Roger Nimier (1925–1962)

Roger Nimier was a French author who was recognised as the leader of a group of writers (the Hussards) who opposed the more left wing stance of Jean Paul Sartre and the existentialists writing after the second world war. Nimier was in the second regiment of the Hussards which were involved in a battle with the German forces very near the end of the second world war. Nimier was wounded at Royan. He published his first novel in 1948 and had his biggest success in 1950 with Le Hussard Blue.

Les show more Enfants Tristes was published in 1951 and that is why it got onto my reading list. It tells the story of Olivier Malentrade a young man whose family are well-to-do members of the petite bourgeoisie. M le Barsac has made money from his investments during the second world war war and Olivier is the son of his first wife. Olivier does not quite fit into the business world of le Barsac and does not approve of the modern more liberated ways of the females in Le Barsac's family. The novel is in three parts and the first part takes place during the war where we meet the family who are largely unaffected by the war and tells the story about their relationships particularly Raoul; Oliviers half brother. Raoul is an intellectual who falls in love with the flirtatious Tessa whose family are lower down the social scale, but her outward going character and her pretty looks charms M le Barsac and he approves of Raoul marrying her. The second part tells the story of Tessa who manages to have a number of affairs to escape from the more conventional Raoul, one of her affairs is with Olivier Malentrade who is seduced by a pretty woman who is far more experienced than him and has difficulties when the affair is over. In the third part two younger women Dominique and Catherine enter in the circle of friends around Olivier, who is still clumsy around women. He has become a successful author and playwright, but his world is turned upside down by the two women.

It is the story of a man who feels out of step with his family and who is not at all assured in his relations with women. Roger Nimier builds his characters at some length, but the book comes alive in their conversations, which can take some unconventional twists and turns, especially when Olivier and Raoul are involved because of their uncertainty in relationships with women. Nimier's females are more free than the men, and more knowing in their dealings with the opposite sex, but are intellectually their inferiors. The background of Parisian life for well connected people is sketched adequately, but Nimier is mainly concerned with explaining why and how his characters act out their lives. I found his characters too far removed from the story for my liking a bit like moths fluttering around a light in danger of getting burnt. I am not encouraged to search out other books by Nimier and rate this as three stars. show less

Superbe livre sur l'absurdité de la guerre, notamment. Je le relis régulièrement. Je ne m'en lasse pas.

En 1918, Michèle Vilmain qui dirige une maison de couture à Paris, retrouve Philip Walden un jeune peintre autrichien qu'elle a connu dans le tumulte de la guerre. Ardent, mais faible, il aime cette femme de génie qui ne prendra vraiment conscience de sa propre passion qu'au moment où le jeune homme cédant à l'indécision de son caractère et surtout refusant tout engagement profond, va l'abandonner. Après une tentative de suicide, Michèle forme le projet de se venger ; elle fait show more connaître à Philip, Anne, une toute jeune fille qu'elle « construit », façonne, engage corps et âme dans une aventure dont elle veut garder la haute manœuvre. Mais si Philip revient enfin à Michèle par lassitude, si la petite Anne sort brisée par cette première expérience, n'a-t-on pas la conviction que l'Histoire d'un Amour vient de s'achever dramatiquement ? Au moyen d'une écriture à la fois éclatante et tendue, Roger Nimier nous propose ces êtres douloureux et cyniques, associés autant à leur destin qu'à l'époque de folie et de destruction dont ils sont issus. show less

Exergue : "Ce roman est purement imaginaire. Toute ressemblance avec des événements ou des personnages réels serait vraiment l'effet d'une mauvaise chance".
Incipit : "Vous m'arracheriez les oreilles [...] vous ne me feriez pas dire que Philippe le Bel était un méchant homme... Un rien capricieux, je vous le concède".
Il faut le lire.