French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Ernaux, Retour à Yvetot
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs

Retour à Yvetot
Annie Ernaux

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/05/13 PUBLISHER: Editions du Mauconduit ISBN: 979-10-90566-08-8 EAN: 9791090566088 FORMAT: Paperback NO. OF PAGES: 77 p.

“Since the publication of my first book, Cleaned Out, nearly 40 years ago, I have met readers in many cities, in France and across the world. Never in Yvetot, despite the invitations I received on several occasions.”
For the first time, on October 13, 2012, at the request of the municipality, Annie Ernaux agreed to meet the residents of the small town in the Pays de Caux where she spent her childhood. This book publishes the text of this previously unpublished lecture, accompanied by a collection of personal photographs captioned with excerpts from her books published by Gallimard.
“Unlike any other town, Yvetot is the locus of my most essential memory—that of my childhood and formative years. This memory is consubstantially bound to my writing. I might even say: indelibly.”

“There are no privileged subjects in literature, and Yvetot is therefore worth Constantinople.” Gustave Flaubert (Letter to his mistress Louise Colet)

This volume captures a significant literary event through the publication of a previously unpublished lecture delivered by Annie Ernaux in October 2012. Invited by the municipality of Yvetot, the author returned to the small town in the Pays de Caux where she spent her formative years. The book pairs her address with a carefully curated selection of personal photographs, accompanied by captions drawn from her acclaimed body of work published by Gallimard. Through these elements, the publication offers a unique window into the intimate geography that underpins her autobiographical writing and literary universe.

Rooted in the author's lifelong exploration of memory, social background, and personal history, this text will interest readers of contemporary French literature and admirers of autofiction. It provides valuable insight into the relationship between a writer's origins and their creative output, illuminating how a specific locale shapes an entire artistic trajectory. The book serves as a thoughtful companion for those studying the sociology of literature and the intersections of place, memory, and narrative voice in modern prose, while remaining accessible to general readers familiar with her broader oeuvre.