The elegance of the hedgehog
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a novel by the French author Muriel Barbery . The French original edition was published in 2006 under the title L'Élégance du hérisson .
content
The 54-year-old concierge Renée Michel adores Leo Tolstoy . In his honor, she names her cat after Tolstoy, albeit with the short name “Leo” to hide her fondness for literature from her rich neighbors. She always tries to maintain the image of a penniless, simple-minded caretaker . Your vocabulary is greatly simplified for conversations, and the television always plays in the background, cliché.
Twelve-year-old Paloma feels too smart for this world and tries not to attract attention because of her high IQ . She feels misunderstood and, precocious as she is, no longer wants to grapple with the worries and troubles of the world. Therefore, she wants on her 13th birthday suicide commit and burn before yet the apartment her family. Her family is one of the wealthy Parisians, her father is a member of parliament , her mother is a doctor of linguistics and literature , and sister Colombe is studying philosophy .
Both main characters feel uncomfortable in a world of the rich and powerful and hide themselves, each in their own way. When the Japanese businessman Kakuro Ozu moves into the house, he soon recognizes Renée as the intellectual and well-read literature lover and tries to get her and little Paloma, who shares his interest in Japanese culture , out of their hiding places. A deep friendship develops between Renée and Kakuro, and Paloma and Renée also become confidants. The concierge can finally tell why she's afraid a friendship with people from other walks of life to maintain. She confides in Paloma that her beautiful sister Lisette was seduced by a son from a rich family and then abandoned by him, which cost her and her child their lives. Since then Renée has avoided close contact with people from higher social classes. Paloma is deeply touched that Renée confides in her, realizes that she wants to help many people in her life, and she gives up on her suicide plan. At this turning point in her life, Renée is run over and dies.
shape
The story is told from two perspectives . On the one hand, the twelve-year-old girl Paloma reports on her suffering in the world and her view of the world. At the same time, the concierge at Paloma's house tells of her life and her attempts to hide her secret life as an enthusiastic lover of literature and art from the outside world, and of her efforts to lead a kind of double life . Only through the mediation of a third party, the Japanese tenant, can the two worlds be brought together.
filming
The book was made into a film by Mona Achache in 2009 ; the film was released in Germany in 2010 under the title “ The Elegance of Madame Michel ”. Josiane Balasko starred as Renée Michel and Garance Le Guillermic as Paloma.
expenditure
- Muriel Barbery: The elegance of the hedgehog . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, ISBN 978-3-423-24658-3 .