The Light of the World

The heroine’s childhood was spent in a traveling circus where her parents worked. Even that constant motion wasn’t enough for her—she was always managing to escape, to peek into other people’s lives and try on new roles for herself. Returning in her thoughts to the past, the heroine tells about her adventures and observations, her relationships with lovers, with her family, and with life itself—captivating listeners with her unique view of the world. Along with her, the listener will travel to the outskirts of French towns and to the center of Paris, into picturesque mountains and onto noisy film sets. And they will learn that “art de vivre,” “the art of living,” means going through life without bending under its weight—at an easy, light pace.

In Christian Bobin’s audiobook, the world is perceived poetically and the language is crystal clear, as in the classics. It can be placed alongside Raymond Queneau’s masterpiece “Zazie in the Metro” and Patrick Modiano’s “A Little Miracle.” A cure for sorrow and a source of inspiration, this novel is about the state of the soul. Loved by generations of French readers, it is published in Russia for the first time.