Astragal

Back of the Book

As if the reader were riding shotgun, this intensely vivid novel captures a life on the lam. “L’astragale” is the French word for the ankle bone Albertine Sarrazin’s heroine Anne breaks as she leaps from her jail cell to freedom. As she drags herself down the road, away from the prison walls, she is rescued by Julien, himself a small-time criminal, who keeps her hidden. They fall in love. Fear of capture, memories of her prison cell, claustrophobia in her hideaways: every detail is fiercely felt.

Astragal burst onto the French literary scene in 1965; its fiery and vivacious style was entirely new, and Sarrazin became a celebrity overnight. But as fate would have it, Sarrazin herself kept running into trouble with the law, even as she became a star. 

She died from a botched surgery at the height of her fame. Sarrazin’s life and work (her novels are semi-autobiographical) have been the subject of intense fascination in France; a new adaptation of Astragal is currently being filmed. Patti Smith, who brought Astragal to the attention of New Directions, contributes an enthusiastic introduction to one of her favorite writers.  

Why You Should Read It

Albertine Sarrazin wrote about grit, through her intimate knowledge of the matter—having spent most of her life on the streets and written both her books while in prison. Whilst engaging sincerely in all of its grime and life in the gutters of Paris, Sarrazin allows us her readers a close look at the main character, 19 year old Anne whom we meet as she is escaping from prison, and her relationship to faith in a life that is so lacking of any sympathetic divine imposition or intervention. Anne’s invention of her own version of the divine, what she discovers through a perpetual pining for figures acting as failing saviors for her (men she has loved), is a sort of universal mirror to what faith really is for most people—a concept as a vessel for desire, grand structure that becomes a defence against grand disorder. Both Anne and Albertine Sarrazin’s lives are subject to being judged as absolute mirrors of one another, but this is a memoir of feeling than of incident, if it is a memoir at all.

Memorable Passage

I would like to stay like this, lazy, warm, in the silence where only our regular breathing can be heard, without ever having to make gestures, speak words which sell us out and betray us; this moment is real and alive, I stretch it into eternity...

About the Author

Albertine Sarrazin (1937–1967) was a French-Algerian author whose brief but impactful life left an enduring mark on literature. Born in Algeria and orphaned at a young age, Sarrazin's life took a tumultuous turn when she turned to a life of crime and spent time in and out of prison. It was during one of her incarcerations that she discovered her passion for writing. Her debut novel, L'Astragale, draws heavily from her own experiences and narrates the story of her daring escape from prison. Despite facing numerous challenges, Sarrazin's writing exhibits a lyrical and poignant quality, capturing the essence of her unconventional life. Her works, including L'Astragale and La Cavale, explore themes of love, freedom, and the complexities of the human spirit. Albertine Sarrazin is worth knowing for her unique voice in French literature, her ability to turn adversity into art, and the courage with which she shared her distinctive perspective on life and literature.

 
 
 
 
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The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis