Les vignes de Berlin (French novel) by Daniel Rondeau

The Vines of Berlin is a deeply emotional and introspective novel by Daniel Rondeau. The author takes us on a journey through the memories of his childhood in the village of Congy, in the heart of the Champagne vineyards. He explores the mysteries and secrets of his family, marked by the scars of war and the weight of traditions.

The story begins with a childhood spent running through the meadows and woods of the countryside, where the secret numbers of destinies gradually reveal themselves to the author. Daniel Rondeau questions the silences and the rare confidences of the men in his family, each carrying the wounds left by history. His grandfather, a vine grower and former soldier of 1914, was arrested as a collaborator in 1944. As for his father, an idealist schoolteacher, he survived three years of captivity in a stalag during World War II, and joined the resistance.

Throughout the pages, Daniel Rondeau shares his feelings about these family legacies. He highlights the poetic poverty that characterizes his kin, a poverty that seems to belong fully to the poetry of the world. Silence and resignation form the daily life of these men, beings without ancestors or family papers, whose memory is marked by the tragic events of wars.

Alongside this past, the author speaks about his own journey, marked by a lonely youth stretched into a time that was not only that of the present moment. At twenty years old, love and revolution filled his summer, and the great upheaval of 1968 changed his life. He left Paris for more than ten years, spending part of this time as a worker in the factories along the Moselle River.

This novel is also a reflection on memory. Every man advances with an invisible servant by his side, whose face is turned backward: "memory you will call her." This mysterious figure accompanies the author throughout his life, constantly reminding him of past events. Daniel Rondeau deeply evokes this constant presence, a companion who helped him write this book, a work that bears witness to his discovery of the world and his inevitable need to tell about it.

Published by Grasset, "The Vines of Berlin" is a novel rich in emotions and reflections, exploring themes of memory, war, family, and poetry. With a style that is both poetic and accessible, Daniel Rondeau succeeds in captivating the reader by plunging them into a universe where the past and present intertwine to reveal the depth of the human soul.

The book's information is as follows:

• EAN13: 9782246539513
• ISBN: 978-2-246-53951-3
• Publisher: Grasset
• Publication Date: 10/04/2006
• Collection: French Literature
• Series: Memory You Will Call Her
• Number of Pages: 198
• Dimensions: 21 x 13 cm
• Weight: 215 g
• Language: French

"The Vines of Berlin" is more than just a novel; it is a literary work that speaks to the heart, offering a deep reflection on the secrets men carry, the memory that follows them, and the vines where the stories of whole lives germinate.