''Un barrage contre l'Atlantique'' () is a 2022 novel by the French writer

Frédéric Beigbeder Frédéric Beigbeder (; born 21 September 1965) is a French writer, literary critic and television presenter. He won the Prix Interallié in 2003 for his novel '' Windows on the World'' and the Prix Renaudot in 2009 for his book '' A French Nov ...

Plot

''Un barrage contre l'Atlantique'' is an

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The ...

similar to

's previous '' A French Novel'' and has the subtitle ''Un roman français, tome 2'' (). It is largely told in fragments, consisting of paragraphs with one sentence each. Inspired by a painting he spontaneously buys, Beigbeder reminisces about his life and French society, from his childhood in the 1970s through his time as a

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of l ...

in Paris, his relationship with Laura Smet, and his hermit-like life in Guéthary. The book was written at the compound of , a wealthy man who tries to stop the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

of Cap Ferret by building a large and unauthorised

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation, ...

Reception

Grégory Plouviez of ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; ) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of ...

'' wrote that the book is written with "exquisite melancholy". Jean-Paul Brighelli of ''

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed i ...

'' wrote that Beigbeder handles the fragmentary form in a way similar to

Heraclitus Heraclitus (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, ...

and

Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (; ; ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorism ...

and that ''Un barrage contre l'Atlantique'' is a more profound book than ''A French Novel''. ''

The French Review The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) is a professional organization for teachers of French in the United States founded in 1927. Teachers who join this association may be involved in primary, secondary, or university-level French ...

'' wrote that the book is "much more disparate in content and form" than ''A French Novel'' and that "Beigbeder’s admirers and detractors will find much fodder here".

References

External links

Grasset
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrage contre lAtlantique 2022 French novels French autobiographical novels Novels by Frédéric Beigbeder Éditions Grasset books Sequel novels