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Je chemine avec Nancy Huston. Entretiens menés par Sophie Lhuillier par Nancy Huston et Sophie Lhuillier

2023; American Association of Teachers of French; Volume: 96; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/tfr.2023.0053

2329-7131

Patrice J. Proulx,

French Urban and Social Studies

Reviewed by: Je chemine avec Nancy Huston. Entretiens menés par Sophie Lhuillier par Nancy Huston et Sophie Lhuillier Patrice J. Proulx Huston, Nancy et Sophie Lhuillier. Je chemine avec Nancy Huston. Entretiens menés par Sophie Lhuillier. Seuil, 2021. EAN: 978-2-02-146127-5. Pp. 144. Comprised of an in-depth series of conversations with author Nancy Huston, this volume is part of a collection created explicitly as a way of introducing readers to the life choices and personal trajectories of a variety of professionals including, among others, astrophysicist Hubert Reeves, designer Agnès B., landscape gardener Gilles Clément, and singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo. Editor and interviewer Sophie Lhuillier points out that, although the books are primarily geared towards a young adult readership, all those "qui ont l'audace de continuer à se questionner en grandissant" (4) would find them valuable. Each one is organized in similar fashion, beginning with information on the series itself followed by a short biography of the interviewee, an expansive section in which Lhuillier poses compelling questions relating to the subject's childhood years, pathways and challenges in later life and how these were addressed, a brief closing entitled "Trois questions à méditer chemin faisant," and a useful list of works by the respective author. In Huston's case, Lhuillier starts off with queries designed to evoke the author's thoughts on her own identity, eliciting a response reflecting Huston's ambivalence at the idea of being circumscribed by classifications linked to nationality, religion, age, marital status, etc., as she remarks that "j'aime à répondre: 'je suis mon chemin,' à la fois suivre et être, bien sûr" (12). Huston later makes manifest that, in order to give voice to her fictional characters, she must first "cesser d'exister," affirming that "Partout ailleurs j'existe: comme objet du regard, sujet de discours, maman, copine, amante, etc. Ici, afin que mes personnages puissent advenir, je dois absolument m'effacer" (128). In addition to intimate reflections on her writing process, Huston also discusses some of the most significant events of her formative years, including her mother's departure when the author was six, the significance reading subsequently held for her "comme échappatoire, comme refuge" (21), and her transition from the years lived in Canada and the United States to a life lived almost exclusively in French following a pivotal decision to study in Paris. For her, this constituted a liberating "deuxième naissance" (44), as she chose to leave behind her maternal language for nearly twenty years. Throughout the wide-ranging conversation, numerous topics relating to the primary thematics of Huston's novels are broached: artistic creation, procreation, history and memory, justice, the environment, and the beauty and necessity of storytelling. For example, speaking of the way in which literature has commonly been taught in schools, she laments that "on n'enseigne presque jamais la littérature en ce qu'elle peut exercer notre muscle moral, nous éveiller à l'empathie, à la curiosité de l'autre" (145). Huston feels strongly that fictional works can serve as powerful vehicles for encouraging a true understanding [End Page 276] and compassion for others. Overall, this well-conceived and edited volume illuminates Huston's individual trajectory and provides a welcome companion to her textual production; it should be of great interest to scholars in fields such as French and francophone literature and culture and Women's and Gender Studies. [End Page 277] Patrice J. Proulx University of Nebraska Omaha Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French