Зміцер Колас
1914
1914
Аўтар: Jean Echenoz
Пераклад: from the French of Zmitser Kolas
Out of stock
Couldn't load pickup availability
Мова: Belarusian
Старонак: 100
Год выдання: 2014
Месца выдання: Minsk
Вокладка: solid
Фармат: 13.5x20.5 cm
ISBN: 978-985-6992-53-0
"1914" is an outstanding novel by Jean Echenoz, one of the greatest contemporary French writers, in which the events of the First World War are conveyed through subtle irony, precise details, and an almost cinematic narrative fluidity. The protagonist, Anthyme, his brother, and their friends find themselves at the heart of the somber events of the era, where war becomes not only a backdrop but also a force that divides, tests, and forever alters human destinies. The text reads easily but leaves a deep impression—it is not merely a historical novel, but a vivid literary manifesto against the absurdity of war.
***
Written in a rather ironic style, close to black humor, the novel by Jean Echenoz (born 1947), winner of the Prix Goncourt and several other literary awards, tells of the events and circumstances of the First World War and the fates that befell the protagonist Anthyme, his brother, and his three friends.
Intended for a wide readership.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
The weather was surprisingly favorable, and it was Saturday, a day when Anthyme, thanks to his position, was entitled not to work, so after breakfast, he set out for a spin on his bicycle. His plans were: to enjoy the generous August sun, give his muscles a bit of exercise and his lungs some country air, and, of course, to lie somewhere on the grass, for which a bulky volume, too thick to fit into the wire basket of his luggage rack, was attached to the frame with string. After leaving behind the city, where he had to cycle almost in neutral, and about ten kilometers of flat land, where pedaling was easy, an uphill climb began, forcing him to lift his bottom from the saddle and, standing, swaying from right to left, to work up a good sweat. The climb was, of course, not great — who doesn't know what the "mountains" are like in Vendée? — just a hill, but steep enough to offer a view of the entire surroundings.
As soon as Anthyme reached the summit, a powerful whirlwind suddenly swept in, almost knocking the cap off his head and nearly overturning his bicycle — a solid "Eunthes," a model created by a priest for priests — he had bought it from a vicar who had been struck by gout. Air currents of such abrupt, loud, and unexpected force are quite rare in these parts, especially in summer and with such sun, and Anthyme was forced to put one foot on the ground and, leaving the other on the pedal, pulled his cap deeper over his forehead amidst the deafening whistle of the wind. Then he surveyed the landscape below: numerous scattered villages, endless fields and pastures. Invisible from here, somewhere twenty kilometers to the west, the ocean breathed, into which Anthyme had ventured four, maybe five times with friends, though on such days, being completely clueless about fishing, he was of little use — and yet, his profession as an accountant allowed him to fulfill one always welcome role: to count and record upon returning to the harbor the quantity of mackerel, tuna, whiting, turbot, and all other flatfish caught.
It was the first day of August, and Anthyme unhurriedly surveyed the panorama below him...
