French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Cannone, S'émerveiller
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

S'émerveiller
Belinda Cannone

Publication date: 02/01/2017 Publisher: Stock ISBN: 978-2-234-08036-2 EAN: 9782234080362 Format: Large Format Binding: Paperback No. of pages: 192 p.

"Sometimes silence falls; we are peaceful and focused, the light is beautiful and our gaze alert. Then, a sense of wonder overtakes us. Where does this fleeting feeling come from? It does not necessarily stem from a grandiose situation or spectacle. Often, it is a receptive inner state that allows us to perceive a secret, poetic dimension of the world. Suddenly, we are fully alive, here and now, in the pure present.

This inner disposition is a consequence of the will to live and the capacity for joy. The threat of gloom hangs over our era, yet it is all the more vital to persist in summoning wonder. For the building of happiness and respect for every fragile and precious life, capable of embracing both pleasure and pain, define our conception of existence.

Here is our dwelling place; casting a mindful gaze upon it is the surest antidote to nihilism."

Belinda Cannone is a novelist and essayist. She has published seven novels (most recently, Nu intérieur, published by L'Olivier) and several essays, including L'Ecriture du désir (Prix de l'essai of the Académie française, 2001), Le Sentiment d'imposture (Grand Prix de l'essai of the Société des Gens de Lettres, 2005), La bêtise s'améliore (Stock, 2007), and La Tentation de Pénélope (Stock, 2010).

Belinda Cannone is a novelist and essayist who has written several works exploring human existence. In S'émerveiller, she discusses how a receptive inner state can reveal a poetic dimension in everyday life, engaging with the will to live and the capacity for joy. This focus on the present moment is presented as an antidote to nihilism.

Cannone's previous publications include the essays L'Ecriture du désir and Le Sentiment d'imposture. In this work, she suggests that wonder does not require grandiose spectacles but rather a mindful, alert gaze. Readers interested in essays on mindfulness and the philosophy of happiness may find this work relevant.