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One of the most seductive and accessible novels by the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature
At the outbreak of the Algerian war, a young man who calls himself Victor Chmara flees Paris for a small lakeside town on the border of France and Switzerland.
It's here that he meets the flamboyant doctor René Meinthe and the mysterious auburn-haired Yvonne. Victor quickly embraces their world of pageants, soirées and late-night debauchery, and settles into an endless summer with Yvonne.
But René and Yvonne's lives are also full of unanswered questions and half-truths. As he looks back years later, Victor remains beguiled by those lost, unknowable friends and the enchanted place he chose to leave behind.
One of Modiano's most elegiac and haunting novels, Villa Triste is an intoxicating investigation into time, place, identity, and memory.
About the author
Patrick Modiano, geboren 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt als Sohn einer flämischen Schauspielerin und eines jüdischen Emigranten orientalischer Abstammung. Sein Vater lebte während der deutschen Besatzungszeit im Untergrund und schlug sich mit Schwarzmarktgeschäften durch. Er erlebte eine chaotische Nachkriegskindheit: häufige Abwesenheit der Mutter, früher Tod des Bruders und Trennung der Eltern. Modiano widmete sich schon früh dem Schreiben und bereits mit 21 Jahren beendete er seinen ersten Roman. Seitdem publizierte er zahlreiche Romane, Kinderbücher sowie Theaterstücke und Drehbücher. Von Peter Handke für die deutschen Leser entdeckt, erschienen viele seiner Romane auch in deutscher Übersetzung. 2011 wurde er mit dem Österreichischen Staatspreis für Europäische Literatur ausgezeichnet. 2014 erhielt er den Nobelpreis für Literatur. Patrick Modiano lebt in Paris.
Summary
At the outbreak of the Algerian war, a young man who calls himself Victor Chmara flees Paris for a small lakeside town on the border of France and Switzerland.
It's here that he meets the flamboyant doctor René Meinthe and the beautiful and mysterious auburn-haired Yvonne. Victor quickly embraces their world of local pageants, soirees and late-night debauchery, and begins to settle into an endless summer with Yvonne. Together they enjoy long lazy days on the beach, Campari and soda before dinner, and the cable car home over the dark lake.
But René and Yvonne's lives are also full of unanswered questions and half-truths. As he looks back years later, Victor remains beguiled and mystified by those lost, unknowable friends, and the half-forgotten, enchanted place he chose to leave behind.
One of Modiano's most elegiac and haunting novels, Villa Triste is an intoxicating investigation into time, place, identity, and memory.
Foreword
One of the most seductive and accessible novels by the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature
