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] 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.

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.[3][4] 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.[5] Mathieu sought to anchor his writing in real "society and politics".[6] 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.[7][8]

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.[9]

References
  1. "And Their Children After Them". Hachette UK. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. "And Their Children After Them". Other Press. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  3. Nicolas Blondeau, « Depuis le Goncourt, j’apprends à dire non ! », Le Progrès, 10 décembre 2018.
  4. Michel Pourcelot, « Leurs enfants après eux : en passant par la Lorraine sinistrée », site de Force ouvrière, 2 décembre 2018.
  5. Catherine Delmas, « Nicolas Mathieu : "Mon luxe ? M’ennuyer un peu..." », Madame Figaro, 21 décembre 2018.
  6. « Nicolas Mathieu remporte le Goncourt avec Leurs enfants après eux », Libération, 7 novembre 2018.
  7. François Lestavel, « Nicolas Mathieu : Les grandes désillusions », Paris Match, 18 novembre 2018.
  8. Georgia Makhlouf, « Nicolas Mathieu : "Écrire, c’est faire la guerre au monde" », L'Orient-Le Jour, 23 décembre 2018.
  9. Marshall, Alex (8 November 2018). "Nicolas Mathieu Wins Goncourt Prize for Work on France's Forgotten". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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