The Years

This is not straightforward autobiography—it is told from the perspective of “we,” which sometimes shifts into the third person, so the author appears as “she.” This has the effect of becoming a biography as well as a biography of her generation—how do these perspectives work together?

Ernaux makes numerous cultural references, often in the form of lists. What do you think of how translator Alison L. Strayer dealt with these cultural references and how she occasionally added footnotes? What challenges do you think a translator might face when translating specific cultural references? Is culture translatable?

When Ernaux writes, “. . . other people’s memories gave us a place in the world,” (26) what does she mean? Do you think this statement is specific to the time she is writing about or does it speak to a universal experience?

How do the quote from José Ortega y Gasset at the beginning of the book and Ernaux’s third-person semi-autobiography interact? What do these two elements say when put together?