Switzerland (French)
Special
Mention
159
Grobéty,
Anne-Lise
Le temps des mots à voix basse ,(The time of the quiet words)
Genève : La Joie de Lire, 2001. - 71 p.
ISBN 2-88258-207-2
Friendship - Persecution of the Jews
The grown-up first-person narrator of this short tale remembers his
childhood: Among two boys and their fathers a close friendship evolves. The
fathers enjoy sitting in their garden, laughing together, drinking a glass of
wine, and writing poems. Nothing seems to threaten their happiness. Yet, all of
a sudden, an unfamiliar and brutal voice drowns out the sounds and voices of
their formerly peaceful world. Without understanding anything, the child is
forced to witness the gradual breakdown of his familiar surroundings. Why, for
example, is his friend suddenly not allowed to go to school anymore? Readers
immediately recognise the terrors of Nazism. Written from a point of view which
lends particular emphasis to the threatening sounds, the vivid language pictures
the horrible events descending upon the boy. Thus, a poetic text is created
which looks at a well-known topic from a different angle and prevents readers
from forgetting these horrors. (14+) <>