Memoir in Two Voices

by François Mitterrand, Elie Wiesel

The late French president and the Nobel Prize-winning author present a joint memoir that touches upon a wide variety of subjects, from literature and memory to power and politics. Reprint. NYT. PW. "

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

François Mitterrand was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic.

Reviews

[Raquel]

As páginas sucedem-se demasiado rápido. Uma conversa muitíssimo interessante e que nos revela uma faceta de Mitterrand muito íntima. Para lá de todas as polémicas dos seus mandatos, sobra alguém demasiado humano.

O capítulo sobre a infância de ambos (esta conversa pretende, também, dar a conhecer Elie Wiesel) é particularmente comovente, uma leitura muito interessante.

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"For I know that this past, which I feel so strongly within me, will be swallowed up by the darkness as time goes by and will disappear completely after I'm gone. After my death, who will ever know or care about how I felt when I was with my parents and my grandparents, the emotions..." (F. Mitterrand)

[Judy]

This intimate interview was so interesting to me because I have just returned from Paris and wanted more info about the French Resistance, and the role Mitterrand played in it. that whole period is still pretty murky-depending on who is talking It gave me several good refereces to follow up on. Wiesel moderates the discussion and adds a few of his own insights, but the story is about Mitterand. Easy read.

[Laurent Szklarz]

Tres intéressant. J'ai appris pas mal de choses sur les différents points de vue de François Mitterrand

[Erin]

ce livre soulève des points de réflexion intéressants et j'ai apprécié les différentes perspectives, certains passages étaient un peu trop longs à mon goût mais il en faut pour tout le monde

[Lana]

In cleaning through my apartment I have found an old treasure-trove of book related papers, including my “books read” list from 1999-2000. In addition to listing the books, I wrote about 2-3 sentences to myself – sometimes they were plot reminders, sometimes commentary on the books. I don’t imagine these will be very helpful to anyone else, but I’m posting them here for two reasons: first, to keep my reviews/comments in one place now and, second, because they’re kind of a fascinating look at my younger brain.

Excellent dialogue between two great minds. Fully enjoyed reading it. I wish there was more discussion on the concept of power. But excellent analysis of fanaticism and youth optimism.