Anna Gavalda (French writer) - books and quotes from books. Anna Gavalda - the best vaccine against dullness Anna Gavalda life for the better
Anna Gavalda was born on December 9, 1970 in Boulogne-Belancourt (France). After the divorce of her parents, from the age of fourteen she lived in a boarding house. She studied at the Sorbonne, worked as a cashier and waitress, and was engaged in journalism. In 1992, she won the national competition for the best love letter. In 1998 she won the "Blood in the Inkwell" award for the novel "Aristote" and won two more literary competitions.
In 1999, Anna Gavalda's book "I would like someone to wait for me somewhere..." was published, awarded the RTL Grand Prix in 2000. This collection of short stories was translated into almost 30 languages over the next four years and brought fame to its author. new star French literature. In 2002, Gavalda's first novel, I Loved Him, was released, and the following year she continues to work on Ensemble, c'est tout.
Books (6)
35 kilos of hope
"35 kilos of hope" - a poetic parable about the main thing: about choice life path about the power of love and devotion. About family. That dreams can and should come true. You just have to really want it. And try very hard.
Solving his "childish" problems, the thirteen-year-old hero is looking for a way out - and finds it, so much so that adults have something to learn from the boy.
A sip of freedom
"A Sip of Freedom" is a story about a great weekend.
About the meeting of a brother with his beloved sisters, about their cheerful escape from a family celebration, about a trip to the castle to visit his younger brother Vincent, about the adventures of the “magnificent four”, about Loire wines, about mutual understanding, about the joy of life, about creativity, about love.
I wish someone was waiting for me somewhere
12 novels that conquered the world: this book has already been translated into 36 languages.
In her first collection of short stories, Anna Gavalda, who rightfully earned herself the fame of "gentle Houellebecq" and a new star of French literature, vividly and penetratingly draws before the reader the most ordinary life, the external prosaicness of which hides innumerable treasures of hidden desires, fears, dreams and insults, and most importantly - love in its most diverse manifestations. You just need to be able to see them, and the amazing will be nearby. And the most unpretentious at first glance, the story with the light hand of the author can suddenly turn into a farce or become a real tragedy.
Full of soft irony, laconic everyday sketches and portraits of heroes that are not at all "heroic" fascinate the reader with the psychological depth and emotional intensity of the style.
Just together
An amazingly wise and kind book about love and loneliness, about life. About happiness.
The second novel by Anna Gavalda is an amazing story, full of laughter and tears, gracefully woven from painfully familiar everyday life, from failures and unexpected victories, from accidents, happy and not very happy.
This book won the hearts of millions of readers in a year, collected great amount literary awards, is being translated into 36 languages and is already being filmed (with Charlotte Gainsbourg in leading role).
Consolation game of petanque
Charles Balanda is a successful architect of forty-six. He lives in Paris with his beloved woman - the beautiful Laurence and her daughter Matilda. He works a lot, is rarely at home, he achieved everything with his own labor, calm, reasonable, brick by brick, he builds and equips his life. In general, everything is as it should be, and there are no surprises at this age. But one day he will receive a letter that will take him by surprise. A letter from the past that he forgot to think about, and how far it will take him off the beaten track...
A smart, beautiful novel about people, about life, about love.
I loved her. I loved him
The novel "I loved her / I loved him" is a piercingly sad and beautiful book about love, revealing the sharpest and most hidden facets of this beautiful and mysterious feeling.
Reader Comments
Inna/ 24.12.2015 Wonderful books! I read everything. Books touched to the depths of the soul with their semantic content. Thanks to the author! I would love to read new books as well.
Ivan/ 09/26/2015 too primitive, from the French ladies you can only read Madame de Stael, how everything has become smaller
Lika/ 08/22/2015 All books are great, she knows how to revive her characters, and not sugary when you read her books, you start to love the characters, which is a rarity for current authors is difficult to create interesting heroes, and when you read it, you hold your breath on every page. I advise you to start reading it with 35 kilos of hope and Simply together.
Anna Gavaldá was born on December 9, 1970 in the French city of Boulogne-Belancourt. It is curious that even her great-grandmother, a native of St. Petersburg, had a surname like "Fulda", but changed under the influence of the pronunciation of French officials. From childhood, Anna was a terrible inventor, which did not prevent her from doing well at school. Most of all, she loved to write essays, and the teacher read almost all of her work to the class as an example. Anna was fourteen years old when her parents divorced, and the girl had to live and study in a boarding school.
Anna Gavalda continued her education at the Sorbonne and in her student years worked a lot - as a waitress, cashier and journalist. She had to work so that every day she had breakfast and, preferably, dinner, and the girl did not at all think then that the experience and impressions she had gained would be useful to her later for writing books that became famous. She also took part in competitions. In 1992, Anna won first place in the French competition "Best Love Letter". This competition was held by a well-known national radio station, and Anna Gavalda, with her short, some ten lines, letter, could not even imagine that she would become the first among thousands of applicants. The letter was written on behalf of a young man, which surprised the jury very much - the girl understood and highlighted the psychology of the opposite sex so deeply.
Anna could not pass the final exams at the Sorbonne, and therefore, instead of working as a journalist, she took up another matter - teaching French first graders in one of the colleges. In the mid-nineties, Anna Gavalda got married, but she does not like to remember this - a few years later her husband left her, leaving two children as a memory of herself - son Louis (born in 1996) and daughter Felicite (born in 1999). On the other hand, perhaps it was the worries about the destroyed family that prompted Anna to take a serious literary creativity. AT free time she made up various stories and then started writing them down. That is how her first book, consisting of short stories, turned out. True, while not counting herself among the writers, Anna Gavalda became a very prominent French author, especially since in 1998 she won three literary competitions at once and received the very prestigious French literary award "Blood in the Inkwell" - for her short story "Aristote" .
Anna Gavalda's collection of short stories “I Wish Someone Was Waiting for Me Somewhere” was published in 1999 and the book was extremely warmly received by critics, and the very next year, 2000, it received the RTL Grand Prix. As for the general public, in the very first weeks of sales, France was captivated by the talent of the young writer. This success is also surprising because the genre of the short story has ceased to be fashionable, and Anna Gavalda has literally revived interest in modern short stories. Over the next four years, the book was translated into thirty languages, which quite adequately reflects the attitude towards the brightly flashed new star of French literature.
Anna Gavalda's first novel was published in 2002. The book titled "I Loved Him" was swept off the shelves, but this was only the beginning of real success. Two years later, Anna Gavalda published Just Together, and its popularity in France was overshadowed by the famous The Da Vinci Code, and according to readers, the novel was unparalleled among literary works. recent years. This book by Gavalda received many literary awards and raised interest in the writer's previous work. All three of her books were reprinted in unprecedented editions, well over a million copies, and the last sold in the amount of two million copies. The financial result was also pleasant - Anna Gavalda earned thirty-two million euros with her books.
Naturally, the work of the writer became interested in cinema. In the spring of 2007, director Claude Berry released the film Just Together on the big screen in France. This film starred such "whales" of cinema as Guillaume Cannet and Audrey Tautou. Film critics responded with great enthusiasm to the film, and the opinion of the audience can be assessed by the fact that in just one month of rental, "Just Together" was watched by more than two million people. The Sixth International Forum of Literature and Cinema, held in Monaco, also appreciated the director's work in this film - Claude Berry was awarded the prize for the best and most accurate adaptation of the novel into cinema.
Two years later, in 2009, based on the novel by Anna Gavalda “I loved her. I loved him,” directed by Isabelle Brightman created a film version starring Daniel Auteuil. The work of Anna Gavalda generally became in demand in the cinema of France. In 2010, the picture “35 kilos of hope” appeared on television screens based on the book of the writer, written in 2002 for teenagers. Anna Gavalda managed in this book not only to penetrate into the complex children's World, but also to find the points that actually determine further fate children.
Anna's following novels - "The consolation game of petanque" and "A sip of freedom" became no less famous in the world. The writer is also known in Russia - her novels have been translated into Russian. Several times Anna Gavalda visited our country and even says in an interview that in her old age she would like to work in the Hermitage. She claims that she does not like her popularity, because fame is very harmful to creativity - after all, it is very difficult to watch people being famous. Anna does not even put her photographs in books and rarely appears on television, and therefore she is not often recognized on the streets.
Anna Gavalda currently lives in Melun, is engaged in raising children and writes stories and articles for Elle magazine. The children are not yet going to follow in the footsteps of their mother - Louis is passionate about botany, and Felicite dreams of a career as Coco Chanel.
Because of the ironic, elegant and very realistic books, this Frenchwoman is called the “new Françoise Sagan”, and her books are a real pleasure for true connoisseurs of French charm and good literature.
On the subscription of the library No. 32 named after. M. Gorky framed book exhibition"The Star of French Literature", dedicated to the work of Anna Gavalda. The exhibition presents books from the stock of our library, - says Lyudmila Vasilievna Davydova, head of the M. Gorky library's subscription.
Anna Gavalda is a famous French writer who has conquered the whole world with her work. Her books have been translated into 36 languages and published in millions of copies.
Literary critics call her the "star of French literature" and predict the glory of Francoise Sagan.
However, Anna Gavalda does not like her popularity, because she believes that fame is very harmful to creativity - after all, it is very difficult to watch people being famous. Therefore, she does not put her photographs in books, rarely appears on television, she is rarely recognized on the street.
What can a young, elegant, charming French woman talk about? Of course, about love, friendship, family and kinship relationships, in general, about life in all its manifestations.
In her novels, she creates a world that seems simple and understandable to every person, regardless of where he was born and lives.
Books are read easily, as they say, in one breath. And the secret, perhaps, lies also in the fact that the writer's work gives great pleasure to the author himself. The writer spoke about this repeatedly in her interviews. A book written with love evokes a response from its readers as well.
Anna Gavalda was born on December 9, 1970 in the French city of Boulogne-Belancourt.Like all children, she went to school, after the divorce of her parents she lived and studied in a boarding house, her student years were spent at the Sorbonne.
Before becoming a professional writer, she worked as a waitress, cashier, journalist, and taught French.
She did not think about a writing career, but she loved to write since childhood. Her school compositions were always the best.
In 1992, Anna took part in the Best Love Letter competition, which was held in France by one of the famous radio stations. Unexpectedly for herself, she became the winner. The jury of the competition not only liked the text of the letter, but was also surprised by the fact that it was written by a young girl on behalf of a man.
In the mid-nineties, Anna Gavalda got married, but the marriage was unsuccessful. A few years later, the couple divorced, and since then Anna Gavalda has been raising her son Louis and daughter Felicite alone. This fact of the biography of the writer is important because it is from this moment that she begins to seriously engage in creativity. Experiencing the situation, she invented various stories, and then began to write them down. That is how her first book, “I Wish Someone Was Waiting for Me Somewhere,” consisting of short stories, came about. It was not easy to publish the first book. The author sent the manuscript of the book to several publishers. Almost everyone refused to publish it, referring to the fact that "they don't read stories and don't buy them." But in one they nevertheless took a chance and did not lose. The entire circulation of the book, published in 1999, was sold out. Thus, the readers proved that it is not so much the genre of the work that is important, but its content and the talent of the author. The book was also appreciated by critics, and readers remembered the new name. The very first novel by Anna Gavalda “I loved her. I loved him”, released in 2002, immediately became a bestseller. In the same year, the book "35 kilos of hope" was published, addressed to children.
But Anna Gavalda gained real fame as a novelist after the release of the novel “Just Together” in 2005. The success was amazing. 2 million copies of the book have been sold to readers. The novel was awarded several literary prizes.
Luck did not go to the head of the young author. Every time she starts a new book, Anna Gavalda feels like a debutante and is not sure that the next book will be as successful as the previous one. So far, however, her worries seem unfounded. All subsequent novels - "The consolation game of petanque" (2008), "A sip of freedom" (2010), "Billy" (2013), "Jan" (2014), "Matilda" (2015) became no less popular and famous in the world.
Her books seem simple and light, but catchy and are not forgotten for a long time. Perhaps this simplicity is achieved by the subtle and smallest details that Anna knows how to notice.
Each novel teaches the reader to discover the best facets of his soul, not be afraid to be honest with himself, never lose hope and love this world, no matter what.
The plots of novels, as a rule, are simple and uncomplicated and, according to the author, are pure fiction. “I have never met prototypes of my heroes in my life. Of course, I draw inspiration from some people, meetings, but then it all gets mixed up. When creating heroes, I often catch myself thinking that I would like to meet these people in my life, so that they would be my friends, but they do not exist,” says A. Gavalda. Thinking up the world in which her characters live, the writer never knows what the final will be. It's like in life when you don't know what's going to happen the next day. "You can say that I write books to find out the ending."
The works of A. Gavalda turned out to be interesting not only for readers, but also for cinematographers. Her three novels are “Just Together”, “I loved her. I loved him "and" 35 kilos of hope "very successfully filmed.
In addition to the literary merits of the Russian reader, the interest in the work of the writer is also fueled by the presence of her Russian roots. Gavalda's great-grandmother was born in St. Petersburg. Anna does not forget about this and in every possible way cultivates her interest in Russian culture. Arrives in Russia, meets with readers. Moreover, in one of her interviews, Anna Gavalda stated: “... I only read Russian writers. There is always a book on the bedside table at the head of the bed, and every night before going to bed I read for a long time. It's as natural to me as evening tea is to many. Now this is a thick volume of Chekhov's stories, and then it will be someone else. It's an ongoing process, I can't single out anyone in particular. Almost all Russian literature is close to me. On her last visit, she was also interested in contemporary Russian literature.It turns out that the interest of Anna Gavalda and Russian readers is mutual.
“I wish someone was waiting for me somewhere…”
The life of every person is woven from moments. Some pass without leaving a trace in the memory, others can dramatically change it. You never know how everything will turn out and why sometimes some trifle suddenly acquires the scale of a catastrophe. 12 stories will tell about such events. You will read about the tragedy of a mother who lost her child even before the birth, and about an unexpected meeting on the street of a man and a woman, a funny story about an expensive car, a wild boar and two young drunk guys. And everything is written simply, easily, unpretentiously, with humor.
“I loved her. I loved him"
Everyone wants to love and be loved. But how to keep this feeling for many years? Chloe's husband, Adrian, leaves for another. The young woman is at a loss, she does not know what to do and how to live on. History is as old as the world. But everyone lives it in their own way. Adrian's father, Pierre, takes Chloe and her two daughters to a country house. There he tells her the story of his love, which he kept a secret for 20 years.
A book about love, loyalty, difficult family relationships.
"Just together"
Young talented, but strange in the eyes of others, artist Camilla, who is also forced to work as a cleaner, meets her neighbor. The stuttering, clumsy Philibert is a descendant of an old family, a connoisseur of history, an eccentric with a rich inner world. After some time, due to certain circumstances, she moves to his apartment, where she finds not only shelter, but also warmth. Frank also lives there - a rude simple guy, a cook from God, relations with whom at first do not add up, but then a deep affection arises between Camilla and Frank.
Three very lonely people who are not too lucky either with family or with character, helping each other, gain harmony and interest in life. Through quarrels and reconciliations, disputes and agreement, holding together, they become stronger, kinder, more understandable to each other and others.
"35 kilos of hope"
The name of Anna Gavalda is still not very well known to the Russian reader, although the collection of her short stories “I would like someone to wait for me somewhere” published a little over a year ago attracted the attention of both readers and critics. In this case, despite the close Russian-French cultural ties, our fatherland is somewhat behind the European public, which already knows this brand well. Beneath it come the world's most read books, such as Just Together, a best-selling novel in France, translated into 36 languages and prompting the start of a feature film starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
- Anna, why does your book have a happy ending?
You know, this is the first happy ending in my life. I used to always leave the end open. So that the reader can't tell if the story ended well or badly. But in this book… You see, the characters in this book were unhappy for so long, they had to go through so much, they felt lonely, rejected for so long… In general, I just wanted to let them be happy. It's not like the real ending. Such is the "god from the machine." You know, like in the plays of classicism, when it seems that everything is terrible, and suddenly, miraculously, everything becomes good.
- That is, you yourself do not believe that the people you described can do well?
No, I don't believe that such people real life can just get married and be happy. But I didn't want the end to be the same as in life. This is a fairytale. A fairy tale should have a happy ending. Because life is not like that at all.
- The ending is fabulous, and the story itself is based on some real events? Have you experienced any similar situation in your life?
No no. It's all fictional. Initially, I wanted to write a book about a cook. And in general about the people who stand at the stove - in restaurants, in cafes. I have always admired chefs because they work very hard and hard. And besides, I wanted to write a love story that takes place between two very different people and starts with some conflict situation. It was interesting for me to describe how these two people constantly collide in some territory, how they interfere with each other, how they fight each other, trying to force each other to change positions. To be honest, when I started writing this novel, I still didn’t really know what it would be about. I just came up with characters and started writing, and then followed them. For me, for example, it was a complete surprise that Philibert was marrying Susie. I didn't plan anything like this in the first place.
- Did you also write off the Philibert family from life? Or did you meet such families?
Philibert's family just has a prototype. Even a few. I had to meet representatives of such aristocratic families who live according to some old customs and traditions. In these apartments. You know, there are still quite a few apartments in Paris that look like they are in the yard of the 19th century. And people who live as if there is no technical progress. And they absolutely do not care that they look out of date. They live in some kind of their little world, but they don’t care about the world around them.
- Tell us, please, how did you start writing? Have you wanted to do this since childhood?
Before I started writing, I never thought that I would become a writer. Actually, I said that I want to become a journalist. But in fact, apparently, she didn’t really want to, because she failed the exams. I ended up teaching French. In the first grade of college, eleven and twelve year olds. So for a while I was a teacher. And then she started writing. I have a few ideas for stories. I wrote down these stories, and from them my first book came out.
- It ends with a story about an aspiring writer and her communication with a publisher. Is this your own experience?
No, it's all fiction. That is, of course, the feeling of a young woman who sends her first manuscript to the publisher - how worried she is, how scared she is - all this is kind of familiar to me. But my story actually turned out differently. They immediately told me no, no one even wanted to meet with me. And then one publisher agreed to publish my stories. But we didn’t meet either – we just talked on the phone. So at first I thought it was a joke.
Are your books not autobiographical at all?
No. Not at all.
- It's so atypical for a woman writer. Women writers often enjoy writing books about themselves and their lives.
I don't think you are right. At the very least, you are unlikely to be right about great female writers. I don’t know how it is in Russia, but for French writers this statement is unfair. George Sand, Francoise Sagan - they never wrote about themselves. As for me, I'm just not interested in writing about myself. This topic does not intrigue me too much. About anything but yourself. In order to write about yourself, you need to be a genius.
- Is there really no one among your characters who looks like you?
No, I wouldn't say. As a child, I wanted to be a boy. And most of my characters are men. For example, the book that I am writing now is about male friendship. That is, there both main characters are men.
- But your characters are a bit similar to each other. For example, they are all weird.
Strange people both in life and in literature seem to me more interesting. I've always preferred marginals.
- And lonely.
Aren't all people lonely? Even if they have friends, they are still lonely at heart. Is not it so?
- And they almost all have problems with their mothers. Why?
That's a good question. My next book, the one about male friendship, will have a beautiful portrait of the mother. And in all my previous books, the mothers of the characters are really given some not very good roles. I even do not know why. I have the best mom. In the next book, the mother of one of the young people will become the heroine of the book, and she is very good man.
- I really liked the story where a woman meets a man on Saint-Germain Boulevard and he invites her on a date. How did this story come about?
I was walking down Saint-Germain Boulevard one day and I saw an attractive man. But there was no story. He just looked at me, nothing more. He didn't come up and ask me out on a date. But I thought, what would happen if he did? And then everything played out in my imagination. And it was just the time when everyone began to have mobile phones. They called all the time at the most inopportune moment, and it was terribly annoying.
- You are now very popular in France. How do you feel about your fame?
Oh, I hate her. You see, in my opinion, fame is very harmful to the writer. My life, my work, my pleasure is to be a witness and observe people. This is the main beauty of what I do. But when everyone recognizes you, it is no longer possible to observe and go unnoticed.
- Are you often recognized on the street?
So far, fortunately, not so much. I don't put my photo on the books on purpose. Besides, I don't appear on TV very often because I don't like it. In general, while they recognize me very, very rarely. And this is good.
Amateur Success
Although Anna Gavalda claims that she did not intend to become a writer, she wrote from the age of 17, participated in small-scale literary competitions and won from time to time. The name of Anna Gavalda sounded in 1999, when, after the refusal of several publishers, Le Dilettante published her collection of short stories. to the fact that presented the reader with such an unfashionable genre of the story today. Another three years passed before Gavalda reappeared on the literary scene - now with the novel I Loved Him. But this was all just a prelude to the real success that Anna Gavalda brought in 2004 with the book Just Together, which eclipsed even the Da Vinci Code in France. Now the 35-year-old writer lives in Paris, has two children and continues to write books.
The star of French literature, the new Francoise Sagan, the subtle psychologist and even the French Ludmila Ulitskaya - these and many other definitions are the best fit for the young French writer Anna Gavalda. She is now incredibly popular in Europe, her books have conquered millions of readers, are translated into dozens of languages, stage performances and films based on them.
It's like a good hot cup of coffee - you're not surprised by the taste, but you enjoy every sip. This is just one of many reviews of Anna Gavald's prose.
Who is she, this one? Let's get acquainted!
The writer was born on December 9, 1970 in Boulogne-Billancourt. By modern standards, she is from a large family: Anna also has a sister and two brothers. When Anna was 14 years old, her parents divorced and Anna lived with her aunt, who had 13 children of her own.
Anna Gavalda wrote her first story at the age of 17 on entrance exam to the Faculty of Natural Sciences, where in the end she did not pass through the competition. Although she claims that she did not intend to become a writer, she constantly participated in literary competitions and won from time to time. So, at 22, Anna won the national competition for the best love letter. True, I gave a ticket to Venice for two to the owner of the rented apartment on account of payment. In 1998, Anna Gavalda received the prestigious Blood in the Inkwell Award for her novella Aristotle. Aristote").
Anna Gavalda studied at the Sorbonne. Graduated from the faculty modern languages and literature. She worked as a cashier, waitress, was engaged in journalism, was a teacher of French. In 1999, the first collection of short stories was published. “I wish someone was waiting for me somewhere…”, awarded in 2000 "Grand Prix RTL ". These 12 short stories conquered the world and brought the author fame as a new star of French literature. Any reader will find something somewhere for themselves. Here there is something to cry, laugh, think about and feel sad. The young writer vividly and soulfully described the most ordinary life, the most unpretentious at first glance, the story with the light hand of the author turns into a farce or a genuine tragedy. This book was out of print for a long time until it was published by a publisher. Le Dilletante. As a result, the collection was translated into almost 30 languages over the next 4 years.
"I loved her / I loved him"
When after 3 years Anna Gavalda decided to publish new book, different publishers began a real fight for her, but she remained faithful to Le Dilletante.
The writer decided not to limit herself to a small literary form and in 2002 her first novel was published. "I loved her / I loved him". poignantly sad and beautiful story about love, about marital fidelity, about a difficult choice that turns out to be fateful, about those who leave and those who stay. In the center of the plot is the dialogue of the father-in-law with the daughter-in-law Chloe left by his son. He loves his granddaughters and tries to objectively understand the situation, tries to console the young woman at this terrible moment for her. And her husband's father, a man completely distant to her all these years, suddenly reveals his soul to her. He painfully recalls that he himself was once in the situation of his son. But, unlike him, he made a different choice, remaining in the family. And now they are talking in a cold house, which cannot be warmed in any way. Broken lives. And upstairs, little girls are sleeping - Chloe's daughters. And so it is necessary, by all means, to live on.
In 2009, Isabelle Brightman made a film based on the novel I Loved Her/I Loved Him, starring Daniel Auteuil.
"Just together"
The real success of Anna Gavalda brought in 2004 the novel "Just together" eclipsed then even Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. More than 2 million copies have been sold in France alone. An amazing story (fairy tale novel), full of laughter and tears, gracefully woven from familiar everyday life, from failures and unexpected victories, from accidents, happy and not so happy. Initially, a book was conceived about a cook, about people standing at the stove - in restaurants, cafes. The novel only about the cook did not work out - it turned out to be a story about losers, endowed with different talents, but who cannot get into the rhythm of this life and find themselves. There are many characters in the novel. All these are strange outcasts who search for themselves in vain until they find each other. Love, friendship, disappointment, and a newly acquired family - these are the ingenuous lines that, intertwined, create a pattern for the life of young Frenchmen.
The book has been translated into 36 languages. In 2007, the screens of France released the film of the same name with Audrey Tautou in the title role, and on VI At the International Forum of Literature and Cinema, held in Monaco, the director of the film, Claude Berry, received an award for the best film adaptation of the novel.
May 17, 2007 came to Moscow. At a meeting with Russian readers, the guest spoke about the work on a new book. Another reason for the writer's visit to Russia is the presentation of the book "35 kilos of hope". This is a poetic parable about the main thing: about choosing a life path, about the power of love and devotion. Anna Gavalda chose the clumsy and ridiculous, but kind and honest Gregoire as the hero of her new book. In his pedagogical characteristics it is written: “This boy has a head like a sieve, golden hands and a huge heart. If you try, it will come out of it. ”
"35 kilos of hope"
Gregoire has already invented a lot of things: a banana peeler, original shoes for walking in the mountains, for his beloved mother - a witty ironing device. He invents all the time, and the rest of this life does not interest him. You still have to study, and he finds the school himself. After rewriting the draft 11 times, the boy sends a letter to the principal of the school: “I would very much like to study at your school, but I know that this is impossible, because I have very poor academic performance. I saw in the advertisement of your school that you have locksmith and carpentry workshops ... I'm not very well-fed, I have 35 kilos of hope. Solving his "childish" problems, the 13-year-old hero is looking for a way out - and finds it, so much so that adults have something to learn from the boy.
Worked as a school teacher “I had a very difficult guy in my class who studied terribly. I even waved my hand at him. But one day he brought to school a miniature copy of the Titanic, which he made with his own hand. I offered to arrange an exhibition of his work at the school. The guy did not, of course, study better, but his classmates respected him […] I wrote this book in honor of children whose talents are completely invisible and not realized at school..
The son read this book after he became interested in what kind of book his classmates give him to sign for his mother. The daughter was asked to school curriculum. “I have already become a living classic in France” says the author of the book. The daughter wrote an essay on the book, receiving the maximum mark for it - 20 points. The teacher said: "Mom can be proud of you."
"Consolation game of petanque"
In November 2009, Anna Gavalda again visited Moscow for the presentation of her new novel "Consolation game of petanque"("La Consolante"). The hero of her new novel, Charles Balanda, is a successful architect. He is torn between work in Moscow and family in Paris. He works a lot, is rarely at home, he achieved everything by his own work, calm, reasonable, he builds and equips his life brick by brick. In general, everything is as it should be, and there are no surprises at this age. But one day he will receive a letter that will take him by surprise. A letter from the past that he forgot to think about. He accidentally learns about the death of his childhood friend's mother. With this woman named Anouk, who worked as a nurse in a hospital, he had been in love all his youth. A smart, beautiful novel about people, life, and love.
"A sip of freedom"(“Beautiful Fugitive”) is a short novella that she wrote in 2001. In 2009, in the wake of the growing popularity of the author, it was republished.
In Russia, the novella appeared only in August 2010. A Sip of Freedom tells us about two sisters and a brother who break free each of their lives in order to enjoy each other's company, briefly return to childish carelessness, spend a weekend in an atmosphere of complete absence of problems. By the way, each of them has enough of the latter, the life difficulties of the characters become a framework, a support on which the whole plot is built. With the skill inherent in her, Anna Gavalda conveys the essence of relationships, draws the character of each hero. "A sip of freedom"- lyrical, with subtle humor and a little sad, talking about ordinary people for which the writer creates a certain halo of romance, a book that is quite capable of giving readers a few hours of rest and a good, good mood.
Anna Gavalda in Russia
Anna Gavalda was brought to Russia not only by creative interests, the writer is connected with Russia by 2 more things - love for Russian literature (Chekhov) and "Russian roots". The great-grandfather of the writer lived in St. Petersburg and worked as a jeweler. After the revolution he emigrated to France.
Now Anna Gavalda lives in the city of Melun near Paris. Her house is reminiscent of the house of Kate - the heroine of the novel "Consolation game of petanque" - there, too, animals and children reign. “My life, my work, my pleasure is to be a witness and to observe people. That's the beauty of what I do.".
"Money must be spent while alive,- says Anna Gavalda in an interview with Russian journalists. - And then, the profession of a writer does not imply stability: if tomorrow I hit my head, I will be left without a job. Some money I have to leave for this case. And if by old age I am left completely without money, then I will get a job as a grandmother in the Hermitage, sit in the Matisse hall. And I will be absolutely happy.”.
Review of the writer's work prepared
librarian Nadezhda Pavlovna Abrahamyan
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