Posts By: DoingDewey

Starting in 1985, Annie Ernaux began journaling her observations of daily life to make sense of her new home in the Paris suburbs. This collection contains entries through 1992, was published in ’93, and translated into English in ’96.

The author begins by explaining that her intention is to serve as an objective recorder, writing down the plain facts of what she sees. She also immediately acknowledges that she failed to accomplish that. I agree that she didn’t achieve perfect objectivity. There are clear themes in the scenes that catch her attention – interactions between people of different classes, train rides and grocery store visits, and how we value art. Sometimes she’s clearly imagining people’s motivations. However she does sometimes achieve pure reportage. It’s as though she’s simply serving as a camera, letting me view a scene at a remove with no added comment or info on her response to the scene. Read more »