French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Noël, Conversations with A. Veinstein. From One Day to the Next
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs
Bernard Noël, "from one day to the next"
Bernard Noël, Alain Veinstein
Publication date: 16/10/2017
Publisher: Amourier (L')
Series: Bio
ISBN: 978-2-36418-042-0
EAN: 9782364180420
Number of pages: 338 p.
Listeners of France Culture are well acquainted with Alain Veinstein's voice: soft, warm, and at times mischievous. It is midnight, the hour of confidences. "From One Day to the Next" begins... Thirty-five years of broadcasting have spanned the literary landscape, featuring eight thousand invited authors, including a number of literary giants. Bernard Noël appeared twenty-one times. From the very first words, the listener realizes that this voice embodies a profound intellect, articulated without pretense and opening up unprecedented perspectives.
Because Bernard Noël plays a vital role as a mediator—of his own texts, literature in general (readers will explore his library and encounter his favorite writers), writing in particular, the history of painting, and his numerous journeys (both literary and political in scope)—these interviews deserved to be collected in a book. Here it is, serving today as a necessary trace through which to question our future.
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An article on this work can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
Alain Veinstein is well known to radio audiences for his long-running literary broadcasts on France Culture, where intimate conversations with writers defined a distinct era of cultural programming. These recorded dialogues occupy a unique place in the history of literary broadcasting, capturing spontaneous yet deeply considered exchanges between interviewers and authors during the late twentieth century. Such archival materials preserve the spoken voice of prominent intellectuals, offering insight into their creative processes and immediate reactions to contemporary cultural currents within the French literary establishment.
This volume gathers the multiple appearances of Bernard Noël on the program, documenting a sustained engagement with literature, writing, and the history of painting. Readers interested in contemporary French poetry, literary criticism, and the intersection of radio broadcasting with intellectual history may find it relevant to their pursuits. The text records discussions addressing the author's own texts, his broader views on literature, and the various literary and political journeys that shaped his intellectual trajectory over several decades.