Sylvie Germain is a highly acclaimed French author of fiction and nonfiction. She earned a PhD in philosophy and studied with the famous French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. Most of her novels have won multiple prizes. The most famous ones are Le livre des nuits – The Book of Nights, Nuit d’ambre – Night of Amber, Jours de colère – Days of Anger and Magnus.
Here are the first sentences of Magnus:
Prologue
A meteorite explosion may yield a few small secrets about the origin of the universe. From a fragment of bone we can deduce the structure and appearance of a prehistoric animal; from a vegetal fossil, the presence long ago in a now desert region of luxuriant flora. Infinitesimal and enduring a plethora of traces survive time out of mind.
A scrap of papyrus or a shard of pottery can take us back to a civilization that disappeared thousands of years ago. The root of a word can illuminate for us a constellation of derivations and meanings. Remains, pit-stones always retain an indestructible kernel of vitality.
In every instance, imagination and intuition are needed to help interpret the enigmas.
And some details and the blurb for those who want to join
Magnus by Sylvie Germain, 190 pages, France 2005, WWII
Magnus is a deeply moving and enigmatic novel about the Holocaust and its ramifications. It is Sylvie Germain’s most commercially successful novel in France. It was awarded The Goncourt Lyceen Prize. Magnus’s story emerges in fragments, with the elements of his past appearing in a different light as he grows older. He discovers the voices of the deceased do not fall silent. He learns to listen to them and becomes attuned to the echoes of memory.
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The discussion starts on Tuesday, 28 February 2017.
Further information on the Literature and War Readalong 2017, including all the book blurbs, can be found here.
