Speak/Stop

Excerpt Noémi Lefebvre (trans. Sophie Lewis) September 18, 2024 The following is from Noémi Lefebvre’s Speak/Stop . Lefebvre was born in 1964 in Caen, and now lives in Lyon, France. She is the author of four novels, all of which have garnered intense critical success: her debut novel Blue Self-Portrait (2009), L’etat des sentiment a l’age adulte (2012), L’enfance politique (2015), and Poetics of Work (2018). —May I begin? —Yes. But do remember we are delicate —That’s why you can’t address us in just any tone —You have to choose the right tone —Your tone isn’t always the toniest —Nor in the best taste, either —We’re quite familiar with the customs in wealthy circles where there’s a fine line when it comes to good taste —For we like the arts and we do have taste —At least a kind of taste —We have taste but aren’t so sure of it —We aren’t at that level of ease that allows easy circulation among easier circles —But we aspire to be —We hold on, despite ourselves, to a dream of advancement —Although this dream looks far from dreamy —It’s a dream prescribed —In other words, an ideology —Ideologies make lousy dreams —But we can’t snap out of it, even so —Because we too need to dream —Although we haven’t the means —We’re like the Verdurins, only associating with the finer old farts —Though with less lofty airs —We compare ourselves to the Verdurins, which is ridiculous —What right have we, indeed —Few are they who can invoke the Verdurins without being ridiculous —In any case, we can’t —The Verdurins are not our friends —They’re references —For we do have those —We reference the Verdurins in order to show that we’ve read Proust, which is debatable —We have read Proust but we’re not sure —Who has really read Proust —Besides a few Proustians —We are no Proustians —Despite not being anti-Proustian —We like Proust a lot, but do we know him? —It sounds like we’re saying we know Proust, which is pretentious —We’re also claiming to know the Verdurins, which is impossible […]

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