Sorj Chalandon has had a very tough youth, especially in relationship with his father, a theme that comes up in almost all his novels. "L'Enragé" (the enraged), is based on the real story of Jules Bonneau, one of the 55 adolescents who escape a prison for juvenile delinquents in 1934 on an island near the coast of Brittany in France. The boys, whose guilt is questionable and who are mostly from a poor background, orphans, or with parents unable to raise them properly, revolt against the harsh discipline and abuse they suffer at the hands of the directors, teachers and staff in their 'institute'.
All inhabitants of the island are recruited to catch the boys and return them to their jail for the round price of 20 French francs, which is so lucrative that even tourists engage in the hunt. The story is also the inspiration for the poem "Chasse à L'Enfant" (The hunt for the child) of French poet Jacques Prévert.
Chalandon writes in his typical style, direct, action-focused, emotional, rich. The main character tells his story and his challenges to control his emotions, and we can understand his anger, his revolt, his rebellious attitude when you have been humiliated, punished, disciplined for no reason at all. Like all other young boys, he tries to lay low, not to show is fear or uncertainty. You have to be tough to survive.
"Jamais de ma vie je n'avais pensé au mot ami. Jamais je ne l'avais employé pour personne. Je suis né sans proches, ni parents ni amis. Ni les baisers d'une mère, ni les ordres d'un père. Pas non plus d' enfant à mes côtés, de copain à l'école, de camarade aux jeux. A peine un voleur de pelle, un compagnon de fugue, un incendiaire, quelques garçons rendus mauvais. A la colonie, je me suis isolé. Je n' ai voulu aucun autre que moi dans mes pas. Seul, Bonneau. Seule, La Teigne. Encaisser les coups, les rendre, tenir jusqu'à demain. Et surtout, ne pas se mêler de la souffrance des autres. Ne pas la provoquer, ne pas l'apaiser non plus."
Or with deepl translation:
“Never in my life had I thought of the word friend. I had never used it for anyone. I was born without loved ones, parents or friends. No mother's kisses, no father's orders. No child by my side, no friend at school, no playmate. Hardly a shovel thief, a runaway companion, an arsonist, a few boys made bad. At camp, I isolated myself. I wanted no one but myself in my footsteps. Alone, Bonneau. Alone, The Moth (nickname). Take the blows, give them back, hold out until tomorrow. And above all, not to interfere in the suffering of others. Don't provoke it, don't soothe it either.”
Luckily he is the only one to escape, thanks to the luck of being welcomed by a fisherman. The boy has trouble to adjust but the fisherman luckily has a very generous and lenient nature, which is an absolute eye-opener to the boy who now encounters totally different ways of human interaction.
Like other books by Chalandon, you cannot but feel incredible sympathy for the predicament of the powerless boy in a brutal and unjust world.
Excellent.
No comments:
Post a Comment