1914: Marguerite Duras - Resources and General Discussion
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1edwinbcn
(1914–1996)Marguerite Duras was a French author, born in Saigon, in then French Indochina (now Vietnam). She has written three autobiographical novels that deal with her life in the Far East: The Sea Wall, The Lover and The North China Lover.
Although her early writing was conventional, both her later writing and film work were experimental.
Duras was the third-quarter author last year in Author Theme Reads-Group, so a number of reviews and discussion of her work can be found there, too.
2edwinbcn
La maladie de la mort
Finished reading: 6 July 2013
English: 
La maladie de la mort is a surrealistic short novel about a man who pays a woman to stay with him in a house near the sea. All day and all night, the young woman lies, sleeping or slumbering in bed. The man, who has never had a lover, cannot bring himself to love, to possess the woman. From unrecorded words she murmurs in her sleep, the man's condition is pronounced as La maladie de la mort.
La maladie de la mort is an enigmatic tale with the quality of an allegory. The story was almost conceived like the oracle in Delphi, as during the dictation Marguerite Duras was heavily intoxicated. The man, sometimes thought to be gay, may stand for all men, and his inability to love, not just for the act of love, but inability for true love. Elsewhere, Marguerite Duras has said that she sees herself as a woman who has always lived in houses near the sea, and that her writing, as the true writing of all women should be, about desire. The inaction of the man effectively shows him to be impotent, while the woman in her passivity seems to take control.
La maladie de la mort has a very poetic quality, and reads almost as much as a dramatic monologue.
Finished reading: 6 July 2013
English: 
La maladie de la mort is a surrealistic short novel about a man who pays a woman to stay with him in a house near the sea. All day and all night, the young woman lies, sleeping or slumbering in bed. The man, who has never had a lover, cannot bring himself to love, to possess the woman. From unrecorded words she murmurs in her sleep, the man's condition is pronounced as La maladie de la mort.
La maladie de la mort is an enigmatic tale with the quality of an allegory. The story was almost conceived like the oracle in Delphi, as during the dictation Marguerite Duras was heavily intoxicated. The man, sometimes thought to be gay, may stand for all men, and his inability to love, not just for the act of love, but inability for true love. Elsewhere, Marguerite Duras has said that she sees herself as a woman who has always lived in houses near the sea, and that her writing, as the true writing of all women should be, about desire. The inaction of the man effectively shows him to be impotent, while the woman in her passivity seems to take control.
La maladie de la mort has a very poetic quality, and reads almost as much as a dramatic monologue.
3edwinbcn
Écrire
Finished reading: 24 August 2013
In English: 
Écrire by Marguerite Duras consists of three film scripts and two short prose texts. Écrire is a short autobiographical film by Sylvie Blum and Claude Guisard. It is a documentary filmed in Duras' house in Neauphle-le-Château in which Marguerite Duras talks about writing.
In Écrire, Marguerite Duras speaks about the importance of her houses and the places where she has stayed for her writing. It is in a house that one is alone (p.1). She talks about the house, and the garden of her home in Neauphle-le-Château where she wrote some of her novels, as well as her house in Paris. She describes at length how she undertook an investigation about other people who had lived in her Paris home throughout the ages, and was surprised to find that among them there had never been anyone who wrote. The style of Écrire is contemplative, autobiographical memoires, and philosophical. It is probably not a good text for readers new to the author as it refers to several of her novels. The text does not give the reader many clues to Duras' writing, other than the prominence and importance of places, both as the setting for the work, the location where the work was written, and the way the house affects the author. It is obvious that at the time the film was made, Marguerite Duras was an author at the height of her career, aware that she could say or write anything and that all and anything would be recorded as if she were the oracle of Dephi. There is a long and sentimental passage about the death of a mouse: a passage which is clearly too long, and too sentimental. Seemingly, the author wants to point out how important her eye for detail, and small events, or petit drama is, but it verges on the ridiculous. On the other hand, some of Duras' novels are characterised by drawn out episodes. It is a pity that Écrire is not illustrated with photos of her homes.
The text is the script of a film with the title La mort du jeune aviateur anglais, a film by Benoît Jacquot. In the film Marguerite Duras tells the story of a young, 20-years old British pilot who died an agonizing death in a tree top after his plain was shot down over Vauville during the later days of World War II. It is remarkable and touching how the villagers bury and keep memorial services for the young soldier for many decades. The beauty of the piece is that in La mort du jeune aviateur anglais Marguerite Duras has touched on a small, personal story about World War II. Too often, the War is commemorated in large, official and impersonal narrative.
Third in this collection is a text called Roma, which is the script of a short film with the title La dialogue de Rome. This is a somewhat peculiar script, which reads more than anything like an off-stage recording of an irritated actress. While the text of Écrire consists of narrative monologue, and La mort du jeune aviateur anglais the telling of a story, Roma consists of dialogues. It can perhaps be read as a short, experimental play.
Added to the three scripts are two short prose compositions. Without a critical introduction it is hard to understand the significance or origin of these texts. The first, Le nombre pur seems to be about a project consisting of people recording all the names of people, places, etc which have occurred in their lives. These names together would then form a condense snap shot of their lives, or collectively of history. The last text, L'Exposition de la peinture is a descriptive piece of an exhibition of paintings.
Écrire consists of very varied types of text, autobiographical and experimental. Écrire is beautiful and interesting, but many other books, notable interviews such as Les lieux de Marguerite Duras (which is referred to in the text) exist which essentially cover the same material, with minor differences.
Finished reading: 24 August 2013
In English: 
Écrire by Marguerite Duras consists of three film scripts and two short prose texts. Écrire is a short autobiographical film by Sylvie Blum and Claude Guisard. It is a documentary filmed in Duras' house in Neauphle-le-Château in which Marguerite Duras talks about writing.
In Écrire, Marguerite Duras speaks about the importance of her houses and the places where she has stayed for her writing. It is in a house that one is alone (p.1). She talks about the house, and the garden of her home in Neauphle-le-Château where she wrote some of her novels, as well as her house in Paris. She describes at length how she undertook an investigation about other people who had lived in her Paris home throughout the ages, and was surprised to find that among them there had never been anyone who wrote. The style of Écrire is contemplative, autobiographical memoires, and philosophical. It is probably not a good text for readers new to the author as it refers to several of her novels. The text does not give the reader many clues to Duras' writing, other than the prominence and importance of places, both as the setting for the work, the location where the work was written, and the way the house affects the author. It is obvious that at the time the film was made, Marguerite Duras was an author at the height of her career, aware that she could say or write anything and that all and anything would be recorded as if she were the oracle of Dephi. There is a long and sentimental passage about the death of a mouse: a passage which is clearly too long, and too sentimental. Seemingly, the author wants to point out how important her eye for detail, and small events, or petit drama is, but it verges on the ridiculous. On the other hand, some of Duras' novels are characterised by drawn out episodes. It is a pity that Écrire is not illustrated with photos of her homes.
The text is the script of a film with the title La mort du jeune aviateur anglais, a film by Benoît Jacquot. In the film Marguerite Duras tells the story of a young, 20-years old British pilot who died an agonizing death in a tree top after his plain was shot down over Vauville during the later days of World War II. It is remarkable and touching how the villagers bury and keep memorial services for the young soldier for many decades. The beauty of the piece is that in La mort du jeune aviateur anglais Marguerite Duras has touched on a small, personal story about World War II. Too often, the War is commemorated in large, official and impersonal narrative.
Third in this collection is a text called Roma, which is the script of a short film with the title La dialogue de Rome. This is a somewhat peculiar script, which reads more than anything like an off-stage recording of an irritated actress. While the text of Écrire consists of narrative monologue, and La mort du jeune aviateur anglais the telling of a story, Roma consists of dialogues. It can perhaps be read as a short, experimental play.
Added to the three scripts are two short prose compositions. Without a critical introduction it is hard to understand the significance or origin of these texts. The first, Le nombre pur seems to be about a project consisting of people recording all the names of people, places, etc which have occurred in their lives. These names together would then form a condense snap shot of their lives, or collectively of history. The last text, L'Exposition de la peinture is a descriptive piece of an exhibition of paintings.
Écrire consists of very varied types of text, autobiographical and experimental. Écrire is beautiful and interesting, but many other books, notable interviews such as Les lieux de Marguerite Duras (which is referred to in the text) exist which essentially cover the same material, with minor differences.
4edwinbcn
Les lieux de Marguerite Duras
Finished reading: 1 september 2013
Les lieux de Marguerite Duras or "The Places of Marguerite Duras" is a fascinating book about places which were important in the life and work of Marguerite Duras. Seemingly more than in other languages, French publishers publish books consisting of interviews with authors and other public personae. Thus, Les lieux de Marguerite Duras is based on two television programmes of the same title broadcast in 1976, in which Duras was interviewed by Michelle Porte while visiting places that are dear to her.
In the first part Marguerite Duras describes her farm house in Neauphle-le-Château, where she wrote many books, such as Lol Stein and Nathalie Granger. There is some overlap with Écrire as Duras refers to the story of the mouse. As in Écrire Duras described how investigated her Paris home and was surprised to find that among them there had never been anyone who wrote, in Les lieux de Marguerite Duras she relates how she meticulously combed the farm house for any writings, and found none but a year, 1875, scribbled on a wall in the attic.
Reflections on the forest, remind Duras of her brother and lead to reminiscences about her life in Vietnam and the writing of Un barrage contre le Pacifique. From there, follow descriptions of places in India, and places of importances for the writing of Ravishing of Lol Stein and India Song. Duras gaily explains that the location S. Thala is an error and that she had the name Thalassa is mind. As she discovered the mistake later, she decided to leave it unchanged (p.85).
The interview text is interspersed with fragments from films, and richly illustrated with historical photo materials and stills from films based on books by Marguerite Duras.
Finished reading: 1 september 2013
Les lieux de Marguerite Duras or "The Places of Marguerite Duras" is a fascinating book about places which were important in the life and work of Marguerite Duras. Seemingly more than in other languages, French publishers publish books consisting of interviews with authors and other public personae. Thus, Les lieux de Marguerite Duras is based on two television programmes of the same title broadcast in 1976, in which Duras was interviewed by Michelle Porte while visiting places that are dear to her.
In the first part Marguerite Duras describes her farm house in Neauphle-le-Château, where she wrote many books, such as Lol Stein and Nathalie Granger. There is some overlap with Écrire as Duras refers to the story of the mouse. As in Écrire Duras described how investigated her Paris home and was surprised to find that among them there had never been anyone who wrote, in Les lieux de Marguerite Duras she relates how she meticulously combed the farm house for any writings, and found none but a year, 1875, scribbled on a wall in the attic.
Reflections on the forest, remind Duras of her brother and lead to reminiscences about her life in Vietnam and the writing of Un barrage contre le Pacifique. From there, follow descriptions of places in India, and places of importances for the writing of Ravishing of Lol Stein and India Song. Duras gaily explains that the location S. Thala is an error and that she had the name Thalassa is mind. As she discovered the mistake later, she decided to leave it unchanged (p.85).
The interview text is interspersed with fragments from films, and richly illustrated with historical photo materials and stills from films based on books by Marguerite Duras.
5edwinbcn
Les parleuses
Finished reading: 15 August 2015
Besides reading the novels, short stories and plays of Marguerite Duras, there are several collections of interviews, which, as primary texts can help readers better understand the author and her work. In the interviews, both biographical details and questions related to the works are discussed. Naturally, the quality, depth and focus of the interviews largely depends on the interviewer. They take the initiative, and they ask the questions. Their temperament also dtermines the rhythm and flow of the interview. In some interviews, Duras tells more, is more prompted to long, explanatory or narrative answers, while in other interviews her role is more modest. In general, in the case of collected interviews both the interviewer, and interviewee are listed as authors.
Les parleuses (Engl: Woman to Woman) Marguerite Duras faces a very strong personality, in Xavière Gauthier. The interviews in Les parleuses were published in 1974. They mainly deal with Duras work written in the 1960s, particularly Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein (1964), (Engl: The Ravishing of Lol Stein) and Détruire, dit-elle (Engl: Destroy, She Said). Les parleuses is one of Gauthier's earliest publications, after a volume of poetry and two volumes of essays.
In one of the early interviews, Gauthier confesses to Duras that she was totally captivated by her work, and after reading one of her books had to read them all. Throughout the interviews, Gauthier's strong personality remains overbearing, and she often dominates the interviews, while Duras tends to give short answers or even exclamations of surprise. Her ideas are strongly determined by the then current feminism, and feel somewhat dated.
In her later work, Xavière Gauthier came to play an important role in the feminist movement in France. She is mainly active as an editor and essayist.
Other books I have read by Marguerite Duras:
Abahn Sabana David
Un barrage contre le Pacifique
Les lieux de Marguerite Duras
Écrire
La maladie de la mort
L'Amant de la Chine du Nord
Finished reading: 15 August 2015
Besides reading the novels, short stories and plays of Marguerite Duras, there are several collections of interviews, which, as primary texts can help readers better understand the author and her work. In the interviews, both biographical details and questions related to the works are discussed. Naturally, the quality, depth and focus of the interviews largely depends on the interviewer. They take the initiative, and they ask the questions. Their temperament also dtermines the rhythm and flow of the interview. In some interviews, Duras tells more, is more prompted to long, explanatory or narrative answers, while in other interviews her role is more modest. In general, in the case of collected interviews both the interviewer, and interviewee are listed as authors.
Les parleuses (Engl: Woman to Woman) Marguerite Duras faces a very strong personality, in Xavière Gauthier. The interviews in Les parleuses were published in 1974. They mainly deal with Duras work written in the 1960s, particularly Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein (1964), (Engl: The Ravishing of Lol Stein) and Détruire, dit-elle (Engl: Destroy, She Said). Les parleuses is one of Gauthier's earliest publications, after a volume of poetry and two volumes of essays.
In one of the early interviews, Gauthier confesses to Duras that she was totally captivated by her work, and after reading one of her books had to read them all. Throughout the interviews, Gauthier's strong personality remains overbearing, and she often dominates the interviews, while Duras tends to give short answers or even exclamations of surprise. Her ideas are strongly determined by the then current feminism, and feel somewhat dated.
In her later work, Xavière Gauthier came to play an important role in the feminist movement in France. She is mainly active as an editor and essayist.
Other books I have read by Marguerite Duras:
Abahn Sabana David
Un barrage contre le Pacifique
Les lieux de Marguerite Duras
Écrire
La maladie de la mort
L'Amant de la Chine du Nord
6elenchus
An enlightening series of posts, edwinbcn, I knew nothing of Duras or her work prior and enjoyed reading your take on her as well as on specific of her works.
It appears you read these in the original French?
It appears you read these in the original French?
7edwinbcn
Thanks, Elenchus.
In 2014, Marguerite Duras was one of the featured authors in this group, and further down you may find threads dedicated to specific works by Duras. I merely use this thread to review some less well-known works. Some of the other readers in this group are also very well-read and write very good reviews.
In 2013, Marguerite Duras was the quarterly author in the group "Author Theme Reads". You may find some more reviews and discussions there.
PS: Yes, I read them in French.
In 2014, Marguerite Duras was one of the featured authors in this group, and further down you may find threads dedicated to specific works by Duras. I merely use this thread to review some less well-known works. Some of the other readers in this group are also very well-read and write very good reviews.
In 2013, Marguerite Duras was the quarterly author in the group "Author Theme Reads". You may find some more reviews and discussions there.
PS: Yes, I read them in French.
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