And Their Children After Them (novel)

And Their Children After Them (French: Leurs enfants après eux, literal translation Their Children After Them) is a 2018 novel by French writer Nicolas Mathieu. Actes Sud published the novel, Mathieu's second. An English translation by William Rodarmor was published by Hodder & Stoughton and Other Press in April 2020.[1][2][3] The novel portrays the lives of teenagers and adolescents in peri-urban areas of eastern France in the 1990s, and deals with the consequences of deindustrialization.

Not to be confused with And Their Children After Them.
And Their Children After Them
Cover of first edition
AuthorNicolas Mathieu
Original titleLeurs enfants après eux
TranslatorWilliam Rodarmor
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
PublisherActes Sud
Publication date
2018
OCLC1052883063
843/.92
LC ClassPQ2713.A8767 L48 2018

The novel received positive reviews from the literary press. It received the Prix Goncourt on November 7, 2018. In November 2021, the English translation won the Albertine Prize, a readers' choice prize administered by the French embassy in New York.[4][5][3][6]

Writing and development

Mathieu explored deindustrialization in the east of France in his first book, the hardboiled novel Aux animaux la guerre, published by Actes Sud through their "Actes Noir" imprint. Mathieu chose to engage further with this topic for his second novel, although focusing on children born near the end of the 1970s, who were teenagers in the 1990s.[7][8] Beyond his experience writing about the topic of deindustrialization in his first novel and his desire to explore it further, Mathieu was prodded to write the book by the 2013 movie Mud. In particular, the author cites the opening scene, which features two adolescents, as inspirational.[9] Mathieu sought to anchor his writing in real "society and politics".[10] This desire reflects the goals of 19th-century French writers, such as Honoré de Balzac and Émile Zola, as well as contemporary authors, including Annie Ernaux.[11][12]

Reception

Comparisons to other works

Critics have compared Mathieu's work to that of others engaging with post-industrial themes and the working class, including Didier Eribon and Édouard Louis.[13]

Film adaptation

The novel is currently being adapted into a film directed by Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma, and stars Paul Kircher in the lead role.[14]

References
  1. Mathieu, Nicolas (2018). And Their Children After Them. Translated by Rodarmor, William. Hachette UK. ISBN 9781529303827.
  2. Mathieu, Nicolas (7 April 2020). And Their Children After Them. ISBN 9781892746771. Retrieved 1 September 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. Anderson, Porter (December 9, 2021). "William Rodarmor's Translation of Nicolas Mathieu Wins 2021 Albertine Prize". Publishing Perspectives.
  4. "Five Nominees Unveiled for the 2021 Albertine Prize". frenchculture.org/. French Embassy in the United States. October 13, 2021.
  5. Albertine Team (November 1, 2021). "Nicolas Mathieu on 2021 Albertine Prize Finalist 'And Their Children after Them'". albertine.com. Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Archived from the original on 2021-11-10.
  6. "'And Their Children After Them' Wins 2021 Albertine Prize". Publishers Weekly. December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
  7. Nicolas Blondeau, « Depuis le Goncourt, j'apprends à dire non ! », Le Progrès, 10 December 2018.
  8. Michel Pourcelot, « Leurs enfants après eux : en passant par la Lorraine sinistrée », site de Force ouvrière, 2 December 2018.
  9. Catherine Delmas, « Nicolas Mathieu : "Mon luxe ? M'ennuyer un peu..." », Madame Figaro, 21 December 2018.
  10. « Nicolas Mathieu remporte le Goncourt avec Leurs enfants après eux », Libération, 7 November 2018.
  11. François Lestavel, « Nicolas Mathieu : Les grandes désillusions », Paris Match, 18 November 2018.
  12. Georgia Makhlouf, « Nicolas Mathieu : "Écrire, c'est faire la guerre au monde" », L'Orient-Le Jour, 23 December 2018.
  13. Marshall, Alex (8 November 2018). "Nicolas Mathieu Wins Goncourt Prize for Work on France's Forgotten". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  14. Keslassy, Elsa (18 May 2023). "French Hitmakers Hugo Selignac, Alain Attal Set for Banner 2024 With Studiocanal and Netflix on Gilles Lellouche's 'L'Amour Ouf,' and With WB, HBO Max on Boukherma Brothers' Next Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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