Justine Augier
Née à Paris en 1978, Justine Augier a travaillé dans l’humanitaire, notamment en Afghanistan. Elle habite à Jérusalem depuis trois ans. Elle a publié en 2008 un premier roman, Son absence...
EN REGLE AVEC LA NUIT
Auteur
Parution :
18/08/2010
Collection :
La Bleue
Rights available.
The narrator is a seventy year-old woman. She is married to a major government figure, and lives in the most peaceful part of the “region”. Her nights are ravaged by insomnia.
For many years, a latent war has been dividing and exhausting the population. Everyone lives in fear. The designated enemy are “religious activists” who set bombs. A few months ago, a young woman who worked in the “peace organisation” was killed when her car was blown up. The narrator knew her well: she was profoundly moved by her anger, her commitment and her empathy for others.
Unable to forget the younger woman, she decides to visit her killer in prison. She succeeds in winning his trust and get him to speak. What may have sparked it all, he admits to her, is that his younger brother died in an uprising. Poverty too, but mostly the lack of any compensation. And the helping hand offered by the religious activists.
Next, the narrator meets a writer who fascinates her, and other characters who affected the dead woman’s life. During her travels, the war becomes increasingly active. It takes her all the way to the front. Where she no longer feels fear.
The “region” and its state of pending war has no fixed sense of time and place, referring us back to our contemporary world, difficult to pin down and decipher. As it fragments and grows darker, it provides individuals with an echo of their own loneliness and fractured existence.
This book explores an understanding of other people, of war and of commitment, and is thoughtfully crafted in language that is both rhythmic and lyrical. Born in Paris in 1978, Justine Augier has lived in Jerusalem for three years. Her first novel, Son absence, was published in 2008.
The narrator is a seventy year-old woman. She is married to a major government figure, and lives in the most peaceful part of the “region”. Her nights are ravaged by insomnia.
For many years, a latent war has been dividing and exhausting the population. Everyone lives in fear. The designated enemy are “religious activists” who set bombs. A few months ago, a young woman who worked in the “peace organisation” was killed when her car was blown up. The narrator knew her well: she was profoundly moved by her anger, her commitment and her empathy for others.
Unable to forget the younger woman, she decides to visit her killer in prison. She succeeds in winning his trust and get him to speak. What may have sparked it all, he admits to her, is that his younger brother died in an uprising. Poverty too, but mostly the lack of any compensation. And the helping hand offered by the religious activists.
Next, the narrator meets a writer who fascinates her, and other characters who affected the dead woman’s life. During her travels, the war becomes increasingly active. It takes her all the way to the front. Where she no longer feels fear.
The “region” and its state of pending war has no fixed sense of time and place, referring us back to our contemporary world, difficult to pin down and decipher. As it fragments and grows darker, it provides individuals with an echo of their own loneliness and fractured existence.
This book explores an understanding of other people, of war and of commitment, and is thoughtfully crafted in language that is both rhythmic and lyrical. Born in Paris in 1978, Justine Augier has lived in Jerusalem for three years. Her first novel, Son absence, was published in 2008.
La narratrice a soixante-dix ans. Elle est mariée avec un personnage important du gouvernement, et habite dans la zone la plus paisible de la « région ». La nuit elle souffre de terribles insomnies.
Depuis des années, une guerre larvée épuise et divise la population. Chacun vit avec la peur. Les ennemis sont les religieux qui posent des bombes. Il y a quelques mois, une jeune femme, qui travaillait dans une organisation pour la paix, a été tuée dans l’explosion de sa voiture. La narratrice la connaissait bien : sa colère, son engagement, son empathie pour les autres la troublaient beaucoup.
Ne parvenant à l’oublier, elle décide de visiter son assassin en prison. Elle réussit à gagner sa confiance et à le faire parler. Ce qui a tout déclenché, lui avoue-t-il, c’est la mort de son petit frère dans un soulèvement. La pauvreté aussi, l’absence de réparation, surtout. Et la main tendue par les religieux.
La femme rencontre ensuite un écrivain, qui la fascine, et d’autres personnages qui ont marqué la vie de la disparue. Durant son errance la guerre se fait de plus en plus présente. Elle la conduit jusqu’à la ligne de front. Là où elle n’a plus peur.
Depuis des années, une guerre larvée épuise et divise la population. Chacun vit avec la peur. Les ennemis sont les religieux qui posent des bombes. Il y a quelques mois, une jeune femme, qui travaillait dans une organisation pour la paix, a été tuée dans l’explosion de sa voiture. La narratrice la connaissait bien : sa colère, son engagement, son empathie pour les autres la troublaient beaucoup.
Ne parvenant à l’oublier, elle décide de visiter son assassin en prison. Elle réussit à gagner sa confiance et à le faire parler. Ce qui a tout déclenché, lui avoue-t-il, c’est la mort de son petit frère dans un soulèvement. La pauvreté aussi, l’absence de réparation, surtout. Et la main tendue par les religieux.
La femme rencontre ensuite un écrivain, qui la fascine, et d’autres personnages qui ont marqué la vie de la disparue. Durant son errance la guerre se fait de plus en plus présente. Elle la conduit jusqu’à la ligne de front. Là où elle n’a plus peur.
224 pages
Format :
135 x 215 mm
EAN :
9782234064775
Prix :
20.90 €
