Education européenne
8 hrs. 18 min.
Description
In 1945, the debut novel “European Education” by the writer was published, and it received the prestigious Prix des Critiques award.
This touching story tells of a fourteen-year-old Polish boy, Yanek, who was forced to grow up because of tragic events: during the period of the German occupation of Poland, he lost his family and was forced to leave his home forever.
For four years already, Poland has been under the power of German troops. Dr. Twardowski, a doctor from Vilno who lost two older sons in the war, takes his younger son Yanek—who is 14—into the forest and hides him in an earth shelter. Promising to visit him every few days, the father suddenly disappears. More than a week passes, and Yanek understands that something terrible has happened. Following his father’s advice, he goes looking for partisans in the woods and soon finds a group the locals call the “greens.” In the unit he meets Zosia, a scout who, despite her youth, has already endured a great deal of suffering. Together, the partisans fight not only the enemy, but also hunger and cold. In the evenings, they listen as a former student, Adam Dobrzyński, reads them fragments from his work “European Education,” in which he reflects on the future of a free Europe.
Romain Gary, a recognized classic of French literature, lived a life that felt like an exciting novel. Born in 1914 in Vilna (today Vilnius), then part of the Russian Empire, he emigrated to France as a teenager, where he received a legal education. In the spring of 1939, after finishing flight school, he joined French aviation after the outbreak of World War II. In 1943, participating in the “Free France” movement, Gary began work on his first novel. For bravery shown in combat, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour.
Romain Gary’s stories, based on his personal experience of World War II, add a special depth to the novel, allowing readers to see historical events from an intimate perspective. The book’s characters, trapped in inhumanly harsh conditions, continue to believe in humanist values and the importance of human life.
This touching story tells of a fourteen-year-old Polish boy, Yanek, who was forced to grow up because of tragic events: during the period of the German occupation of Poland, he lost his family and was forced to leave his home forever.
For four years already, Poland has been under the power of German troops. Dr. Twardowski, a doctor from Vilno who lost two older sons in the war, takes his younger son Yanek—who is 14—into the forest and hides him in an earth shelter. Promising to visit him every few days, the father suddenly disappears. More than a week passes, and Yanek understands that something terrible has happened. Following his father’s advice, he goes looking for partisans in the woods and soon finds a group the locals call the “greens.” In the unit he meets Zosia, a scout who, despite her youth, has already endured a great deal of suffering. Together, the partisans fight not only the enemy, but also hunger and cold. In the evenings, they listen as a former student, Adam Dobrzyński, reads them fragments from his work “European Education,” in which he reflects on the future of a free Europe.
Romain Gary, a recognized classic of French literature, lived a life that felt like an exciting novel. Born in 1914 in Vilna (today Vilnius), then part of the Russian Empire, he emigrated to France as a teenager, where he received a legal education. In the spring of 1939, after finishing flight school, he joined French aviation after the outbreak of World War II. In 1943, participating in the “Free France” movement, Gary began work on his first novel. For bravery shown in combat, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour.
Romain Gary’s stories, based on his personal experience of World War II, add a special depth to the novel, allowing readers to see historical events from an intimate perspective. The book’s characters, trapped in inhumanly harsh conditions, continue to believe in humanist values and the importance of human life.
