Narrative
Un petit bourgeois
Not translated into English
François Nourissier · 1963
Synopsis
At thirty-six, a man undertakes, for the sake of his two sons, a moral inventory of himself. In thematic chapters rather than in chronological order, he reviews his body and appearance, love and friendship, his adolescence under the Occupation, the houses he loved, his name, the values and comforts of the bourgeoisie he comes from. He has promised himself not to embellish anything, least of all what works against him.
Context
The book appeared from Grasset in 1963, a date that one source puts at 1964. Its author, who was thirty-six, wrote it for his two children. It does not present itself as an autobiography or as memoirs, but as a moral inventory, made up of independent chapters arranged by theme, and it sets itself the task of telling everything, including what weighs on him. It has been read as an unvarnished portrait of a certain bourgeois France, affluent and discreet.
Who it is for
A narrative without plot, in thematic chapters that can be read in any order; its frankness about the self may surprise.
Prizes and reception
The book was reissued in paperback, notably in the Folio series, and taken up by Grasset in 1983.
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