Memories
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Summary
A novel imbued with warmth and humor beneath its quiet surface, *Memory* was first published in 2011, shortlisted for both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Femina that year, and later adapted into a film of the same name.
The book begins with the death of a grandfather and centers on three generations of one family, tracing their loves and partings while depicting life's pain and time's cruelty. It gently reveals how the power of intimate bonds not only consoles the present but also nourishes our most precious memories, becoming life's most important component and a family's inheritance. Alongside the main narrative runs a secondary thread also called “Memory,” interweaving anecdotes of literary and artistic figures with the recollections of the novel's characters, echoing the main story and adding pleasure to the reading.
Editor's review
What is most striking is the book's distinctive narrative rhythm—the author skillfully interweaves private memory with fragments of twentieth-century European history, preserving the intimacy of personal narrative while giving the work historical depth. This approach lifts the novel beyond mere autobiography into a literary portrait of a generation's inner life. Foenkinos excels at finding poetry in everyday scenes and truth in ordinary conversation, and in *Memory* this gift reaches new heights.
For readers familiar with Foenkinos's earlier work, *Memory* marks an important turn—from the humorous, satirical social observation of his early writing toward a more introspective, philosophically deeper literary exploration. The Shanghai Translation Publishing House edition captures the original's linguistic character with precision, retaining the elegance and rhythm of the French while making it read naturally and fluently in Chinese. The book's value lies in its reminder that, in an age of information overload, true memory is not an accumulation of data but the emotional connections and moments of radiance that shape who we are today.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literary readers interested in themes of memory and identity
- Readers who appreciate the delicate style of contemporary French literature
- Those seeking emotional resonance within calm, understated narrative
- Readers who enjoy seeing an era reflected through personal stories
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a fast-paced, plot-driven story
- Readers who prefer conventional linear narrative
Reading tips
- Read in a relatively quiet setting to appreciate the subtle emotional shifts in the text
- Pay attention to the non-linear arrangement of the book's timeline, which is key to understanding its structure
- After reading, take some time to reflect on how your own important memories shape your present life
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 1
- 2．祖父的回忆
- 3
- 4．帕特里克·莫迪亚诺的回忆
- 5
- 6．祖母的回忆
- 7
- 8．父亲的回忆
- 9
- 10．母亲的回忆
- 11
- 12．弗朗西斯·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德的回忆
- 13
- 14．加斯东·马丁内兹的回忆
- 15
- 16．塞尔日·甘斯布的回忆
- 17
- 18．索尼娅·塞纳松的回忆
- 19
- 20．祖父母以前的邻居、现今房主的回忆
- 21
- 22．奶牛画家的回忆
- 23
- 24．我不知姓名的那个俄罗斯女人的回忆
- 25
- 26．前台警察的回忆
- 27
- 28．川端康成的回忆
- 29
- 30．玛丽莲的回忆
- 31
- 32．弗里德里希·尼采的回忆
- 33
- 34．热拉尔的回忆
- 35
- 36．圣拉撒路的回忆
- 37
- 38．克洛德·勒卢什的回忆
- 39
- 40．爱丽丝·查杜基的回忆
- 41
- 42．爱罗斯·阿尔茨海默的回忆
- 43
- 44．夏洛特·萨洛蒙的回忆
- 45
- 46．悬崖酒店老板的回忆
- 47
- 48．马塞洛·马斯楚安尼的回忆
- 49
- 50．把祖母的遗体运回巴黎的殡仪工的回忆
- 51
- 52．我和露易丝第一次亲吻的回忆
- 53
- 54．文森特·凡·高的回忆
- 55
- 56．十三号高速公路收银员的回忆
- 57
- 58．电影《教父》（1972）的回忆
- 59
- 60．露易丝父亲的回忆
- 61
- 62．韦恩·肖特的回忆
- 63
- 64．安东尼奥·高迪的回忆
- 65
- 66．保罗的回忆
- 67
- 68．我的一个回忆
FAQ
Is this book an autobiography of the author?
How does the style differ from other contemporary French writers?
Is it accessible to readers unfamiliar with French culture?
Comments
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About the author
David Foenkinos is an author known to Chinese readers primarily through foreign literature. Four of his works are currently included in the library, with his representative titles being Delicacy, The Mystery of the Henri Pick Library, and Memories. Because publicly available information is limited, his nationality, dates of birth and death, and full biography cannot be confirmed at present; the existing information comes mainly from these translated works themselves. In terms of subject matter, he is skilled at capturing the subtle emotional fluctuations between people in the gaps of everyday life, often addressing themes such as loneliness, encounter, and loss in a light and humorous tone, with brisk narrative pacing, vivid dialogue, and a distinctively French urban atmosphere. Among these, The Mystery of the Henri Pick Library revolves around forgotten submissions and literary dreams, revealing a gentle observation of the writing ecosystem and readers' psychology, and has also brought him wider attention.
Wang Dongliang is a Chinese book author about whom limited public information is available; his biography and identity have not been widely disclosed. Judging from the twelve works listed in the database, his writing and translation activities center mainly on foreign literature, covering categories such as classics and biography. His representative works include The Name of the Rose (revised edition) and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, as well as several translations connected with Marguerite Duras, such as India (The Collected Works of Duras 7), The Collected Works of Duras 8: Pain, The Vice-Consul, Love (The Collected Works of Duras 5), Love, and Memoir. These titles show that he attends both to classic novels from around the world and to the ongoing presentation of Duras's works. His work helps Chinese readers encounter foreign literary classics and gain a sense of the relevant authors and works.
Niu Yue, a native of Shunyi District, Beijing, graduated from Capital Normal University and currently works as an editor at a Beijing newspaper. Alongside her editorial work, she has long been engaged in compiling popular science and elementary classical readers for children. The collection holds 111 of her titles, spanning science popularization, traditional culture, foreign literature, and inspirational growth. Representative works include the geography, plants, and universe volumes of Why Do Chinese Children Have a Hundred Thousand Questions, along with Ancient Trade Routes and Transportation, The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China, Seeing the Universe as It Really Is, Little Tang Poems, and Memory, as well as the book series The Gate of Exploration and Discovery and the Little Bookboy Classical Reader series. Her writing is known for accuracy and plain, accessible language, skilfully turning scientific knowledge and traditional culture into short pieces suitable for young readers. Public information about her life and writing career is limited.
