There were all manner of books I would have liked to read for February’s #ReadIndies month (as you can see from the image in this post); and one of them was a very late arrival that I just couldn’t squeeze in. However, as it’s released today, I suppose I could consider it as a late entry for the reading event, especially as it’s from one of my favourite indies, Fitzcarraldo Editions. The author is a recent discovery for me, but she’s a writer of whom I think highly – the book is “Simple Passion” and the author is Annie Ernaux. I’ve covered a couple of Ernaux’s books on the Ramblings, “A Man’s Place” and “A Girl’s Story“; and although these works are only just appearing in Fitzcarraldo editions, they’ve often been written quite a while before. “Simple Passion” is a case in point; it was published in French in 1991 and although Tanya Leslie’s translation is copyright 1993, this is apparently its first UK release.
The title of this work sums up succinctly the subject of the book, although I would perhaps argue that there’s nothing simple about passions – and the book does reflect this! In 48 laconic pages, Ernaux recounts the story of an affair she had with a married man, named only as A, and how the intense passion she felt for him completely took over her life. It’s as if everything else is put on hold; she doesn’t want to go out, she doesn’t want to mix with other people, and her only interests are in the object of her desire or anything she can consider as relating to him. Yet as the man is married, she has no real call on his affections, and the highs and lows of her emotions reflect this uncertain status.
In many ways, the descriptions of Ernaux’s emotions are more like those of someone in the throes of a teenage crush; yet Ernaux is a mature woman with children. However, there’s no predicting where our heart will take us at any time of our lives, and in this book the author sets out to try and capture that state of mind when living for just one other person. Nothing else matters to her except A, and in truth I would say this is more a picture of obsession than just passion. Where the dividing line between the two lies is not for me to say, but Ernaux paints a striking and convincing portrait of a woman for whom nothing else matters but the time she spends with her lover.
… I avoided every opportunity that might tear me away from my obsession – books, social engagements and the other activities I used to enjoy. I longed for total idleness. I angrily turned down some extra work my superior had asked me to do, almost insulting him over the phone. I felt I had every right to reject the things that prevented me from luxuriating in the sensations and fantasies of my own passion.
For two years, the affair with A dominated Ernaux’s life, until work forced him to return to the Eastern European country he came from. The couple later have a reunion, but the pain of the parting has passed and the passion died; and Ernaux realises her feeling for him will never again be what they were when they were in the depths of the affair. Can *any* passion last forever? Probably not – familiarity can breed contempt, and in many relationships the passion probably turns to a different but hopefully deeper and more abiding love. However, Ernaux states that with this book she intended to “translate into words … the way in which (A’s) existence has affected my life” and “Simple Passion” certainly does that. It’s a powerful and affecting read which certainly lingers in the mind, and proof that I really need to read any Ernaux which comes my way!
Mar 10, 2021 @ 07:05:21
A wonderful review, Annie Ernaux’s books sound like studied slices of life, able to be read in any order.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 11:54:35
Thank you! Ernaux’s books all seem to have one specific focus, and from what I can see they’ll all build up to give a fascinating picture of 20th century life in France and some of the changes which took place. Such an interesting writer.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 09:13:39
I wonder if she was recounting her own life or just dreaming.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 11:55:38
Well, that’s an interesting point – because although these are marketed as non-fiction, in Fitzcarraldo’s white covers, how much is actually true is always debatable. And they’re a publisher who seem to enjoy blurred lines between genres which is intersting!
Mar 10, 2021 @ 12:15:14
Fascinating stuff! Maybe this will be the year when I finally get around to Ernaux, laggard that I am – probably with The Years as it’s the one that’s sitting on the shelf.
(PS The film adaptation of A Simple Passion has just been made available to stream in the UK. It’s had somewhat mixed reviews, but I’m tempted to watch it for Laetitia Dosch, the French actress in the leading role.)
Mar 10, 2021 @ 13:46:15
I definitely think she’s worth your time! As for a film adaptation, I think I would personally avoid it. This is such a concise, concentrated work that I suspect a film might be tempted to expand it a little. But I could be wrong!
Mar 10, 2021 @ 12:18:54
I wonder if Ernaux had a say in whether the cover should be blue or white. It sends out a signal to anyone who knows Fitzcarraldo’s list although, as you say, they do blur the lines a little.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 13:14:42
It’s a good point – I do wonder if Ernaux is writing autofiction although she does query the whole nature of autobiographical writing. Maybe not in such depth as say Stepanova, but it’s certainly a theme which recurs in Fitzcarraldo books.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 18:05:44
Lovely review, I have yet to read Annie Ernaux but this sounds like it would be a fabulous introduction. This does sound like a small intense piece of writing.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 18:38:32
Thanks Ali! I’ve only read three myself, any of which would I think be a good introduction to her work.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 21:01:12
I’d read this already in the US edition – a wonderfully honest portrayal of a love affair. As I understand it, her books are very much drawn from her experience even though she doesn’t regard them as autobiographical:
“I reject belonging to a specific genre, be it novel or even autobiography. Autofiction doesn’t suit me either. The I that I use seems to me an impersonal form, barely gendered, sometimes even a word belonging more to “the other” than to “me”: a transpersonal form, in short.”
Mar 11, 2021 @ 11:34:21
Her writing *is* very honest and no-holds-barred, which I love. But whether it’s pure non-fiction is up for debate – although with a detached narrator like this, I don’t know that it matters.
Mar 10, 2021 @ 23:07:35
Keen to see more of Ernaux’s books after enjoying ‘The Years’ 🙂
Mar 11, 2021 @ 11:18:56
I definitely recommend exploring more… ;D
Mar 11, 2021 @ 01:33:00
There has been so many reviews I’ve seen of of Ernaux’s work and I always come away torn as to whether or not I’m like them. I suppose I should just pick one up at some point…
Mar 11, 2021 @ 11:18:39
LOL, it would be the best way to find out! I love her work but I imagine she’s very much a marmite author. Maybe your local library could help out…
Mar 11, 2021 @ 16:18:17
That’s the thing with huge passion isn’t it, we just become teenagers with a first crush. I hadn’t heard of this but I like the idea!
Mar 11, 2021 @ 16:21:35
We do indeed – whatever our age! Ernaux is definitely an author I recommend highly – such a good writer.
Mar 11, 2021 @ 22:14:46
Sounds positively Iris Murdochian!
Mar 12, 2021 @ 11:20:47
LOL! 😀
Mar 12, 2021 @ 20:49:11
What an interesting dilemma as to whether she’d have gone for the blue/white (F/NF) cover. Surely she must have signed off! 🙂 On a personal note, my copy of a Fitzcarraldo that I requested via the library when you hosted your Fortnight last year recently arrived and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. What a TREAT! (Daisy Hildyard) Just to excuse the library, there’s only a single circulating copy and there are quarantining procedures before/after borrowing/returning, plus there are no fines so the question of duedates is a little wobbly, and there were several people ahead of me on the holds list. Nevermind, as I was relieved and happy to read it via the library, although it’s one I enjoyed enough that I’d love to own it myself.
Mar 12, 2021 @ 21:03:08
Oh, excellent, I’m glad your Fitzcarraldo finaly came thought – I love their books. The cover thing is interesting because I often read their books and think it might have sat just as well in the other colour – but in the end I try not to pigeonhole books, just enjoy them!
Mar 13, 2021 @ 13:29:08
Wonderful review, Kaggsy! Glad you got to read an Ernaux for Read Indies month 😊 Simple Passion was the first Ernaux book I ever read and so I have a soft corner for it. It is so short and so powerful. I read the Seven Stories Press edition (those days Fitzcarraldo wasn’t up yet) and it is so nice that Fitzcarraldo have brought up the UK edition this month. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
Mar 13, 2021 @ 16:17:27
Thanks Vishy. I do love Ernau’x writing and this really does pack a punch for such a slim book!
Mar 15, 2021 @ 17:49:55
Thank you for citing and describing this book. I am a reader of Ernaux so you help fill out my knowledge. One can apply this to other books: I’m reading Hotel du Lac and I am wondering if one of the intense passions the reticent narrator keeps from us is just such an obsession. Ellen
Mar 15, 2021 @ 19:23:57
Most welcome. I find her writing fascinating and I’m hoping I’ll get to read more of it. She’s very good at encapsulating intense human emotions in such short works.
Aug 13, 2021 @ 11:53:26
The book nessage Is… It can happen to you even if you think it Is impossible.
Aug 13, 2021 @ 11:54:41
It can – our emotions are never predictable…