Key facts
- Élisabeth, a novel written by Éric Rohmer under the pseudonym Gilbert Cordier in 1939, has been republished.
- The book explores themes of young lovers, age-gap affairs, and flirtations in prewar France.
- Rohmer, who later became a celebrated French New Wave filmmaker, adopted the pseudonym Éric Rohmer after the novel's initial poor reception.
- The new English-language translation is by Aaron Kerner and includes a foreword by André Aciman.
- Critics have described the novel as "embryonic" and a crucial origin story for Rohmer's cinematic themes.
Élisabeth, a novel penned by French filmmaker Éric Rohmer under the pseudonym Gilbert Cordier in 1939, has been republished eight decades after its initial release. The book, which details the lives of young lovers in prewar France, explores themes of age-gap affairs and flirtations. Rohmer, then known as Maurice Schérer, wrote the novel during his time as a freelance journalist in Nazi-occupied Paris. Following the book's minimal success, Schérer adopted the name Éric Rohmer and transitioned to filmmaking, becoming a prominent figure in the French New Wave movement.
The new English-language translation, handled by Aaron Kerner, has garnered praise, with critics hailing it as a lost modernist classic and a significant precursor to Rohmer's celebrated films such as 'Claire's Knee' and 'My Night at Maud's'. Novelist André Aciman, who penned the foreword for the new edition, described the book as "embryonic" and containing "Rohmerian moments" that foreshadow the themes he would later develop in his cinema, including the study of human behavior and complex relationships.
Rohmer's filmmaking approach, characterized by small crews and a focus on actor spontaneity and improvisation, contributed to the fresh and free-flowing nature of his cinematic works. This contrasts with his private and secretive personal life, where he often concealed his profession from his mother, who believed he was a teacher. His most recognized films, including 'Pauline à la Plage', often delve into the intricacies of friendship, love affairs, and the games of desire among young people, a thematic territory already present in his early novel 'Élisabeth'.