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Guarda le luci, amore mio
«Raccontare la vita»: è questo il nome della collana per la quale nel 2012 l’editore francese Seuil chiede un libro ad Annie Ernaux. Senza esitazioni, l’autrice sceglie di portare alla luce uno spazio ignorato dalla letteratura, eppure formidabile specchio della realtà sociale: l’ipermercato. Ne nasce dunque un diario, in cui Ernaux registra per un anno le proprie regolari visite al «suo» Auchan annotando le contraddizioni e le ritualità ma anche le insospettate tenerezze di quel tempio del consumo. Da questa «libera rassegna di osservazioni» condotta tra una corsia e l’altra - con in mano la lista della spesa -, a contatto con le scintillanti montagne di merci della grande distribuzione, prende vita “Guarda le luci, amore mio”, una riflessione narrativa capace di mostrarci da un’angolazione inedita uno dei teatri segreti del nostro vivere collettivo.
107 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2014
About the author
Annie Ernaux
78 books7,545 followersThe author of some twenty works of fiction and memoir, Annie Ernaux is considered by many to be France’s most important writer. In 2022, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. She has also won the Prix Renaudot for A Man's Place and the Marguerite Yourcenar Prize for her body of work. More recently she received the International Strega Prize, the Prix Formentor, the French-American Translation Prize, and the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation for The Years, which was also shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2019. Her other works include Exteriors, A Girl's Story, A Woman's Story, The Possession, Simple Passion, Happening, I Remain in Darkness, Shame, A Frozen Woman, and A Man's Place.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 651 reviews
December 5, 2023
I’ve always sort of loved the phrase of praise about an author one loves that you “even read their grocery lists”as if even there you’d find some Joycean-type genius to glean or at least to simply be basking in their handwritten lettering. If Annie Ernaux is an author who you would—hell, I probably have—say this sort of thing about then you are in luck because Look at the Lights, My Love is Ernaux’s diary-like reflections on supermarkets and does, in fact, contain some shopping lists (coffee and cat food, if you were curious). Ernaux reflects back on the emergence of supermarkets—her first being in the London suburbs in the 1960s—and considers the social implications that come with such behemoths of consumerism over the course of two years that she keeps records of her thoughts while shipping in an Auchan. While it is always a delight to read the way she decodes the world, much of this feels a bit dated having been published in 2014 and only now translated into English by Alison L. Strayer, though this also goes to show how much the world has changed even in a decade and how normalized the concept of a superstore is. Anything Ernaux is always worth a read, and at 96 pages this is a fun little jaunt through her mind.
Growing up, superstores were just a normal part of American consumerism and never really seemed to stand out much for me. In Michigan we have Meijer which got its start here, as well as the usual Targets and Walmarts, so it was interesting to see Ernaux address them as something unique and worth dissecting. She begins her book, however, discussing that she feels superstores (okay, I also feel like nobody here ever uses the term superstore and just says the corporate name which is likely an indication on the US being so completely saturated by corporations capitalisming their way into every single nook and cranny of society) never get literary representation, which she theorizes is actually an erasure of women’s livelihoods.
This was interesting to consider as I feel supermarkets have become backdrops for a lot of literature in the US, most notably Don DeLillo’s White Noise, where a character claims a supermarket ‘recharges us spiritually, it prepares us, it's a gateway or pathway. Look how bright. It's full of psychic data,’ that supermarkets are full of ceremonial behavior, ‘code words and ceremonial phrases.’ Supermarkets can serve an excellent vantage point into the undercurrent of society and these moments of reflection in Look at the Lights… is when the book is at its best. Over the two years, Ernaux has a few interesting points to consider. She writes about the value judgements, such as warnings about shoplifting in the alcohol section but not the vegetables. Or she writes about how consumerism gets tangled up in ideas of showing affection:
Basic reflections on class:
Or her ongoing disdain for the self-checkout and being yelled at by a robotic voice over any errors she makes:
She does not engage much with the staff or customers though, saying ‘I am unable to step outside my status of customer.’
I do enjoy the line she had about how if you accidentally steal something by error at a self-checkout it doesn’t feel as bad because it’s just a machine. During college my roommate and I read Les Miserables at the same time and started a running inside-joke where we’d steal a single baguette through the self-checkout and declare on our way out of the store “tonight we eat like Jean Valjean”.
Ultimately, there isn’t much here for this to really need to be published as a standalone book beyond Yale University Press just wanting to put out anything Ernaux they had rights to following her winning the Nobel Prize in 2022, but it was still a plesant read. I love when she discusses topics of memory and retrospective investigation, which is probably why these reflections done in the moment don’t capture the same magic and even she admits ‘I have trouble discerning and comprehending the present moment.’ Though her note at the end when she ceases to diary about the supermarket is classic Ernaux:
This was a fun little read, and I certainly thought about it today while grocery shopping, passing through all the different sections of the superstore and reflecting more about them than I had before. Ernaux is such a gem, and I will continue to read anything she writes. Even her grocery lists.
Growing up, superstores were just a normal part of American consumerism and never really seemed to stand out much for me. In Michigan we have Meijer which got its start here, as well as the usual Targets and Walmarts, so it was interesting to see Ernaux address them as something unique and worth dissecting. She begins her book, however, discussing that she feels superstores (okay, I also feel like nobody here ever uses the term superstore and just says the corporate name which is likely an indication on the US being so completely saturated by corporations capitalisming their way into every single nook and cranny of society) never get literary representation, which she theorizes is actually an erasure of women’s livelihoods.
‘the supermarket is linked to subsistence, the business of women, who have long been its main users. And that which falls within the domain of activities more or less specific to women is traditionally invisible, does not count-like the domestic work they perform, moreover. That which has no value in life has none in literature.’
This was interesting to consider as I feel supermarkets have become backdrops for a lot of literature in the US, most notably Don DeLillo’s White Noise, where a character claims a supermarket ‘recharges us spiritually, it prepares us, it's a gateway or pathway. Look how bright. It's full of psychic data,’ that supermarkets are full of ceremonial behavior, ‘code words and ceremonial phrases.’ Supermarkets can serve an excellent vantage point into the undercurrent of society and these moments of reflection in Look at the Lights… is when the book is at its best. Over the two years, Ernaux has a few interesting points to consider. She writes about the value judgements, such as warnings about shoplifting in the alcohol section but not the vegetables. Or she writes about how consumerism gets tangled up in ideas of showing affection:
‘In the world of the superstore and the free-market economy, loving children means buying them as many things as possible’
Basic reflections on class:
‘The humiliation inflicted by commercial goods: they are too expensive, so I'm worth nothing.’
Or her ongoing disdain for the self-checkout and being yelled at by a robotic voice over any errors she makes:
‘On the internet I read that the scanning device is called a gun, and that consumers claim to be satisfied with the system, with the weapon that eliminates cashiers while at the same time turning us over to the discretionary authority of the superstore.
A simple political act: refuse to use it.’
She does not engage much with the staff or customers though, saying ‘I am unable to step outside my status of customer.’
I do enjoy the line she had about how if you accidentally steal something by error at a self-checkout it doesn’t feel as bad because it’s just a machine. During college my roommate and I read Les Miserables at the same time and started a running inside-joke where we’d steal a single baguette through the self-checkout and declare on our way out of the store “tonight we eat like Jean Valjean”.
Ultimately, there isn’t much here for this to really need to be published as a standalone book beyond Yale University Press just wanting to put out anything Ernaux they had rights to following her winning the Nobel Prize in 2022, but it was still a plesant read. I love when she discusses topics of memory and retrospective investigation, which is probably why these reflections done in the moment don’t capture the same magic and even she admits ‘I have trouble discerning and comprehending the present moment.’ Though her note at the end when she ceases to diary about the supermarket is classic Ernaux:
‘As I do every time I cease to record the present, I feel I am withdrawing from the movement of the world, giving up not only narrating my days, but seeing them too. Because seeing in order to write is to see in a different way. It means to distinguish objects, individuals, and mechanisms, and give their existence value.’
This was a fun little read, and I certainly thought about it today while grocery shopping, passing through all the different sections of the superstore and reflecting more about them than I had before. Ernaux is such a gem, and I will continue to read anything she writes. Even her grocery lists.
December 16, 2023
In a nutshell, this short book is actually a sort of a magazine-style journal essay by a Nobel laureate about her experience over two years of visiting a French superstore. And yes, that seemed interesting to me; I’m weird that way.
Superstores are a ubiquitous part of life, at least in the US. But I grew up without them in Ukraine and I still remember my first absolutely overwhelming experience of walking into a Walmart superstore after only knowing how to shop in tiny stores and outdoor marketplaces — and let’s not forget the absolute monsters like IKEA. (I still treat my yearly trips to IKEA as a full day urban hiking adventure/obstacle course to get from the yellow armchair (that is unnecessary but you just must have) all the way to Swedish meatballs and back hopefully in one piece.)
Memory of that overwhelming superstore experience helped make Annie Ernaux book weirdly relatable, especially as I am not a fan of shopping and a huge loud store with endless aisles is guaranteed to make my eyes glaze over after just a few minutes.
Ernaux looks at her local superstore as a microcosm of society where income and class divisions are painfully obvious, where deepest and darkest secrets are put on display to the others through the contents of the shopping baskets, and stereotypes are still reinforced - but in consumerism-friendly way. With resigned attitude that yet occasionally gets a sharper edge she observes socioeconomic everyday happenings with a writer’s eye.
It’s interesting, but ultimately a bit too long for an essay and a bit too essay-like to sustain even a small book. A litany of understated observations can become a bit repetitive over a hundred pages, and at some point in addition to observations, as witty and interesting they may be, I am expecting something additional to pop up. It’s great up to a point where it almost feels like a guest that’s overstaying their welcome just a bit.
But her insights are interesting as you can see below, and enough for me to want to try more Ernaux in the future:
———
“In the world of the superstore and the free-market economy, loving children means buying them as many things as possible.”
“Buying groceries as a couple for the first time confirms that a shared life is truly beginning. It means making adjustments for budgets and tastes, united around the basic need to eat. Proposing that a man or woman accompany you to the superstore is a world away from inviting them to the movies, or to the café for a drink. There is no seductive swagger, no possibility of cheating.”
“The beginning of wealth, of the levity of wealth, is discernible in the act of taking an item from a shelf of food without first checking the price. The humiliation inflicted by commercial goods: they are too expensive, so I’m worth nothing.”
“Wait time at the checkout is the time when we are closest to each other. Observed and observing, listened to and listening—or just getting a sense of each other in a drifting intuitive way. Here, as nowhere else, our way of life and bank account are exposed. Your eating habits, most private interests, even your family structure. The goods deposited on the conveyor belt reveal whether a person lives alone, or with a partner, with a baby, young children, animals. Your body and gestures, alertness or ineptitude, are exposed, as well as your status as a foreigner, if asking for a cashier’s help in counting coins, and consideration for others, demonstrated by setting the divider behind your items in deference to the customer behind, and stacking your empty basket on top of the others. But we don’t really care about being exposed, in the sense that we do not notice and, most of the time, do not talk to each other. As if to strike up conversation would be absurd. Or simply unthinkable for some, with their look of being there but also not, to signal that they are a cut above the great majority of Auchan’s clientele.”
————
3.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Superstores are a ubiquitous part of life, at least in the US. But I grew up without them in Ukraine and I still remember my first absolutely overwhelming experience of walking into a Walmart superstore after only knowing how to shop in tiny stores and outdoor marketplaces — and let’s not forget the absolute monsters like IKEA. (I still treat my yearly trips to IKEA as a full day urban hiking adventure/obstacle course to get from the yellow armchair (that is unnecessary but you just must have) all the way to Swedish meatballs and back hopefully in one piece.)
Memory of that overwhelming superstore experience helped make Annie Ernaux book weirdly relatable, especially as I am not a fan of shopping and a huge loud store with endless aisles is guaranteed to make my eyes glaze over after just a few minutes.
Ernaux looks at her local superstore as a microcosm of society where income and class divisions are painfully obvious, where deepest and darkest secrets are put on display to the others through the contents of the shopping baskets, and stereotypes are still reinforced - but in consumerism-friendly way. With resigned attitude that yet occasionally gets a sharper edge she observes socioeconomic everyday happenings with a writer’s eye.
“Yet when you think of it, there is no other space, public or private, where so many individuals so different in terms of age, income, education, geographic and ethnic background, and personal style, move about and rub shoulders with each other. No enclosed space where people are brought into greater contact with their fellow humans, dozens of times a year, and where each has a chance to catch a glimpse of others’ ways of living and being. Politicians, journalists, “experts,” all those who have never set foot in a superstore, do not know the social reality of France today.”
It’s interesting, but ultimately a bit too long for an essay and a bit too essay-like to sustain even a small book. A litany of understated observations can become a bit repetitive over a hundred pages, and at some point in addition to observations, as witty and interesting they may be, I am expecting something additional to pop up. It’s great up to a point where it almost feels like a guest that’s overstaying their welcome just a bit.
But her insights are interesting as you can see below, and enough for me to want to try more Ernaux in the future:
———
“In the world of the superstore and the free-market economy, loving children means buying them as many things as possible.”
“Buying groceries as a couple for the first time confirms that a shared life is truly beginning. It means making adjustments for budgets and tastes, united around the basic need to eat. Proposing that a man or woman accompany you to the superstore is a world away from inviting them to the movies, or to the café for a drink. There is no seductive swagger, no possibility of cheating.”
“The beginning of wealth, of the levity of wealth, is discernible in the act of taking an item from a shelf of food without first checking the price. The humiliation inflicted by commercial goods: they are too expensive, so I’m worth nothing.”
“Wait time at the checkout is the time when we are closest to each other. Observed and observing, listened to and listening—or just getting a sense of each other in a drifting intuitive way. Here, as nowhere else, our way of life and bank account are exposed. Your eating habits, most private interests, even your family structure. The goods deposited on the conveyor belt reveal whether a person lives alone, or with a partner, with a baby, young children, animals. Your body and gestures, alertness or ineptitude, are exposed, as well as your status as a foreigner, if asking for a cashier’s help in counting coins, and consideration for others, demonstrated by setting the divider behind your items in deference to the customer behind, and stacking your empty basket on top of the others. But we don’t really care about being exposed, in the sense that we do not notice and, most of the time, do not talk to each other. As if to strike up conversation would be absurd. Or simply unthinkable for some, with their look of being there but also not, to signal that they are a cut above the great majority of Auchan’s clientele.”
————
3.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
December 29, 2022
انظر إلي الأضواء يا حبيبي ..كتاب غريب للكاتبة الفرنسية آني إيرنو وهو عبارة عن يوميات للكاتبة بتتكلم فيه عن زيارتها للسوبرماركت و بتحكي عن كل ما تراه هناك..
بس كدة؟ اه والله!
كتاب ملوش أي معني و لا هدف وممل جداً في قراءته و ممكن أي واحد فينا يكتب زيه و بمنتهي السهولة كمان!
القراءة التانية للكاتبة بعد كتابها الرائع الحدث و ناوية أقراء لها كتير الفترة القادمة عشان أتعرف علي قلمها أكتر خصوصاً بعد أن فازت بجائزة نوبل للأدب بس الأكيد إن الكتاب دة مش من ضمن الأسباب اللي خليتها تفوز بالجائزة!
بس كدة؟ اه والله!
كتاب ملوش أي معني و لا هدف وممل جداً في قراءته و ممكن أي واحد فينا يكتب زيه و بمنتهي السهولة كمان!
القراءة التانية للكاتبة بعد كتابها الرائع الحدث و ناوية أقراء لها كتير الفترة القادمة عشان أتعرف علي قلمها أكتر خصوصاً بعد أن فازت بجائزة نوبل للأدب بس الأكيد إن الكتاب دة مش من ضمن الأسباب اللي خليتها تفوز بالجائزة!
August 25, 2024
#WITMonth 2023
We’re a community of desires not action.
É verdade que já deixei de ter paciência para Annie Ernaux, mas este livro, tal como as luzes a que se refere o título, estava a piscar no meu serviço de subscrição, por isso, cedi e, desta vez, não me arrependi, já que me deixa mais à vontade neste registo sociológico com que consigo identificar-me do que com as referências demasiado francesas ou com a sua memória afectiva, a qual me tem fornecido constrangedores momentos de voyeurismo.
Escrito quase como um diário entre novembro de 2012 e julho de 2013, “Look at the Lights My Love” relata, por vezes com um sentido de humor que não lhe conhecia, as mundanas incursões da autora no hipermercado da Auchan, num subúrbio francês, durante um período que conhece vários picos de consumo, o Natal, a Páscoa, o regresso às aulas, ou alturas mais mortas em que observa as duvidosas promoções…
The superstores’ art of making people believe in its benevolence.
…as campanhas dirigidas a quem ainda mais frequenta lojas…
Nothing has changed since Émile Zola’s “The Ladies’ Paradise”. Women are always the primary consenting targets of commerce.
…a quase ausência de outros livros à venda para além dos bestsellers, mas a alegria de encontrar um dos seus, mesmo que em formato de bolso.
In any case I always feel bad placing a book on a conveyor belt as if it were a sacrilege though I would be happy to see one of mine pulled from a shopping cart and slid onto the belt between a pound of butter and a pair of tights.
Mas, curiosamente, também se vê observada como figura pública quando algum leitor a reconhece.
At the checkout (…) a customer with a wheeled shopping basket offers me her spot. As I vigorously decline – do I look that tired ? That old? – she smiles and says she knows my writing (…). Placing my items on the conveyor belt I think a little uneasily that she’s going to look to what I’ve bought. Every item suddenly takes a loaded meaning, reveals my lifestyle.
Neste pequeno ensaio sobre a sociedade de consumo nesse grande nivelador social e étnico que é o hipermercado…
Whether we like it or not we form a community of desires here.
…Ernaux chama a atenção para as condições de trabalho nas fábricas de vestuário no Sudeste Asiático, faz um contraponto da abundância actual face à época do pós-guerra em que ela cresceu, comenta a falta de idas ao supermercado na ficção e, acima de tudo, insiste na cristalização da imagem da mulher, tanto no papel do grande consumidor por tradição e necessidade, como na perpetuação dos estereótipos.
Gender-conditioning doesn’t bother with subtleties or imagination. It’s all just like mom in miniature. I’m shaken with anger and a feeling of powerlessness. This is where you have to come, to places where our unconscious minds are shaped and slash and burn all these objects of transmission. I’ll be there.
E eu também, Annie!
We’re a community of desires not action.
É verdade que já deixei de ter paciência para Annie Ernaux, mas este livro, tal como as luzes a que se refere o título, estava a piscar no meu serviço de subscrição, por isso, cedi e, desta vez, não me arrependi, já que me deixa mais à vontade neste registo sociológico com que consigo identificar-me do que com as referências demasiado francesas ou com a sua memória afectiva, a qual me tem fornecido constrangedores momentos de voyeurismo.
Escrito quase como um diário entre novembro de 2012 e julho de 2013, “Look at the Lights My Love” relata, por vezes com um sentido de humor que não lhe conhecia, as mundanas incursões da autora no hipermercado da Auchan, num subúrbio francês, durante um período que conhece vários picos de consumo, o Natal, a Páscoa, o regresso às aulas, ou alturas mais mortas em que observa as duvidosas promoções…
The superstores’ art of making people believe in its benevolence.
…as campanhas dirigidas a quem ainda mais frequenta lojas…
Nothing has changed since Émile Zola’s “The Ladies’ Paradise”. Women are always the primary consenting targets of commerce.
…a quase ausência de outros livros à venda para além dos bestsellers, mas a alegria de encontrar um dos seus, mesmo que em formato de bolso.
In any case I always feel bad placing a book on a conveyor belt as if it were a sacrilege though I would be happy to see one of mine pulled from a shopping cart and slid onto the belt between a pound of butter and a pair of tights.
Mas, curiosamente, também se vê observada como figura pública quando algum leitor a reconhece.
At the checkout (…) a customer with a wheeled shopping basket offers me her spot. As I vigorously decline – do I look that tired ? That old? – she smiles and says she knows my writing (…). Placing my items on the conveyor belt I think a little uneasily that she’s going to look to what I’ve bought. Every item suddenly takes a loaded meaning, reveals my lifestyle.
Neste pequeno ensaio sobre a sociedade de consumo nesse grande nivelador social e étnico que é o hipermercado…
Whether we like it or not we form a community of desires here.
…Ernaux chama a atenção para as condições de trabalho nas fábricas de vestuário no Sudeste Asiático, faz um contraponto da abundância actual face à época do pós-guerra em que ela cresceu, comenta a falta de idas ao supermercado na ficção e, acima de tudo, insiste na cristalização da imagem da mulher, tanto no papel do grande consumidor por tradição e necessidade, como na perpetuação dos estereótipos.
Gender-conditioning doesn’t bother with subtleties or imagination. It’s all just like mom in miniature. I’m shaken with anger and a feeling of powerlessness. This is where you have to come, to places where our unconscious minds are shaped and slash and burn all these objects of transmission. I’ll be there.
E eu também, Annie!
Read
March 19, 2022J’aurais du mal à expliquer la tendresse que j’ai ressentie en lisant ce livre, sinon qu’il m’a ramenée aux heures passées entre les rayonnages de Auchan Roncq ou Auchan Leers pendant mon enfance. Et que j’aime les observations du quotidien, j’aime qu’on s’attarde sur la banalité de l’existence, et quoi de plus banal qu’un hypermarché. On pourrait facilement se passer de cette lecture dans l’œuvre d’Ernaux, mais je crois qu’on aurait tort : c’est bref, intelligent, sensible, pourquoi se priver ?
April 19, 2022
Basandomi solo su una supposizione, avevo deciso che questo sarebbe stato il libro meno interessante di Ernaux.
Perfetto per la mia attuale ossessione nei suoi riguardi, ovvero uno di quei prodotti su cui vuoi mettere le mani solo perché la tua bramosia è arrivata al pericoloso livello "di quell'autrice leggerei anche la lista della spesa".
Questo diario, poi, è perfetto per tale scopo: è letteralmente incentrato sul mondo dei supermercati.
Ernaux, però, come ho capito essere sua abitudine, mi ha lanciato una palla curva in piena faccia.
Innanzitutto, è il primo testo della sua produzione che, pur rimanendo nel tono autobiografico della sua indagine letteraria, non scaturisce da un evento traumatico. Non c'è morte o violenza, dietro "Guarda le luci, amore mio", ma solo la tranquilla richiesta di un editore.
Forse proprio perché la premessa le è meno personale, Ernaux appare qui ancora più lucidamente intima. C'è una certa razionalità spontanea, diversa da quella cui pare doversi ricondurre altrove, che te la fa avvertire ancora più tangibile. Non c'è, invece, il distacco temporale di altri suoi romanzi, quella patina lasciata da un intervallo di tanti giorni trascorsi nel mentre, per cui ho trovato i dettagli ancora più vividi.
È un libro con un certo chiarore. [Forse qui ha provato meno vergogna?]
Pare proprio di vederla, mentre cammina tra le corsie, con il cellulare pronto tra le mani per scattare una fotografia a un dettaglio da ricordare, mentre centinaia di altre vite le scorrono ai lati e lei si prepara a scriverne per immortalarne un frammento. Guarda i commessi e i clienti, riporta stralci di conversazioni, tonalità di pelle e di voce e dà corpo a un luogo di solito estromesso dalla letteratura, senza mai perdere quel suo sguardo antropologico e sociale.
A questo racconto pare destinata. Se l'hai già letta, questa sua voce te la rievoca, bambina, sulla cima delle scale, dietro il cancelletto, mentre ruba i discorsi dei clienti dei suoi genitori, nella bottega del paese in cui è cresciuta. La scala percorsa di fretta da sua madre, su e giù, il giorno in cui le è morto il marito e lei non ha chiuso l'attività; l'angolo in cui Annie bambina si rifugiava, guardando fuori, a fare i compiti.
Avrei voluto una chiusura più ponderata. Ernaux invece no: la materia deve esserle venuta a noia e se l'è subito lasciata alle spalle.
Mi sembra che leggere Ernaux, per la natura così intima dei suoi testi, sia un’esperienza che arricchisce non solo grazie all’immersione temporanea ma anche – e forse soprattutto? – dall’affrontarla in successione.
La sua è un’indagine letteraria della vita, dei cui risultati il lettore è messo a conoscenza affinché a sua volta possa compierne un’altra. Su di lei e su di sé.
Riflettere sui suoi testi fa sì che sugli stessi si posi un ennesimo strato interpretativo.
In luce di ciò, riporto qui di seguito come l’ho conosciuta io.
1. L'evento
2. Il posto
3. Una donna
4. La vergogna
5. Guarda le luci, amore mio
Perfetto per la mia attuale ossessione nei suoi riguardi, ovvero uno di quei prodotti su cui vuoi mettere le mani solo perché la tua bramosia è arrivata al pericoloso livello "di quell'autrice leggerei anche la lista della spesa".
Questo diario, poi, è perfetto per tale scopo: è letteralmente incentrato sul mondo dei supermercati.
Ernaux, però, come ho capito essere sua abitudine, mi ha lanciato una palla curva in piena faccia.
Innanzitutto, è il primo testo della sua produzione che, pur rimanendo nel tono autobiografico della sua indagine letteraria, non scaturisce da un evento traumatico. Non c'è morte o violenza, dietro "Guarda le luci, amore mio", ma solo la tranquilla richiesta di un editore.
Forse proprio perché la premessa le è meno personale, Ernaux appare qui ancora più lucidamente intima. C'è una certa razionalità spontanea, diversa da quella cui pare doversi ricondurre altrove, che te la fa avvertire ancora più tangibile. Non c'è, invece, il distacco temporale di altri suoi romanzi, quella patina lasciata da un intervallo di tanti giorni trascorsi nel mentre, per cui ho trovato i dettagli ancora più vividi.
È un libro con un certo chiarore. [Forse qui ha provato meno vergogna?]
Pare proprio di vederla, mentre cammina tra le corsie, con il cellulare pronto tra le mani per scattare una fotografia a un dettaglio da ricordare, mentre centinaia di altre vite le scorrono ai lati e lei si prepara a scriverne per immortalarne un frammento. Guarda i commessi e i clienti, riporta stralci di conversazioni, tonalità di pelle e di voce e dà corpo a un luogo di solito estromesso dalla letteratura, senza mai perdere quel suo sguardo antropologico e sociale.
A questo racconto pare destinata. Se l'hai già letta, questa sua voce te la rievoca, bambina, sulla cima delle scale, dietro il cancelletto, mentre ruba i discorsi dei clienti dei suoi genitori, nella bottega del paese in cui è cresciuta. La scala percorsa di fretta da sua madre, su e giù, il giorno in cui le è morto il marito e lei non ha chiuso l'attività; l'angolo in cui Annie bambina si rifugiava, guardando fuori, a fare i compiti.
Avrei voluto una chiusura più ponderata. Ernaux invece no: la materia deve esserle venuta a noia e se l'è subito lasciata alle spalle.
...
Mi sembra che leggere Ernaux, per la natura così intima dei suoi testi, sia un’esperienza che arricchisce non solo grazie all’immersione temporanea ma anche – e forse soprattutto? – dall’affrontarla in successione.
La sua è un’indagine letteraria della vita, dei cui risultati il lettore è messo a conoscenza affinché a sua volta possa compierne un’altra. Su di lei e su di sé.
Riflettere sui suoi testi fa sì che sugli stessi si posi un ennesimo strato interpretativo.
In luce di ciò, riporto qui di seguito come l’ho conosciuta io.
1. L'evento
2. Il posto
3. Una donna
4. La vergogna
5. Guarda le luci, amore mio
April 6, 2022
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/9ROENQCmcZg
September 15, 2024
3.5/5
বইয়ের বিষয়বস্তু বেশ আগ্রহ জাগানিয়া। সুপারশপে নিত্য প্রয়োজনীয় বিভিন্ন পণ্য কিনতে যেতে হয় আর্নোকে। তিনি দেখেছেন, এই একটা জায়গাতেই ধনী গরিব নির্বিশেষে সবাইকেই আসতে হয়। আর্নো যান বা যেতেন auchan নামের এক সুপারশপে। তিনি দেখেছেন, সুপারশপ এক আলাদা জগৎ। মানুষ তার সাধ্য অনুযায়ী পণ্য কেনে এবং এখানে পণ্য কিনতে যেয়ে তার প্রকৃত অর্থনৈতিক অবস্থা অন্যদের কাছে লুকিয়ে রাখার উপায় থাকে না (যেহেতু তাকে কিনতে হয়।) প্রচুর অর্থবিত্তের মালিক থেকে শুরু করে দীনহীন মানুষও এখানে আসে আর সবার জন্য এক ছাদের নিচেই অপেক্ষা করে ভিন্ন এক পৃথিবী। সবাই কী কিনছে, সাধারণ মানুষের ঝোক কোনদিকে, দারিদ্র ঢেকে রাখার জন্য মানুষকে কীভাবে প্রাণান্ত পরিশ্রম করতে হয় সবই লেখিকা পর্যবেক্ষণ করেছেন।consumerism কীভাবে আমাদের দখল করে ফেলছে, বিভিন্ন অপ্রয়োজনীয় বস্তু কীভাবে আমাদের জীবনে অতি দরকারি হয়ে পড়ছে তা উদ্বেগ ও অসহায়ত্ব নিয়ে দেখেছেন আর্নো। বাংলাদেশের তাজরীন ফ্যাশনসে অগ্নিকাণ্ড ও রানা প্লাজা ধ্বসে শ্রমিকদের মৃত্যুর কথাও তার দিনলিপিতে উঠে এসেছে। নিখুঁত না হলেও এই বইটা গুরুত্ববহ এর পর্যবেক্ষণ ও বিষয়ের জন্য।
বইয়ের বিষয়বস্তু বেশ আগ্রহ জাগানিয়া। সুপারশপে নিত্য প্রয়োজনীয় বিভিন্ন পণ্য কিনতে যেতে হয় আর্নোকে। তিনি দেখেছেন, এই একটা জায়গাতেই ধনী গরিব নির্বিশেষে সবাইকেই আসতে হয়। আর্নো যান বা যেতেন auchan নামের এক সুপারশপে। তিনি দেখেছেন, সুপারশপ এক আলাদা জগৎ। মানুষ তার সাধ্য অনুযায়ী পণ্য কেনে এবং এখানে পণ্য কিনতে যেয়ে তার প্রকৃত অর্থনৈতিক অবস্থা অন্যদের কাছে লুকিয়ে রাখার উপায় থাকে না (যেহেতু তাকে কিনতে হয়।) প্রচুর অর্থবিত্তের মালিক থেকে শুরু করে দীনহীন মানুষও এখানে আসে আর সবার জন্য এক ছাদের নিচেই অপেক্ষা করে ভিন্ন এক পৃথিবী। সবাই কী কিনছে, সাধারণ মানুষের ঝোক কোনদিকে, দারিদ্র ঢেকে রাখার জন্য মানুষকে কীভাবে প্রাণান্ত পরিশ্রম করতে হয় সবই লেখিকা পর্যবেক্ষণ করেছেন।consumerism কীভাবে আমাদের দখল করে ফেলছে, বিভিন্ন অপ্রয়োজনীয় বস্তু কীভাবে আমাদের জীবনে অতি দরকারি হয়ে পড়ছে তা উদ্বেগ ও অসহায়ত্ব নিয়ে দেখেছেন আর্নো। বাংলাদেশের তাজরীন ফ্যাশনসে অগ্নিকাণ্ড ও রানা প্লাজা ধ্বসে শ্রমিকদের মৃত্যুর কথাও তার দিনলিপিতে উঠে এসেছে। নিখুঁত না হলেও এই বইটা গুরুত্ববহ এর পর্যবেক্ষণ ও বিষয়ের জন্য।
July 6, 2023
The less money one has, the more carefully one must shop, making no mistakes. More time is needed. A list must be made. The best deals in the sales flyer must be selected. This is a form of economic labor, uncounted and obsessive, that fully occupys thousands of women and men. The beginning of wealth, of the levity of wealth, is discernible in the act of taking an item from a shelf of food without first checking the price. The humiliation inflicted by commercial goods: they are too expensive, so I'm worth nothing.
The first of Ernaux's I've read, and while it was her earlier work that earned her the 2022 Nobel Prize, this short book provided an introduction to her self-described "flat writing" style, here in journal form recording her observations and thoughts visiting the Auchan superstore near her home in a suburb of Paris over the course of a year. Many have described her writing as clinical and I can see that, but it is not disinterested, as her perceptions are frequently through the lenses of gender, class, and race inequities. From unlikely material, Ernaux has created a thought-provoking reading experience.
...the supermarket is linked to subsistence, the business of women, who have long been its main users. And that which falls within the domain of activities more or less specific to women is traditionally invisible, does not count-like the domestic work they perform, moreover. That which has no value in life has none in literature.
The first of Ernaux's I've read, and while it was her earlier work that earned her the 2022 Nobel Prize, this short book provided an introduction to her self-described "flat writing" style, here in journal form recording her observations and thoughts visiting the Auchan superstore near her home in a suburb of Paris over the course of a year. Many have described her writing as clinical and I can see that, but it is not disinterested, as her perceptions are frequently through the lenses of gender, class, and race inequities. From unlikely material, Ernaux has created a thought-provoking reading experience.
...the supermarket is linked to subsistence, the business of women, who have long been its main users. And that which falls within the domain of activities more or less specific to women is traditionally invisible, does not count-like the domestic work they perform, moreover. That which has no value in life has none in literature.
June 7, 2022
Annie Ernaux è tra quelle scrittrici e scrittori per i quali dico “Potrebbe anche scrivere la lista della spesa e sarebbe comunque bella.”
Questa frase calza a pennello per questo ultimo romanzo di Annie Ernaux.
Nel 2012, l'editore francese Seuil chiede ad Annie Ernaux di scrivere un libro per la nuova collana «Raccontare la vita». La scrittrice allora punta i riflettori sul mondo variegato e multietnico che abita un ipermercato. Lei scrive il suo diario tra il 2012 e il 2013 e si concentra sull’Auchan, di cui è cliente abituale.
Il suo sguardo critico osserva la vita che pullula nei vari reparti distribuiti su più livelli e, nello stilare il suo diario, conduce la sua indagine sociologica.
Tra gli scaffali, le notizie dei morti in Bangladesh (tra cui molti producevano prodotti per Auchan) sono solo titoli di coda che spariscono nel momento in cui sono annunciati: “Per cambiare le cose, chiaramente, è meglio non contare su di noi, che dopo aver versato qualche lacrima di coccodrillo torniamo ad approfittare a cuor leggero di quella manodopera di schiavi.”
L’ipermercato è un pullulare di specchietti per le allodole, un richiamo costante ad invogliare ad acquistare.
“Sul tapis roulant sotto la grande volta a vetri si sale verso le ghirlande e le luminarie che pendono dal livello superiore come collane di pietre preziose. La giovane donna che è davanti a me con una bambina nel passeggino solleva la testa, sorride. Si china sulla piccola: «Guarda le luci, amore mio!».”
Il 22 ottobre 2013, Annie Ernaux interrompe il diario: “Ho interrotto questo diario. Come accade ogni volta che smetto di registrare il presente, ho l’impressione di ritrarmi dal movimento del mondo, di rinunciare non soltanto a raccontare la mia epoca, ma anche a vederla. Perché vedere per scrivere è vedere altrimenti. È distinguere oggetti, individui, meccanismi e conferire loro valore d’esistenza.”
Ha un talento riconosciuto questa scrittrice. La adoro
Questa frase calza a pennello per questo ultimo romanzo di Annie Ernaux.
Nel 2012, l'editore francese Seuil chiede ad Annie Ernaux di scrivere un libro per la nuova collana «Raccontare la vita». La scrittrice allora punta i riflettori sul mondo variegato e multietnico che abita un ipermercato. Lei scrive il suo diario tra il 2012 e il 2013 e si concentra sull’Auchan, di cui è cliente abituale.
Il suo sguardo critico osserva la vita che pullula nei vari reparti distribuiti su più livelli e, nello stilare il suo diario, conduce la sua indagine sociologica.
Tra gli scaffali, le notizie dei morti in Bangladesh (tra cui molti producevano prodotti per Auchan) sono solo titoli di coda che spariscono nel momento in cui sono annunciati: “Per cambiare le cose, chiaramente, è meglio non contare su di noi, che dopo aver versato qualche lacrima di coccodrillo torniamo ad approfittare a cuor leggero di quella manodopera di schiavi.”
L’ipermercato è un pullulare di specchietti per le allodole, un richiamo costante ad invogliare ad acquistare.
“Sul tapis roulant sotto la grande volta a vetri si sale verso le ghirlande e le luminarie che pendono dal livello superiore come collane di pietre preziose. La giovane donna che è davanti a me con una bambina nel passeggino solleva la testa, sorride. Si china sulla piccola: «Guarda le luci, amore mio!».”
Il 22 ottobre 2013, Annie Ernaux interrompe il diario: “Ho interrotto questo diario. Come accade ogni volta che smetto di registrare il presente, ho l’impressione di ritrarmi dal movimento del mondo, di rinunciare non soltanto a raccontare la mia epoca, ma anche a vederla. Perché vedere per scrivere è vedere altrimenti. È distinguere oggetti, individui, meccanismi e conferire loro valore d’esistenza.”
Ha un talento riconosciuto questa scrittrice. La adoro
June 20, 2021
Cuántas veces he dicho de algún escritor que leería todo lo que escribiera aunque fuera la lista de la compra.
Annie Ernaux no ha escrito la lista de la compra, pero casi, porque lo que ha escrito ha sido su día a día en un supermercado. Durante un año escribió en su diario las visitas que hacia al hipermercado Alcampo del centro comercial Les Trois_Fontaines.
Así que yo, que odio ir a comprar, que voy con la lista en la mano, y con ansiedad por comprar lo anotado y salir pitando, sin mirar nada, de manera que salgo cansada de la tensión que me provoca (bendita compra online). Pues como decía yo, que soy un caso para el tema supermercados me he sorprendido muy gratamente al leer este librito corto y tremendamente disfrutón en el que Ernaux me ha hecho ver estos centros como algo más que ir mecanicamente a un sitio práctico y ruidoso en el que intento pasar el menor tiempo posible ya que ella lo ha convertido en un lugar de observación. Observa a empleados y clientes, observa las estrategias de marketing y la estrategia de compra del cliente, observa el comportamiento del individuo y su repercusión en la sociedad.
Como os digo un estudio en toda regla de la sociedad a través de una actividad que hacemos a diario.
Annie Ernaux no ha escrito la lista de la compra, pero casi, porque lo que ha escrito ha sido su día a día en un supermercado. Durante un año escribió en su diario las visitas que hacia al hipermercado Alcampo del centro comercial Les Trois_Fontaines.
Así que yo, que odio ir a comprar, que voy con la lista en la mano, y con ansiedad por comprar lo anotado y salir pitando, sin mirar nada, de manera que salgo cansada de la tensión que me provoca (bendita compra online). Pues como decía yo, que soy un caso para el tema supermercados me he sorprendido muy gratamente al leer este librito corto y tremendamente disfrutón en el que Ernaux me ha hecho ver estos centros como algo más que ir mecanicamente a un sitio práctico y ruidoso en el que intento pasar el menor tiempo posible ya que ella lo ha convertido en un lugar de observación. Observa a empleados y clientes, observa las estrategias de marketing y la estrategia de compra del cliente, observa el comportamiento del individuo y su repercusión en la sociedad.
Como os digo un estudio en toda regla de la sociedad a través de una actividad que hacemos a diario.
January 5, 2024
"Ese día pensé por primera vez que aquel hangar sin gracia contenía historias, vidas. Me pregunté por qué los supermercados nunca estaban presentes en las novelas que se publicaban, cuánto tiempo necesitaba una realidad nueva para acceder a la dignidad literaria".
Annie Ernaux fue al súper y lo hizo literatura, VERDADERAMENTE "fue al tianguis a pensar cosas". Como fan de la autora y fan de los supermercados, me declaro fan de este libro; nadie mejor para encontrar y exponer la profundidad y la complejidad de lo más cotidiano.
Annie Ernaux fue al súper y lo hizo literatura, VERDADERAMENTE "fue al tianguis a pensar cosas". Como fan de la autora y fan de los supermercados, me declaro fan de este libro; nadie mejor para encontrar y exponer la profundidad y la complejidad de lo más cotidiano.
March 17, 2024
Now I know how to pronounce Auchan in french! 🙃
Good writing, but alot of boring parts
Looking for to read more books by this Author.
Good writing, but alot of boring parts
Looking for to read more books by this Author.
December 30, 2022
“Grande calca sin dall’entrata del Trois-Fontaines. Un frastuono immenso attraverso il quale, a tratti si fa strada la musica. Sul tapis roulant sotto la grande volta a vetri si sale verso le ghirlande e le luminarie che pendono dal livello superiore come collane di pietre preziose. La giovane donna che è davanti a me con una bambina nel passeggino solleva la testa, sorride. Si china sulla piccola: ‘Guarda le luci, amore mio!’”
Raccontare la vita. Dove? All’ipermercato, luogo negletto e avverso alla letteratura. Perché non occuparsene, invece? si chiede Annie Ernaux.
Comincia così il viaggio lungo le corsie dell’Auchan e le relative osservazioni che Ernaux raccoglie in un breve ma illuminante diario tenuto per alcuni mesi tra il 2012 e il 2013: la forma più congeniale alla scrittrice per “fissare le impressioni lasciate dalle cose, dalle persone, dalle atmosfere.”
E in effetti a leggere queste pagine ci sembra di essere vicino a lei a condividere i suoi lenti passi, il suo sguardo, le sue riflessioni e a ritrovare la nostra stessa esperienza.
La differenza è che noi, probabilmente, risucchiati dal demone della spesa, forse non ci siamo mai veramente fermati a osservare quella “comunità di desideri” di cui (almeno in quei momenti) facciamo parte .
Ecco invece che per un certo tempo Annie se ne distacca, guarda le cose da vicino e al contempo dall’alto: “come al tavolino di un bar, ma senza l’obbligo di consumare, si può vedere sfilare l’operosità del mondo. Dimenticare se stessi nella contemplazione.”
Dal linguaggio della seduzione alla pervasività dei divieti, all’”umiliazione inflitta dalle merci”, per cui il valore di ciascuno è decretato da quanto si possiede, Annie Ernaux ci racconta ancora una volta ciò che siamo e ciò che rischiamo di diventare.
Da quali luci scintillanti e illusorie ci lasciamo abbagliare se non sappiamo esercitare la luce intensa e feconda dell’intelletto.
Raccontare la vita. Dove? All’ipermercato, luogo negletto e avverso alla letteratura. Perché non occuparsene, invece? si chiede Annie Ernaux.
Comincia così il viaggio lungo le corsie dell’Auchan e le relative osservazioni che Ernaux raccoglie in un breve ma illuminante diario tenuto per alcuni mesi tra il 2012 e il 2013: la forma più congeniale alla scrittrice per “fissare le impressioni lasciate dalle cose, dalle persone, dalle atmosfere.”
E in effetti a leggere queste pagine ci sembra di essere vicino a lei a condividere i suoi lenti passi, il suo sguardo, le sue riflessioni e a ritrovare la nostra stessa esperienza.
La differenza è che noi, probabilmente, risucchiati dal demone della spesa, forse non ci siamo mai veramente fermati a osservare quella “comunità di desideri” di cui (almeno in quei momenti) facciamo parte .
Ecco invece che per un certo tempo Annie se ne distacca, guarda le cose da vicino e al contempo dall’alto: “come al tavolino di un bar, ma senza l’obbligo di consumare, si può vedere sfilare l’operosità del mondo. Dimenticare se stessi nella contemplazione.”
Dal linguaggio della seduzione alla pervasività dei divieti, all’”umiliazione inflitta dalle merci”, per cui il valore di ciascuno è decretato da quanto si possiede, Annie Ernaux ci racconta ancora una volta ciò che siamo e ciò che rischiamo di diventare.
Da quali luci scintillanti e illusorie ci lasciamo abbagliare se non sappiamo esercitare la luce intensa e feconda dell’intelletto.
February 11, 2017
بدلاً من قراءة يوميات شخصية للكاتبة الفرنسية التي رشحها لي قراء الجودريدز أكثر من مرة ، وجدت أنني أقرأ ذكريات الكاتبة عن المتاجر العملاقة !
تخيل لو ان كاتباً حديثاً أغرقنا بتفاصيل زياراته المتعددة لكارفور أو مترو أو هايبر-ون! لكنا قد أعدمناه حرقاً ..
المقدمة على الغلاف الخلفي للكتاب خادعة ولا توحي بمحتوى الكتاب ..
تخيل لو ان كاتباً حديثاً أغرقنا بتفاصيل زياراته المتعددة لكارفور أو مترو أو هايبر-ون! لكنا قد أعدمناه حرقاً ..
المقدمة على الغلاف الخلفي للكتاب خادعة ولا توحي بمحتوى الكتاب ..
June 14, 2017
ما ليس له قيمة في الحياة، لا قيمة له في الأدب أيضا. من هنا يكتسب هذا الكتاب قيمته، برغم ما يعتقد البعض في تفاهة موضوعه: الحركة اليومية في المتاجر الكبرى. من يقدر على القول بأن التسوق أمر هامشي في الحياة اليومية؟!
ومع ذلك تلتقط آني إرنو بذكاء شديد وبطريقة تبدو عادية جدا، ما لا يمكن أن يخبرك به متخصص في اقتصاد السوق وثقافة الاستهلاك..
ومع ذلك تلتقط آني إرنو بذكاء شديد وبطريقة تبدو عادية جدا، ما لا يمكن أن يخبرك به متخصص في اقتصاد السوق وثقافة الاستهلاك..
December 19, 2022
La más flojita Ernaux, sáltate a otro.
April 26, 2023
Annie Ernaux is admirable for the economy of her prose. This relatively short essay, chronicles her visits to Auchan, a big French supermarket, one of the big players on the French scene. She has me look up the Mulliez family, my curiosity perhaps prompted by the Succession that I recently watched. At a glance it's a modest essay with some astute observations over a year's time. However a careful reader will notice the small act of a rebellion at the end of it. The seemingly innocent space of the superstore operates on so many levels, fills the everyday needs, real or imagined or advertised, offers a warm space on a cold day, one can rub shoulders with all kinds of people normally outside of one's bubble, offers a chance to briefly interact for those who are lonely and seek human contact, however insignificant and symbolic. As a writer and a reader, Ernaux pays special attention to the book stand that migrates to a different spot in the course of her visits and increasingly becomes an inhospitable place discouraging any kind of browsing, pausing. No place to sit, one is not allowed to leaf through magazines or books, the selection is extremely limited. Different areas of the store catering to different groups, according to their ability to pay, also differ in terms of hospitality or outright hostility displaying threatening messages such as "reading prohibited", "consumption on the premises is prohibited" etc.
This short piece is quite multilayered in terms of observations and reflections and occasionally provides a wider context that Ernaux adds to her musings for example of recurring reality of factories that collapse and bury workers producing good for the western consumers somewhere in India or Bangladesh for a meager wage.
The world of superstores created in the 60s or 70s of the 20th century which felt like "an existential promotion" back in the day, now facilitates "the extinction of cashiers", "hallucinatory excess", seeming abundance of quite limited choices.
Slowly and surely the reality, the threat emerges and presents itself: the world run by a few billionaire families, the insidiousness of creeping displacement of employees and of AI inserting itself into our lives.
This short piece is quite multilayered in terms of observations and reflections and occasionally provides a wider context that Ernaux adds to her musings for example of recurring reality of factories that collapse and bury workers producing good for the western consumers somewhere in India or Bangladesh for a meager wage.
The world of superstores created in the 60s or 70s of the 20th century which felt like "an existential promotion" back in the day, now facilitates "the extinction of cashiers", "hallucinatory excess", seeming abundance of quite limited choices.
Slowly and surely the reality, the threat emerges and presents itself: the world run by a few billionaire families, the insidiousness of creeping displacement of employees and of AI inserting itself into our lives.
December 30, 2018
Éloge du supermarché, lieu de vie collective, sous forme de journal. Bien !
December 19, 2023
quando ho detto che di Annie Ernaux avrei letto anche la lista della spesa non intendevo letteralmente
Read
May 19, 2023Ya intenté leer este libro cuando salió y al final no lo compré. ayer lo cogí de la biblioteca y decidí darle otra oportunidad. Me parece un texto completamente sin más. No es que el tema me parezca irrelevante, sino la forma que está tratado, sin ninguna gracia o profundidad. Las reflexiones sobre las fábricas de Bangladesh cada x páginas tienen la altura de un tweet o un post boomer de Facebook. El relato de sus visitas, precios, cambios en el diseño etc es anecdótico, no lleva a ninguna parte. me encanta Annie Ernaux pero este libro me parece un bluf total.
November 24, 2023
Alguna que otra vez he comentado en forma de halago, que leería hasta la lista de la compra de Ernaux; irónicamente, he terminado haciéndolo. De este libro solo sabía que trataba de "supermercados" cuando lo vi en tiktok hace un par de días y como buena obsesa que soy de la autora y todos los supers (en mi caso prefiero el Lidl y el Aldi al Alcampo), no he tardado nada en empezarlo y engullirlo en un rato; y solo me queda decir qué tremendamente talentosa y bien articulada es esta mujer. Y que seguiría leyendo su lista de la compra todos los días. Leed a la Ernaux siempre, haceos el favor.
April 19, 2022
Un diario di riflessioni interessantissime scritte dall'autrice nell'arco di qualche anno su tematiche quali consumismo, divario economico e sociale, tecniche di marketing mendaci e società. Annie Ernaux non si smentisce mai.
May 20, 2023
— کالاهایی که روی پیشخان [هایپرمارکت] میگذاریم نشان میدهند که تنهاییم یا با کسی زندگی میکنیم.
June 13, 2019
Annie Ernaux, la célèbre transfuge de classe autrice de La place, a passé plusieurs années à chroniquer ses emplettes dans son supermarché local, le Auchan de Cergy Pontoise.
Elle décrit dans cet ouvrage : les mimiques des clients, les stratégies de captation de l'entreprise, les rencontres aléatoires, les changements de consommation, les stratégies de shopping des clients...
Cet ouvrage est un tour de force. Rien de moins littéraire qu'un supermarché. Un supermarché, c'est laid, utilitariste, pragmatique et bruyant. La littérature est belle, esthétique, douce, fluide et musicale. Hors, Annie Ernaux rend ces moments du quotidien plaisant voire jubilatoire. Elle souligne des évidences intelligentes que l'on voit ainsi sous un nouveau jour. Un exemple : elle remarque que dans les rayons l'individu est baigné dans la masse du collectif. On fait ses achats sans se préoccuper d'autrui, dans ses pensées. Nous sommes alors un groupe informe. Cela s'arrête au moment de la caisse : on compare nos achats avec ceux des autres, la quantité de produits, la vitesse de déballage, le moyen de paiement, on prend le temps d'observer les traits des gens et de la caissière, on regarde sa montre... On redevient un individu. Le supermarché nous fait ainsi passer du collectif à l'individu. De même, Annie Ernaux explore les mécanismes du supermarché pour nous faire dépenser le plus d'argent à moindre frais (carte de fidélité, promotion, achats de saison, modes, semaine de la cuisine italienne, ramadan, noël, oeufs de Pâques, rentrée scolaires...) tout en réduisant sa masse salariale (caisse automatique, scannettes, Drive...). Nous devenons non seulement le client mais l'employé indirect captif de l'entreprise.
Ce fut donc une plutôt bonne lecture mais c'est loin d'être un chef d'oeuvre. Ca reste un livre correct et intéressant.
Elle décrit dans cet ouvrage : les mimiques des clients, les stratégies de captation de l'entreprise, les rencontres aléatoires, les changements de consommation, les stratégies de shopping des clients...
Cet ouvrage est un tour de force. Rien de moins littéraire qu'un supermarché. Un supermarché, c'est laid, utilitariste, pragmatique et bruyant. La littérature est belle, esthétique, douce, fluide et musicale. Hors, Annie Ernaux rend ces moments du quotidien plaisant voire jubilatoire. Elle souligne des évidences intelligentes que l'on voit ainsi sous un nouveau jour. Un exemple : elle remarque que dans les rayons l'individu est baigné dans la masse du collectif. On fait ses achats sans se préoccuper d'autrui, dans ses pensées. Nous sommes alors un groupe informe. Cela s'arrête au moment de la caisse : on compare nos achats avec ceux des autres, la quantité de produits, la vitesse de déballage, le moyen de paiement, on prend le temps d'observer les traits des gens et de la caissière, on regarde sa montre... On redevient un individu. Le supermarché nous fait ainsi passer du collectif à l'individu. De même, Annie Ernaux explore les mécanismes du supermarché pour nous faire dépenser le plus d'argent à moindre frais (carte de fidélité, promotion, achats de saison, modes, semaine de la cuisine italienne, ramadan, noël, oeufs de Pâques, rentrée scolaires...) tout en réduisant sa masse salariale (caisse automatique, scannettes, Drive...). Nous devenons non seulement le client mais l'employé indirect captif de l'entreprise.
Ce fut donc une plutôt bonne lecture mais c'est loin d'être un chef d'oeuvre. Ca reste un livre correct et intéressant.
December 28, 2022
Piccolo, grande, sconosciuto o appartenente a una famosa catena, poco importa: il supermercato come non-luogo ha sempre la stessa forma, le stesse luci e gli stessi meccanismi di vendita. Quando ci si entra, lo si riconosce.
Quando, nel 2012, il suo editore gli chiede di partecipare alla collana «Raccontare la vita», Ernaux decide di raccontare un luogo che di vita ne vede passare tanta - l’ipermercato - e di farlo in forma diaristica, appuntandosi i pensieri per circa un anno.
Il resoconto che ne esce è chiaro come uno studio sociologico. Quasi totalmente scevro di interpretazioni, Ernaux consegna il suo sguardo alla memoria, tema a lei caro e ricorrente in tanti suoi scritti. Però stavolta la narrazione si impoverisce, divenendo fotografia e meno letteratura: del supermercato vediamo tanto, ma manca qualcosa.
Il fatto è che di storie, dentro in libro, non ce ne sono. Flebilmente si iscrive nella biografia della scrittrice, divenendo fatto altro, estemporaneo. Sì, incontra persone e lavoratori, e su di loro solleva interrogativi, ma rimangono sulla pagina per poco tempo, scomparendo nel minuzioso studio che Ernaux sta componendo.
Se mi sono mancate delle storie a cui aggrapparmi e affezionarmi, la parte sociologico è portavoce di grande dettaglio; una riflessione, in particolare, mi è rimasta impressa: il fatto che del supermercato, nella letteratura, poco si parli. Eppure è un luogo che tutti frequentiamo. Com’è che ce ne dimentichiamo così, come fosse invisibile?
Secondo Ernaux, questa dimenticanza è relativa alle donne: è a loro che il supermercato è connesso, è loro che si presuppone facciano la spesa. È la femminilizzazione di uno spazio, ad averlo reso poco importante.
Cosa ne pensate? Avete in mente delle opere letterarie che parlano o sono ambientate in un supermercato?
Quando, nel 2012, il suo editore gli chiede di partecipare alla collana «Raccontare la vita», Ernaux decide di raccontare un luogo che di vita ne vede passare tanta - l’ipermercato - e di farlo in forma diaristica, appuntandosi i pensieri per circa un anno.
Il resoconto che ne esce è chiaro come uno studio sociologico. Quasi totalmente scevro di interpretazioni, Ernaux consegna il suo sguardo alla memoria, tema a lei caro e ricorrente in tanti suoi scritti. Però stavolta la narrazione si impoverisce, divenendo fotografia e meno letteratura: del supermercato vediamo tanto, ma manca qualcosa.
Il fatto è che di storie, dentro in libro, non ce ne sono. Flebilmente si iscrive nella biografia della scrittrice, divenendo fatto altro, estemporaneo. Sì, incontra persone e lavoratori, e su di loro solleva interrogativi, ma rimangono sulla pagina per poco tempo, scomparendo nel minuzioso studio che Ernaux sta componendo.
Se mi sono mancate delle storie a cui aggrapparmi e affezionarmi, la parte sociologico è portavoce di grande dettaglio; una riflessione, in particolare, mi è rimasta impressa: il fatto che del supermercato, nella letteratura, poco si parli. Eppure è un luogo che tutti frequentiamo. Com’è che ce ne dimentichiamo così, come fosse invisibile?
Secondo Ernaux, questa dimenticanza è relativa alle donne: è a loro che il supermercato è connesso, è loro che si presuppone facciano la spesa. È la femminilizzazione di uno spazio, ad averlo reso poco importante.
Cosa ne pensate? Avete in mente delle opere letterarie che parlano o sono ambientate in un supermercato?
December 27, 2017
Ferme tes yeux. Tu écoutes une femme dit à son enfant: Regarde les lumières mon amour. Où es toi? De quoi est-ce que cette jeune mère parle? Peut-être au milieu des marchés de Noel la nuit. Où peut-être dans un grand château, éclairé par les grands lustres et les bougies en haut. Des lumières qui ajoutent seulement à la grandeur, la noblesse grandiose de ces salles royales.
Pour Annie Ernaux, le lieu de cette suggestion n'est pas un festival en plein air, ni un vieux palais, mais un hypermarché. A première vue, cela est une farce. Un hyper, c'est impossible! Dans ce temps-la, beaucoup de monde était d'accord, y compris plusieurs d'autres écrivains. Après tout, l'hypermarché est trop moderne, trop banal, trop purement utilitaire pour être le sujet enrichissant d'une étude sur la vie moderne--c'est un non-lieu. Et pendant cet œuvre, Ernaux s'efforce de nous montrer le contraire.
Avant de disséquer son titre, il faut comprendre d'abord la manière avec laquelle Ernaux considère l'hyper. En regardant le centre commercial, elle présent une image d'un monde du passe--d'un vielle ville, dont le château est au centre et donne la vie au reste de la ville. Elle décrit le centre comme "une énorme forteresse...comme une ancienne usine," et puis, avec "l'entrée d'un temple mi- grec mi- asiatique." En fait, elle suggère qu'aujourd’hui, l'hyper avait pris la place du château, au centre du centre de la ville. Effectivement, Ernaux juxtapose Auchan avec "le cœur, irriguant de sa clientèle l'ensemble des autres commerces." Auchan a aussi la plus grande enseigne, et il reste ouvert plus tard que tous les autres magasins. De plus, Ernaux apporte un air du mystère, de la magie, d'un conte de fées à son portrait d'Auchan, qui ajoute à l'image du château.
Pour le titre, chaque mot compte. Chacun représente un aspect de la vue d'Ernaux sur les hypermarchés. Le premier--regarde--cela est l'essence des hypermarchés, des courses. A Auchan, les gens regardent les produits avec attention et considération. Ernaux fait peut-être une remarque sur notre nouveau mode de vie, un qui juge peut-être trop facilement avec les yeux. Plus généralement, regarder est un principe de la modernité--les décisions, grande et
petite, que tout le monde fait sont maintenant toujours fondées sur l'apparence, le marketing, le look. Pour Ernaux, c'est "le langage habituel de séduction, fait de fausse bienveillance." Mais il est aussi intéressant qu'Ernaux remarque que bien que les clients regardent les choses, ils ne regardent pas l'un l'autre. Cela est la raison que l'hyper l'intéresse tellement beaucoup "comme grand rendez-vous humain, comme spectacle," le lieu où des gens de chaque niveau sociale se rencontrent, mais aussi celui où ces gens ne se sont pas complètement rendu compte de leur proximité. Par conséquent, Ernaux veut montrer les ficelles cachées qui gouvernent notre comportement et nos impressions au marché. Pour faire cela, Ernaux donne ses propres impressions d'Auchan--des petites histoires, souvenirs qui montrent certains détails pertinents. En fait, elle est en train de regarder l'hyper toujours, et elle doit seulement enregistrer ces tableaux dans son journal.
Le prochain mot, c'est l'objet. Regarde quoi? Les lumières. D'ailleurs, Auchan est la plus aluminée partie du centre. Même après tous les autres commerces sont clos, après ils ont baissé leurs rideaux de fer, Auchan est encore ouvert, et donc dans le centre, "toute la lumière est réfugiée dans l'hyper." Comme un ange gardien qui irrigue sa terre et protège ses plantes, Auchan se réveille le plus tôt, ensuite il diffuse la lumière (les clients aussi) au reste du centre, et lorsque les magasins commencent à fermer le soir, la lumière retourne chez lui.
Les lumières sont à l'intérieur aussi. Quand la jeune femme dit "regarde...," elles sont enchantées par "les illuminations qui pendent comme des colliers de pierres précieuses." Cette image du centre commercial rapporte le concept d'Auchan comme un château. Donc, toutes les lumières font avancer la qualité de conte de fées de l'hyper. Pour la montrer, Ernaux utilise des mots spécifiques, comme "banquets," qui se sont passés souvent dans les contes de fées; elle note même les jouets de Blanche-Neige. Le résultat de ces efforts est qu'Auchan devienne vraiment mystérieux et séduisant, mais aussi détaché et séparé du monde réel.
Finalement, on doit répond à "mon amour." Avec cela, Ernaux introduit l'amour dans l'hyper. Où plutôt qu'elle fait simplement référence à l'amour qui y existe déjà. De toute façon, elle montre les nouvelles formes que l'amour prend là. Une exemple est celle d'une grand-mère qui ne peut pas résister acheter tous les deux choses pour sa petite-fille, plutôt que seulement une. Ensuite, Ernaux remarque: "Dans le monde de l'hypermarché et de l'économie libérale, aimer les enfants, c'est leur acheter le plus de choses possible." Ici, Ernaux fait des liens entre la nouvelle culture de l'amour qui était apporte par l'hyper et les changements au niveau de la société, ainsi que les autre mots dans le titre, puisque pour aimer les enfants, il faut regarder, et il faut acheter les lumières.
Mais bien qu'Ernaux donne un portrait complexe du rôle de l'hyper aujourd’hui, elle laisse aussi un monde de questions non résolues. La femme appelle l'enfant avec "mon amour" dans Auchan, mais quelle est la place réelle de l'amour? Si cette œuvre est en fait un aperçu
impressionniste--de son temps, comme elle dit--alors quelles sont les implications de l'hyper sur le futur, et sur l'amour du futur? Et où est-ce que cette phrase sera apportée à l'avenir, après les hypermarchés--où seront les nouveaux non-lieux?
Pour Annie Ernaux, le lieu de cette suggestion n'est pas un festival en plein air, ni un vieux palais, mais un hypermarché. A première vue, cela est une farce. Un hyper, c'est impossible! Dans ce temps-la, beaucoup de monde était d'accord, y compris plusieurs d'autres écrivains. Après tout, l'hypermarché est trop moderne, trop banal, trop purement utilitaire pour être le sujet enrichissant d'une étude sur la vie moderne--c'est un non-lieu. Et pendant cet œuvre, Ernaux s'efforce de nous montrer le contraire.
Avant de disséquer son titre, il faut comprendre d'abord la manière avec laquelle Ernaux considère l'hyper. En regardant le centre commercial, elle présent une image d'un monde du passe--d'un vielle ville, dont le château est au centre et donne la vie au reste de la ville. Elle décrit le centre comme "une énorme forteresse...comme une ancienne usine," et puis, avec "l'entrée d'un temple mi- grec mi- asiatique." En fait, elle suggère qu'aujourd’hui, l'hyper avait pris la place du château, au centre du centre de la ville. Effectivement, Ernaux juxtapose Auchan avec "le cœur, irriguant de sa clientèle l'ensemble des autres commerces." Auchan a aussi la plus grande enseigne, et il reste ouvert plus tard que tous les autres magasins. De plus, Ernaux apporte un air du mystère, de la magie, d'un conte de fées à son portrait d'Auchan, qui ajoute à l'image du château.
Pour le titre, chaque mot compte. Chacun représente un aspect de la vue d'Ernaux sur les hypermarchés. Le premier--regarde--cela est l'essence des hypermarchés, des courses. A Auchan, les gens regardent les produits avec attention et considération. Ernaux fait peut-être une remarque sur notre nouveau mode de vie, un qui juge peut-être trop facilement avec les yeux. Plus généralement, regarder est un principe de la modernité--les décisions, grande et
petite, que tout le monde fait sont maintenant toujours fondées sur l'apparence, le marketing, le look. Pour Ernaux, c'est "le langage habituel de séduction, fait de fausse bienveillance." Mais il est aussi intéressant qu'Ernaux remarque que bien que les clients regardent les choses, ils ne regardent pas l'un l'autre. Cela est la raison que l'hyper l'intéresse tellement beaucoup "comme grand rendez-vous humain, comme spectacle," le lieu où des gens de chaque niveau sociale se rencontrent, mais aussi celui où ces gens ne se sont pas complètement rendu compte de leur proximité. Par conséquent, Ernaux veut montrer les ficelles cachées qui gouvernent notre comportement et nos impressions au marché. Pour faire cela, Ernaux donne ses propres impressions d'Auchan--des petites histoires, souvenirs qui montrent certains détails pertinents. En fait, elle est en train de regarder l'hyper toujours, et elle doit seulement enregistrer ces tableaux dans son journal.
Le prochain mot, c'est l'objet. Regarde quoi? Les lumières. D'ailleurs, Auchan est la plus aluminée partie du centre. Même après tous les autres commerces sont clos, après ils ont baissé leurs rideaux de fer, Auchan est encore ouvert, et donc dans le centre, "toute la lumière est réfugiée dans l'hyper." Comme un ange gardien qui irrigue sa terre et protège ses plantes, Auchan se réveille le plus tôt, ensuite il diffuse la lumière (les clients aussi) au reste du centre, et lorsque les magasins commencent à fermer le soir, la lumière retourne chez lui.
Les lumières sont à l'intérieur aussi. Quand la jeune femme dit "regarde...," elles sont enchantées par "les illuminations qui pendent comme des colliers de pierres précieuses." Cette image du centre commercial rapporte le concept d'Auchan comme un château. Donc, toutes les lumières font avancer la qualité de conte de fées de l'hyper. Pour la montrer, Ernaux utilise des mots spécifiques, comme "banquets," qui se sont passés souvent dans les contes de fées; elle note même les jouets de Blanche-Neige. Le résultat de ces efforts est qu'Auchan devienne vraiment mystérieux et séduisant, mais aussi détaché et séparé du monde réel.
Finalement, on doit répond à "mon amour." Avec cela, Ernaux introduit l'amour dans l'hyper. Où plutôt qu'elle fait simplement référence à l'amour qui y existe déjà. De toute façon, elle montre les nouvelles formes que l'amour prend là. Une exemple est celle d'une grand-mère qui ne peut pas résister acheter tous les deux choses pour sa petite-fille, plutôt que seulement une. Ensuite, Ernaux remarque: "Dans le monde de l'hypermarché et de l'économie libérale, aimer les enfants, c'est leur acheter le plus de choses possible." Ici, Ernaux fait des liens entre la nouvelle culture de l'amour qui était apporte par l'hyper et les changements au niveau de la société, ainsi que les autre mots dans le titre, puisque pour aimer les enfants, il faut regarder, et il faut acheter les lumières.
Mais bien qu'Ernaux donne un portrait complexe du rôle de l'hyper aujourd’hui, elle laisse aussi un monde de questions non résolues. La femme appelle l'enfant avec "mon amour" dans Auchan, mais quelle est la place réelle de l'amour? Si cette œuvre est en fait un aperçu
impressionniste--de son temps, comme elle dit--alors quelles sont les implications de l'hyper sur le futur, et sur l'amour du futur? Et où est-ce que cette phrase sera apportée à l'avenir, après les hypermarchés--où seront les nouveaux non-lieux?
April 26, 2024
The subject of this book reminded me of The Clash song 'Lost in the Supermarket'. This and the fact everything I've read by Ernaux so far is extremely good meant it was an easy choice to read.
The supermarket is a place described as 'emanating both comfort and alienation', and a space in which you can 'forget that you're not alone, or that you are'.
As we consume more and more, supermarkets no longer function merely as a place of necessity to buy goods. They serve as something bigger, they 'provoke thought, anchor sensation and emotion in memory...they are part of the landscape of childhood for everyone under fifty'.
And while sinister in many ways (pure consumerism, 24-hour accessibility, special offers, goods that initially we wouldn't have dreamed a supermarket would sell etc.) they also have an element of escape, of comfort; evoking a sense of invisibility on the one hand and belonging on the other.
Paradoxically, in an increasingly saturated world of divide and conquer, supermarkets are a place that is part of the problem, yet at the same time one of the most effective spaces in increasing personal presence and social cohesion. As Ernaux states: 'there is no other space, public or private, where so many individuals so different in terms of age, income, education, geographic and ethnic background etc., rub shoulders with each other'.
Ernaux is a stunning writer and emotionally very powerful. This is a much lighter read, offering playful insight into the role and experience of being in a supermarket.
The supermarket is a place described as 'emanating both comfort and alienation', and a space in which you can 'forget that you're not alone, or that you are'.
As we consume more and more, supermarkets no longer function merely as a place of necessity to buy goods. They serve as something bigger, they 'provoke thought, anchor sensation and emotion in memory...they are part of the landscape of childhood for everyone under fifty'.
And while sinister in many ways (pure consumerism, 24-hour accessibility, special offers, goods that initially we wouldn't have dreamed a supermarket would sell etc.) they also have an element of escape, of comfort; evoking a sense of invisibility on the one hand and belonging on the other.
Paradoxically, in an increasingly saturated world of divide and conquer, supermarkets are a place that is part of the problem, yet at the same time one of the most effective spaces in increasing personal presence and social cohesion. As Ernaux states: 'there is no other space, public or private, where so many individuals so different in terms of age, income, education, geographic and ethnic background etc., rub shoulders with each other'.
Ernaux is a stunning writer and emotionally very powerful. This is a much lighter read, offering playful insight into the role and experience of being in a supermarket.
January 30, 2024
so fun !! i now want to document my trips to carrefour but i would not be half as incisive as ms ernaux 🥦🥔🥐
May 15, 2022
4.5/5
Un pamphlet sui supermercati ispirato dalle teorie di Bourdieu is something that can be so personal
Un pamphlet sui supermercati ispirato dalle teorie di Bourdieu is something that can be so personal
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