In the Café of Lost Youth (2007)

by Patrick Modiano

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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"Who was Louki? Did anyone really know? She made her mark on all of us in different ways. We all remember her, some of us more than others, but did any of us truly know her? Can anyone honestly say they know another person? In the Cafe of Lost Youth is vintage Patrick Modiano, an absorbing evocation of a particular Paris of the 1950s, shadowy and shady, a secret world of writers, criminals, drinkers, and drifters. The novel, which includes vignettes of a number of historical figures and is inspired in part by the circle (depicted in the photographs of Ed van der Elsken) of the notorious and charismatic Guy Debord, centers on the enigmatic, waiflike figure of Louki, who catches everyone's attention even as she eludes possession or comprehension. Through the eyes of four very different narrators, we contemplate Louki's character and her fate, while Modiano explores the themes of identity, memory, time, and forgetting that are at the heart of his hypnotic and deeply moving art"--… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)

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HelgeM | Jan 28, 2022 |

Una lectura calmada de Modiano en busca del tiempo perdido con un final casi anunciado en toda su extensión. (

)

Orellana_Souto | Jul 27, 2021 |

I had wanted something quick but intriguing at the library and I found this book. This is a story about a woman who is a regular at the Cafe Conde as told by four different people, one of whom is Louki herself. I loved the setting, 1950's Paris, and the reminiscing that the past is gone now, the buildings sold to foreigners and turned into high end shops. (Just like the US!)
There is a sad, dreamy quality about this book, an indie movie kind of film. It was a good translation, judging by the mood of the book. I wanted to be there, just for awhile.

Reading other reviews, I see people equate the lost youth as the ones who frequent the cafe. I saw the lost youth as those who are now older and remembering this Paris. (

)

Chica3000 | Dec 11, 2020 |

More of a novelette than a novel but not lacking in quality. The story is told from multiple view points and leads nicely to its conclusion. (

)

charlie68 | Mar 10, 2020 |

The café is called the Condé, in Paris. The lost youth are a loose group that convene there, none of whom appear to be notable, now or in the future. A figure of intrigue is a girl nick-named Louki. She’s as lost as the others, maybe more so. Four narrators, including Louki, tell her story, ultimately a tragic one.

As with most of Modiano’s novels there are elements of mysticism, ambiguity of time and space, and looking back at events that happened to the narrators some time ago. And as always, much of the story consists of “details that conceal other details, much more painful ones.” Navigating the details and the journey are, as always, worth it. (

)

Hagelstein | Dec 4, 2018 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Modiano, Patrick	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Cameron, Euan	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Clarke, Chris	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Elzinga, Maarten	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

dtv (14274)

Europese literatuurcollectie (dl. 1)

Gallimard, Blanche

Gallimard, Folio (4834)

New York Review Books Classics

Panorama de Narrativas (705)

— 1 more

A tot vent (493)

Is contained in

Romans by Patrick Modiano

בבית הקפה של הנעורים האבודים : שני רומנים by פטריק מודיאנו

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Best Translated Book Award (Longlist – 2017)

French-American Foundation Translation Prize (Shortlist – Fiction, Chris Clarke – 2017)

Meilleurs livres de l'année du magazine Lire (Roman français – 2007)

Prix Lire (Roman français – 2007)

Distinctions

The A.V. Club best books (2016)

Boston Globe Best Book (Fiction – 2016)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

In the Café of Lost Youth

Original title

Dans le café de la jeunesse perdue

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2007 (original French)

2007

2016 (English: Clarke)

People/Characters

Louki (Jacqueline Delanque)

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

At the halfway point of the journey making up real life, we were surrounded by a gloomy melancholy, one expressed by so very many derisive and sorrowful words in the café of the lost youth.

-Guy Debord

Dedication

First words

There were two entrances to the café, but she always opted for the narrower one hidden in the shadows.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

French

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

"Who was Louki? Did anyone really know? She made her mark on all of us in different ways. We all remember her, some of us more than others, but did any of us truly know her? Can anyone honestly say they know another person? In the Cafe of Lost Youth is vintage Patrick Modiano, an absorbing evocation of a particular Paris of the 1950s, shadowy and shady, a secret world of writers, criminals, drinkers, and drifters. The novel, which includes vignettes of a number of historical figures and is inspired in part by the circle (depicted in the photographs of Ed van der Elsken) of the notorious and charismatic Guy Debord, centers on the enigmatic, waiflike figure of Louki, who catches everyone's attention even as she eludes possession or comprehension. Through the eyes of four very different narrators, we contemplate Louki's character and her fate, while Modiano explores the themes of identity, memory, time, and forgetting that are at the heart of his hypnotic and deeply moving art"--

▾Library descriptions

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

«Παρίσι, δεκαετία του 60· μια νεαρή γυναίκα εξαφανίζεται. Το μόνο που γνωρίζουμε γι αυτήν είναι το ψευδώνυμό της: Λουκί. Συχνάζει μαζί με άλλους μποέμ τύπους στο "cafe της χαμένης νιότης".
Μα ποια ήταν; Ο Πατρίκ Μοντιανό δίνει τον λόγο σε όλους όσοι τη γνώριζαν, μα ελάχιστα την ήξεραν πραγματικά: έναν ιδιωτικό ντεντέκτιβ, έναν φοιτητή, έναν εκκολαπτόμενο μυθιστοριογράφο, αλλά και τον σύζυγο της Λουκί. Παράλληλα την ακούμε να περιγράφει τη ζωής της, μια ζωή χωρίς ορίζοντα, σ ένα Παρίσι φωτογραφημένο σε άσπρο-μαύρο.
Ο Μοντιανό είναι μια από τις πιο ωραίες φωνές της γαλλικής λογοτεχνίας, αλλά και μια μουσική που συνοδεύεται από απλές λέξεις και σιωπές. Δεν ξέρουμε με πια μαγεία ο συγγραφέας επιτυγχάνει τη δημιουργία αυτής της ατμόσφαιρας, γεμάτης μυστήριο και μελαγχολία. Κατορθώνει να ρίξει φως σε ανώνυμα πρόσωπα και να τα καταστήσει ιδιαιτέρως σαγηνευτικά».
Mohammed Aissaoui, Le Figaro Litteraire

Haiku summary