Annie Ernaux, French writer and literature professor awarded with the Nobel literature prize 2022 on Thursday, said that the achievement is only an honour but also a great responsibility regarding her further engagement in writing.
Here are top quotes by Ernaux from the telephonic interview conducted by the Nobel Foundation:
Being obviously asked how did she feel following the announcement, Ernaux revealed that finding out the news was like being “in the desert and there is a call that is coming from the sky.”
A prominent feminist writer who has also had nomination for the prestigious International Booker Prize, Ernaux has a phenomenal career graph and immensely significant contribution to the field of literature. For someone discovering her works for the first time – she suggests her books don’t resemble each other so a particular recommendation is difficult.
While having said that, Ernaux also feels that her critically acclaimed work – ‘The Years’ – published in 2008 – might be able to bring all kinds of readers from diverse backgrounds together. The Guardian reviewed the book saying: “She shows it is possible to write personally and collectively, situating her own story in the story of her generation.”
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Ernaux gave a message for the young writers, especially those carving their works in native languages and advised them “to read a lot.” She said it’s impossible to be a good writer without reading, adding that one should not strive to “write well but to write honestly.”
Ernaux had earlier said writing is a political act which opens our eyes to social inequality. For this purpose, she used language as “a knife” to tear apart the veils of imagination.
Ernaux, awarded the prize “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory,” was congratulated by French President Emmanuel Macron, following her win who called her voice “that of the freedom of women and of the forgotten”.
