Une adolescence en Gueldre (An Adolescence in Gelderland) is a 2005 Belgian novel by Jean-Claude Pirotte that won the Prix des Deux Magots in 2006.

Publication

Une adolescence en Gueldre is part of a series of books that Pirotte has published over a period of twenty years, in which his hero tells of his wanderings and experiences.^[1] The novel was published on 22 August 2005 by Éditions de la Table ronde.^[2] Jean-Claude Pirotte has published about thirty books. Many of them have won literary prizes, including the Prix Coppée, Prix Littéraire Valery Larbaud, Prix Vialatte and Prix Marguerite Duras.^[3]

Synopsis

In his diary Ange Vincent tells of his life as an adolescent with the Prins family in the Veluwe, Holland.^[4] The father of the family, a great lover of literature, gives him the task of translating Don Quixote. He also accompanies the two sons of the family on their wanderings.^[5] They are both much older than the narrator, who is twelve and is starting to become aware of girls, including the naive Germaine, the provocative Mara and the languid Carlijn.^[1] The two boys, Han and Jan, are fascinated by the same woman. She has a strange resemblance to a portrait of Saint Mary Magdalene, thought to be painted by an unknown 16th century Flemish artist.^[4] The narrator must not make eye contact with the woman, who may be a saint or a prostitute.^[6] The ambiguous portrait comes to dominate the narrative.^[4] The narrator recalls his troubled relationship with his mother and the inability to "engage with life" that has made him a wanderer.^[5]

Reception

Une adolescence en Gueldre received the 73rd Prix des Deux Magots on 31 January 2006.^[7][8] Pirotte also received the Prix Marcel Aymé for the novel, awarded on 15 December 2006, which came with a check for €3,000. This prize is given by the Association du livre et des auteurs comtois (ALAC), supported by the regional council of Franche-Comté and by the town and academy of Besançon.^[7]

References