An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris by Georges Perec
Translated, with an afterword, by Marc Lowenthal
Well, as I said recently, there are plenty of smaller Perec texts that I’ve still to read, and this is one of them! I picked it up on a whim recently – I’d been intending to buy a copy for ages – and it was ideal to polyread along with “War and Peace”.
“An attempt…” is a short work published in 1975, and it has an interesting history. In October 1974, Perec sat in the Place Saint-Sulpice over three days, and simply observed, writing down what he saw. So buses would pass by regularly, people would come and go, the weather would change, a friend would wave through the cafe window, a flock of pigeons would take flight. All of these small happenings were recorded, in his attempt to pin down and fix the existence of one place at one time.
Well, that sounds like it could be dull, but it really, really isn’t. I’ve commented before about Perec’s use of an almost catalogue-like style of writing, which perhaps drew on his early day job as an archivist. And here, the simple repetition of certain phrases, the seemingly straightforward recording of ordinary, everyday actions builds up a surprisingly compelling picture of the ebb and flow of human life.
But the book is not simply a catalogue, as Perec can’t help but let his personal reactions sneak in: for example, early in the book he notes the regular appearance of a specific of car and later comments:
Weary vision: obsessive fear of apple-green 2CVs
By focusing so closely on the ordinary it becomes extraordinary – what Perec called the infraordinary – and it makes you realise that how we see the world is specific to us. Perec realises that one person cannot see everything and so his recording of the scene is very different from how someone else would respond to a similar exercise. And although things happen again and again, these repetitions are not the same; for example, each 96 bus is a 96 bus, but it’s a different vehicle with different people inside it.
As you read on through the book, the text becomes oddly thoughtful and philosophical, often approaching the beauty of haiku or found poetry:
Colors blend: a grayness that is rarely lit
Yellow patches. Reddish glare
The repetition of certain elements, the short, clipped segments and the description of where he is and what he sees, all tends to build up a hypnotic kind of narrative which is absorbing and engrossing.
The afterword by translator Lowenthal is intriguing, discussing the book and drawing parallels with Perec’s fellow OuLiPan Queneau; and also commenting on Perec’s fascination with the ordinary. In fact, Perec wrote a work simply called “L’infraordinaire”, part of which is extracted in “Species of Space”, and he says in it at one point:
What we need to question is bricks, concrete, glass, our table manners, our utensils, our tools, the way we spend our time, our rhythms. To question that which seems to have ceased forever to astonish us. We live, true, we breathe, true; we walk, we go downstairs, we sit at a table in order to eat, we lie down on a bed on order to sleep. How? Where? When? Why?
Describe your street. Describe another. Compare.
Certainly he makes a case for paying more attention to the everyday, perhaps in an endeavour to realise the sheer wonder of the fact that we are alive in the world. “An attempt…” is another fascinating and thought-provoking book from Perec, and I can see that I’m going to have to read everything I can get hold of by him that’s been rendered in English…
Jul 21, 2017 @ 07:30:33
Interesting. I’m reminded of the Harvey Keitel character Auggie in the Paul Auster scripted film Smoke: every day he sets up his camera on the same street corner & at the exact same time takes a photo. Like time lapse photography of passing life.
Jul 21, 2017 @ 07:37:28
Sounds like a similar kind of thing, definitely. I think Perec was very much trying to get us to focus on the ordinary to realise that actually things are not ordinary but we take life for granted so much. That kind of focus, modern mindfulness and the like, is very much to the fore nowadays.
Jul 21, 2017 @ 07:36:06
That is exactly the sort of practice a poet would do to enhance observational skills and bring you back to the concrete. (All beginner poets start off with moon, stars, soul, love, all that abstract, high-flown stuff, while all experienced poets in workshops bring them right down to the very ordinary and tangible: describe an object on your table, describe the person on the street etc.)
Jul 21, 2017 @ 07:38:38
That’s fascinating – perhaps Perec was a closet poet then!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 07:52:03
Karen, Would the cataloguer-spirit interest you in fiction? I’d like to recommend a tiny novel (as in 55 pages!) from 1969 called Olt by Kenneth Gangemi. I liked it, and would be interested to hear your thoughts…..full of lists of impressions, lists of facts enmeshed into a deadpan but fascinating (despite itself) narrative..a bit of an experimental mini-classic.
Jul 21, 2017 @ 12:28:24
It appeals to me. I shall go and look it up!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:46:18
Good luck!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:49:09
A new book to me and I’m always pleased to search out an obscure but interesting volume. I’ll check it out – thanks, Mike! 🙂
Jul 21, 2017 @ 08:02:31
While I like the idea behind this book — appreciating that the ordinary/everyday can in fact be extraordinary – I doubt whether Perec’s style or approach is for me. Somehow he never quite tempts in spite of the positive reviews! I’ve been a bit disappointed with a few of my classics club reads this year, mostly the ones in translation, so I’m a little wary of trying this type of author for fear of another poor experience. That’s not to say things might change in the future – never say never and all that. 🙂
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:48:40
Well, he’s not going to be for everyone, I know that – and I’m sorry you’ve had some less than brilliant reads recently. Maybe pick up a Perec from the library to see what you think?
Jul 21, 2017 @ 10:41:30
Fascinating review. I can see how much you enjoy Perec’s writing. Despite enjoying the world of the ordinary everyday, like Jacqui I am not certain his writing is for me.
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:47:14
I really do love his stuff although I can accept he’s not for all!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 12:29:58
What a gorgeous edition. If I were in a bookshop, and listen to this – in Brighton these past few days I have walked past every single one – I’d definitely pick this up. Must read Life … and A Void first though, they’ve been on my shelves for years.
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:46:06
I’m impressed!!! Mind you, I’m being fairly restrained myself just now. I do recommend Life and A Void – hope you get to them!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:13:20
This is one I haven’t read, though as I have a couple of unread Perec’s already it will have to wait. Like you, I’d quite like to read everything by him available in English!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 13:45:16
He’s very compelling – and I’m turning into a real Perec junkie!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 14:21:34
There’s quite a lot of his work available then. It made me think of ‘The Mezzanine’ by Nicholson Baker; have you read it?
Jul 21, 2017 @ 14:43:49
No, that’s a new one to me – thanks for the heads-up!
Jul 21, 2017 @ 23:28:17
I have yet to read Perec (I have a copy of Life: A User’s Manual). This one has always intrigued me though, for the title and the conceit. Great review!
Jul 22, 2017 @ 06:31:04
Thanks Joe! I’m obviously a huge fan and I love the playfulness of Perec which of course always has something serious underneath. Hope you enjoy Life when you get to it!
Jul 22, 2017 @ 20:31:19
This sounds fascinating, it really appeals to me. It does sound like the sort of project that could send someone insane though!
Jul 23, 2017 @ 12:10:59
I think it would if you did it for too long – but a few days seemed to bring some interesting results! 🙂
Jul 23, 2017 @ 12:12:07
This sounds wonderful Karen! On the strength of those quotes and your review I also want to track down everything he’s written. Maybe that can be my challenge for 2018!
Jul 23, 2017 @ 15:28:07
Perec is amazing – just my kind of writer, and I wish I’d discovered him when I discovered Calvino all those years ago. At least I found him everntually!
Jul 23, 2017 @ 18:48:57
How utterly fascinating, and lovely to have both that photograph and the afterword by the translator.
Jul 23, 2017 @ 18:57:00
I must admit that I got stupidly excited when I came across the photo…. 🙂
Jul 24, 2017 @ 12:14:22
Thanks for this, Kaggsy! I love the way Perec looks so happy in this photo.
Jul 24, 2017 @ 13:46:17
Me too – I just love Perec and seeing him at work like this is wonderful!
Jul 24, 2017 @ 18:55:26
This is one that I have tried to find locally but haven’t had any luck. Perhaps, once I get into his stuff, like you, I’ll simply begin to collect. Although obviously that’s quite an undertaking. Meantime, I enjoy your reviews and soon I’ll be into A Void. (Now there’s a sentence.)
Jul 25, 2017 @ 09:45:25
:)) I’m in the mindset of wanting to track down everything Perec wrote at the moment – hope you enjoy A Void!
Aug 02, 2017 @ 15:47:50
Jan 01, 2018 @ 06:57:23
Aug 11, 2018 @ 11:31:40
Feb 26, 2020 @ 06:36:14