WRITING LIFE – ANNIE ERNAUX THROUGH THE EYES OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A major figure in contemporary feminism and the first Frenchwoman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Annie Ernaux is seen by many as a source of individual and collective emancipation, blending the intimate with the universal. Filmmaker Claire Simon has devoted an original portrait to her, giving students and teachers a voice. How is Ernaux’s work taught in secondary schools and universities? How is it received, studied and learned? How do today’s French young people approach the writings of Ernaux? By placing her camera in French classrooms, Simon captures the living impact of Ernaux’s words: their awakening power, their ability to challenge one’s certainties and nurture new degrees of awareness by prompting students to reflect on their own teenage lives. Through this look at the process of transmission, Simon shows how the oeuvre of Ernaux, having taken its rightful place in world literature, continues to inspire young people in their quest for freedom and self-determination.