HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Françoise Sagan, born 21 June 1935
Françoise Sagan
“I have loved to the point of madness; that which is called madness, that which to me, is the only sensible way to love.”
Françoise Sagan was once described as a “charming little monster”, so she does sound like a fascinating character. She is sort of the French equivalent of J.D. Salinger – her characters were iconic for disillusioned teenagers in France.
Her life was a troubled one, with two marriages, drugs, car accidents, etc. Fascinatingly, she wrote her own obituary: “Appeared in 1954 with a slender novel Bonjour Tristesse, which created a scandal worldwide. Her death, after a life and a body of work that were equally pleasant and botched, was a scandal only for herself.” Maybe I should think what how I’d like my obituary to read – after all, if you write it yourself, you have the satisfaction of knowing it says what you want it to say. She died in 2004.
In my teens I loved Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, (1954) which was perfect for those angst-filled teenage years, but it’s a long time since I have read any of her works. Should I try her books again? Or are we better to keep the good memories and not try to recapture that teenage emotion? Share your thoughts in the comment area below.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
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