And the mystery seems somehow connected to the fact that their real name isn’t Grimbert at all, but the Jewish surname, Grinberg. Simon, it begins to appear, is not so imaginary after all, but pieced together from half-remembered whispers and silences about Philippe’s parents’ lives before he was born. Un frère aîné glorieux, invisible.īut not only does Philippe have an imaginary brother, he also knows the brother’s name, Simon, and owns the cuddly toy dog that once belonged to him. Il fallait me croire sur parole quand je servais cette fable à mes relations de vacances, à mes amis de passage. The story begins with his unusual quirk, as a child, of having not an imaginary friend, but an imaginary brother:įils unique, j’ai longtemps eu un frère. The autobiographical novel is about the terrible family secret Philippe uncovers during his childhood. It won the Prix Goncourt des lycéens when it was published (France’s only literary prize to be awarded by a panel of sixth-formers), and has since been made into a film by Claude Miller. If you’re looking to read a novel in French that’s fairly short and accessible, but a serious piece of literature that will stay with you long after you finish it, then Philippe Grimbert’s Un secret would be a good choice.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |