djevojčica kojoj kilaža pada ispod 35 kg i koja ne može hodati od bolova kostiju, koje uzrokuje manjak kalcija u organizmu i njena " borba" da se poslije toga izvuče, jer postaje anoreksična.Ono što je mene pogodilo u ovom djelu je njena majka, odnosno teta, koja i po cijenu djetetovog zdravlja želi da se ono i dalje bavi baletom.
Slijepa ambicioznost majke, da od djeteta napravi "nešto" i da postane " netko." Opsjednutost slavom do tolike mjere, da i sama majka pada u depresiju kad shvaća da dijete nakon preloma noge više nikada neće moći plesati. Žalosno.
Čitajući knjigu nećete ostati imuni na događaje u romanu. Nothomb piše sa izrazitim stilom, protkan neobičnošću i surovošću , ali opet pitkošću i nekom toplinom koja izvire iz svake rečenice.Mene je oduševila.
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