Please join us on April 28, 2009 for a discussion of Irene Nemirovsky's novel, Suite Française.
From the Washington Post: "This extraordinary work of fiction about the German occupation of France is embedded in a real story as gripping and complex as the invented one. Composed in 1941-42 by an accomplished writer who had published several well-received novels, Suite Française, her last work, was written under the tremendous pressure of a constant danger that was to catch up with her and kill her before she had finished."
From Alan Cheuse, NPR: “Beautifully restrained . . . [Némirovsky’s] talent was quite considerable and her personal story rather moving and tragic . . . I don’t know of a more striking recent case where biography and artistic accomplishment are so intertwined . . . Némirovsky left behind [a note] about how to compose the projected later volumes of this novel project: ‘The most important and most interesting thing here is the following: the historical, revolutionary facts etc. must be only lightly touched upon, while daily life, the emotional life . . . must be described in detail.’ This she did rather splendidly in the first two books.”
The Museum of Jewish Heritage currently has an exhibition on Irene Nemirovsky. Visit http://www.mjhnyc.org/irene/index.html and learn about Irene, listen to podcasts, and view the manuscript and artifacts.
Come discuss the novel and learn about the controversy surrounding Irene Nemirovsky. We will meet in the Lainer Library from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. This group is open to faculty and staff, parents, alumni, or friends of Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School.
