the wide world
the wide world -or The big world, by its original title in French—is the first volume in the series The glorious years, written by Parisian screenwriter and author Pierre Lemaitre. The work was published for the first time on January 25, 2022 by the Calmann Lévy publishing house. In 2023, it was translated into Spanish by José Antonio Soriano Marco and marketed by Salamandra.
This Lemaitre series is dedicated to the Trente Glorieuses, a period of strong economic growth and rising standards of living experienced by the vast majority of developed countries between 1945 and 1975. At the same time, the wide world establishes a link with children of disaster, the author's previous trilogy. Although, this time, the protagonists are a family.
Synopsis of the wide world
Beirut, Paris, Saigon, 1948
The plot of the novel develops through three generations of Pelletier, during the postwar years and the subsequent wonderful years. After the instability experienced between 1936 and 1945, Louis Pelletier moved to Beirut with his wife and his children to run his soap factory. He and Angèle, the lady of the house, had three boys and a girl: Jean, François, Étienne and Hélène.
As adults, the oldest, Jean, cannot take over the family business. The reason is that she seems to have two left hands and almost zero motivation. In the end, he ends up marrying Geneviève, a strong woman who imagined himself having a “good marriage.” For his part, François, the next one, has more ambitions than his brother, and aspires to be a journalist.
To have the necessary means to realize his dreams, he leaves for Paris. The third, Étienne, meets the love of his life, who had gone to Indochina to fight. Therefore, the young man decides to join his beloved by accepting a job at the Monetary Agency. Finally, Hélène, her youngest, is forced to stay for a while with her parents, whose life seems very monotonous to her.
A brotherhood open to the world and to which the world opens its arms
The world It is closing the doors of war to plunge headlong into a future where all hopes are allowed. People dream of renewal, of better standards of living and of employment. However, In 1948 people were really disillusioned. Contrary to collective imagination, this end of the war was much more complicated than is believed.
The period is harrowing: social tensions reach their peak, as workers demonstrate their disapproval of working conditions through strikes, and ration cards remain the law. At the same time, poverty is widespread, and hope is increasingly crumbling.In addition, the Indochina War that began in December 1946 was at a standstill.
The dawn of a fruitless war
Indochina is waging a war that arouses little interest, except for Étienne, who has real reasons to worry. In this sense, Pierre Lemaitre focuses his narrative ambitions on three regions: Paris, Saigon and Beirut, where all the events take place. the wide world It is, therefore, a choral novel, focused on the lives of its protagonists and the consequences of their actions.
Structure and narrative style of the work
The writer alternates the chapters and creates not only an addiction in the reader, but also a real attachment to the fate of each character. In this way, the receiver becomes the privileged witness of the adventures of the protagonists.Sometimes he is even the only one in a confidential situation: he is the guardian of certain truths.
This process, when used deliberately, allows for a close relationship of complicity between author and reader, a gentle straitjacket worth snuggling into. If this aspect is reviewed more carefully, it is possible to notice that Pierre Lemaitre is a child of his century, because it virtuosically displays the coincidences of life, fortune or the destiny of its characters.
A masterful sense of detail
Lemaitre, thanks to his skill, makes places exist beyond the paper, and also gives an unquestionable life to his characters. It carries them and separates them to better unite them, while allowing each person, through the chapters dedicated to them, tell their life and a part of the story, all at the same time. Among all this variety, it is possible to highlight some characteristics.
François becomes the emblem of a new form of journalism focused on current events. Meanwhile, Étienne is the detective of a “scam” maintained by the French State in the Indochina war. For her part, Hélène is the symbol of a woman who must use her attributes to escape the woman who is a mother and wife.
About the secondary characters
If the main characters are the axis of the novel, the secondary characters are wonderfully portrayed. There is one, in particular, that has stolen the hearts of readers: Genevieve. She establishes herself as the woman who “wears the pants.” She is condescending to a fault, as well as a true queen lost in the middle of the crowd. Another actor who stands out is Diêm, but it is better not to break everything down.
These successes occur because Pierre Lemaitre has been an avid reader since his youth. Overall, their joy in storytelling is evident. Likewise, their joy is contagious in the construction of the novel, the twists, the suspense, the portrait of the society of the time, the subtle connections with the modern world and the assumptions of their own political and social commitments.
About the Author
Pierre Lemaitre was born on April 19, 1951, in Paris, France. He studied Psychology, and made his career through the professional training of other adults, teaching Literature for librarians, Communication and General Culture. Later, the scripts and novels signed in his name were translated into dozens of languages, establishing him as one of the great authors of his time.
Lemaitre considers the execution of writing as an “Exercise in admiration for literature”, which demonstrates his visible passion for language, the construction of stories and a marked commitment to his readers. For him, inspiration has come from authors such as Bret Easton Ellis, Émile Gaboriau, James Ellroy and William McIlvanney, geniuses as great as himself.
Other books by Pierre Lemaitre
Series Camille Verhoeven
- Soigné work — Irène (2006);
- Alex (2011);
- Rosy & John, or Les Grands Moyens (2011);
- Sacrifices — Camille (2012)
Trilogy children of disaster
- Au revoir là-haut — See you up there (2013);
- Couleurs de l'incendie — The colors of the fire (2018);
- Miroir de nos peines — The mirror of our sorrows (2020)
Series The glorious years
- Le grand monde — The wide world (2022);
- Le Silence et la Colère — Silence and anger (2023)
Independent books
- Wedding dress — Wedding dress (2009);
- Cadres noirs — Inhuman resources (2010);
- Three days and one life — Three days and one life (2016);
- Le serpent majuscule — The great serpent (2021)
Tales
- «Une initiative» (2014);
- «Les Événements de Péronne» (2018).
Non-fiction books
- Savoir apprendre — Techniques for knowing how to learn (1986);
- Dictionnaire amoureux du polar — Passionate dictionary of crime novels (2020)
Scripts
- “Otages” (2009);
- «L'Homme aux deux visages» (2009);
- «A marché de dupes» (2010);
- «L'Affaire Vauthier» (2012).