Product Description

"Le Bal" depicts the life of the Kampfs who, having recently gone up in the world thanks to luck with the stock decide to throw a ball in order to launch themselves into society. Their daughter Antoinette, who has just turned fourteen, dreams of attending. But Madame Kampf is resolved not to present her daughter, already so grown up, to her admirers. Instead, Antoinette is forced to sleep in the laundry room, as her bedroom is used as coatroom. In an unpremeditated fury of revolt and despair, Antoinette takes her revenge. It is swift and it is horrible. A cruel, funny and tender examination of class differences, of the dynamic between mother and daughter, "Le Bal" is ultimately dedicated to the torments of childhood. "Snow in Autumn" pays homage to Mirovsky's beloved Chekhov and chronicles the life of a devoted servant following her masters as they flee Revolutionary Moscow and emigrate to a life of hardship in Paris.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29698 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: French
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Times Literary Supplement
`these two stories bring out the strengths of Irene Nemorivsky's writing, its economy of expression and bold description... dynamic'

Times
`a reminder of what good writing can achieve with very few words'

The Financial Times
`when Nemirovsky dies in Auschwitz we lost a huge talent.'

Customer Reviews

Nemirovsky' s debut shows a very talented writer
This was one of Nemirovsky's first works. It was written in 1928, the year before the Wall Street crac, but published in 1930, after David Golder. It tells the story of a French nouveau riche family, the Kampfs. He is a Jewish businessman who has suddenly strike rich on currency speculation; on marrying her unbearable catholic wife he converted to catholicism (there is some stereotyping here for those willing to look at it, though it's not as on-your-face as in Golder). They decide to give a ball in order to presents themselves into high society. Her fourteen years old daughter, the vivacious but lonely Antoinette is told she will not be allowed to the ball, so while sending the invitations she suddenly plans a cruel revenge on her parents (and especially her mother). A great book, especially observant at the feelings of a wounded teenager, and at less than 90 pages, between a short story and a novella.

Another jem from Nemorovsky
This edition has two short stories,La Bal and Autumn in the snow.Both are auto biographical.The first is the story of the tyranical and vain mother who treats her child as a constant irritation and only speaks in a blunt cruel way to her.The child's father has struck it lucky and their new wealth makes the parents long for acceptance into the upper social circles.In their wealth the child becomes an unwanted irrelevance.However the child fights backs against all the cruelty.
The second book Snow in Autumn,is again from her personal experience.Namely the emptiness and difficulties of being forced from your homeland,Russia, and having to adjust to an alien culture,France.It is a tale of sad longing for times gone past.There is a,sad, lyrical quality to the writing.You get the perspective of the Russian revolution from the wealthy persons point of view.
l dislike the short story genre,but both stories are wonderful.Full of insight,longing and dealing with the harsh brutal truth.
Irene Nemorovsky is a brilliant writer,and how very sad she perished at Austwitz.