Happening
Happening by Annie Ernaux, published by Seven Stories Press on May 14, 2019, is a poignant exploration of a young woman’s experience with an unwanted pregnancy in 1963. In this 96-page edition, Ernaux recounts her journey as a 23-year-old navigating the societal pressures and personal turmoil that accompany her situation, ultimately leading her to confront the harsh realities of a time when abortion was illegal in France.
Readers will find a deeply personal narrative as Ernaux reflects on her memories and journal entries from that period, revealing the trauma that has lingered for decades. The book delves into themes of personal autonomy, societal judgment, and the struggles faced by women, making it a significant contribution to the genres of biography, personal memoirs, and fiction. Through her clear and honest prose, Ernaux sheds light on the emotional and physical challenges she faced, offering insight into the broader implications of her experience.
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WINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
“Happening recounts what it was like to be a young woman whose life changed — and world ominously narrowed — in 1963 with an unwanted pregnancy. . . . It feels urgently of the moment.”
—The New York Times
In 1963, Annie Ernaux, 23 and unattached, realizes she is pregnant. Shame arises in her like a plague: Understanding that her pregnancy will mark her and her family as social failures, she knows she cannot keep that child.
This is the story, written forty years later, of a trauma Ernaux never overcame. In a France where abortion was illegal, she attempted, in vain, to self-administer the abortion with a knitting needle. Fearful and desperate, she finally located an abortionist, and ends up in a hospital emergency ward where she nearly dies.
In Happening, Ernaux sifts through her memories and her journal entries dating from those days. Clearly, cleanly, she gleans the meanings of her experience.
Now an award-winning film by Audrey Diwan
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival
Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival
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