Patrick Modiano (review)

In his introduction to this volume of essays, editor John Flower tentatively cautions us of the inevitable return of themes and issues addressed by earlier critics though he does stress that these have been reconsidered within new theoretical frameworks. Many essays in this volume take Modiano studies in new and exciting directions while others seem reluctant to break away from the ‘inevitable’ themes altogether. The volume can be broadly divided between those essays that focus on unravelling the web of historical references, signs and inter/intratextual allusions, and those which attempt to examine Modiano’s work in wider theoretical contexts. The former approach is exemplified in essays by Alan Morris and Anne-Marie Obajtek-Kirkwood, which identify Modiano’s debt to historical sources including newspaper articles and historical figures, and examine the methodological processes that transform historical fact into his literary output. The latter approach offers a fresher, more varied insight into the writer’s work, opening avenues for interpretation. For example, Akane Kawakami takes us into the realm of psychogeography in her essay on Modiano the flâneur while Béatrice Damamme-Gilbert questions the status of the secret and its transmission in her psychoanalytical reading. Katarzyna Thiel-Jańczuk discusses the concretising nature of language and Modiano’s desire to move beyond the textual by embracing other art forms, an idea that Jurate D. Kaminskas develops in her analysis of the musicality of Modiano’s writing, stressing the importance of repetition and refrain. As such, the ‘inachèvement’ of Modiano’s texts is important because, as is the case with music, it inspires us to ‘reprendre’. Simon Kemp also examines Modiano’s in/conclusions and asks why we are not dissatisfied when the hermeneutic thread is left dangling. Drawing attention to the relationship between literary form and content, he shows how Modiano adeptly steers us away from any expectation of a neat conclusion and demonstrates the compatibility that exists between the lack of formal conclusion and the central themes of memory and identity. This, along with the varied and thought-provoking interpretations in this volume, explains why we have not yet tired of Modiano and why we are so keen to ‘reprendre’ with each new publication. But Flower questions what directions future critics can take given the largely over-lapping qualities of Modiano’s work. One wonders whether much more can be gained from scouring the details of Modiano’s life and the Occupation. The treatment of Modiano’s work as a puzzle to be solved seems the very antithesis to his open, inconclusive writing and runs the risk of narrowing its potential for newness. Given the indisputable centrality of the themes of Time and Existence in Modiano’s writing, it is surprising how reluctant critics are to approach Modiano’s work philosophically. Jean-Marc Lecaudéis the only contributor who directly addresses the question of the dissolution of identity, the suspension of time and existentialism but he stops short of demonstrating how Modiano’s take on being and time fits into philosophical thought as a whole. Perhaps, this is a direction that critical readings of Modiano could now take.