I closed this book not knowing if I had loved it or hated it, not knowing if the story had touched me or annoyed me.

It is the story of Anne, who, marked by the death of a woman killed by her lover in a café, returns there as if to break the monotony of her life. She meets Chauvin, they talk: the dialogues lead nowhere, the words repeat.

I thought a lot about the theater in the first part of this book: a lot of dialogue, sets there to serve the situation. However, I didn't know where the author wanted to lead me, I was reading without really reading, without understanding. Duras' distance is almost clinical: the description she makes of the landscapes and the discussions is very objective, without any judgment.

Then came the second part where things became a little clearer. I'm glad I insisted until this part but I still remain confused.

After the novel, we read reviews that appeared after the book's release which say, for the most part, that one cannot read or understand "Moderato Cantabile" without having read her previous works. Maybe I should do that?

In short, I found the device interesting: this way of only focusing on the characters as if they were advancing independently of the author's will. But for now, I am unable to have a definite opinion on this book, the first one by Duras that I read.

Moderato cantabile (from 1958) means moderately and singably (a musical term). Since this is an early Duras novel in the nouveau genre, it is named after something that is lacking in it, just as "A Dam against the Silent Sea" is a project that cannot be realized and "The Little Horses of Tarquinia" is an excursion destination that vacationers never reach. This breakthrough novel is beautifully tight and suggestive of great emotions. It is a language work, a form experiment (with a change of tense in the last two chapters) and an exciting story. She was, after all, exceptionally skilled at referring to a life beyond her own and leaving room for the reader to fill in with their own.

"One laughs. Somewhere at the table, a woman. The chorus of small conversations gets louder and from a gradually increasing abundance of efforts and inventions, a quite ordinary gathering emerges. The landscapes are discovered, crevices open up where confidences try to make their way forward. And one eventually steers into a conversation that is partial in the general, neutral in particulars. The evening will be successful. The women are most convinced of their radiance. The men adorn them with jewelry in proportion to their balance sheets. One of them, tonight, doubts that he has done the right thing."

One of all the things that I love about Marguerite Duras' works is that in her texts, she weaves in the deceitfulness of life, language, and images. A misstep can cause life to take a turn. What we say about the world is not the world while language helps us shape reality. A picture of a pipe is not a pipe. The fact that this short novel has a title that means moderate does not mean that it is moderate. On the contrary, it is about something as completely unreasonable as the relationship between love and death, crime passionnel; Until 1970, a man could kill his unfaithful wife without penalty in France, but the same right did not apply to a woman in the same situation.

Plot: Rich, married woman - Anne, goes with her son to a piano lesson and witnesses a murder. She returns to the crime scene (a bar) to process the event and drink large amounts of wine. There she meets an unemployed, chauvinistic man from the working class, Chauvin. The weather is beautiful, the factory whistle sounds, the sea is nearby, the magnolias are blooming (as is sexuality). There is literally a red thread in the diegesis. Love that kind of thing!

As is customary with Duras, passion leads to suffering. Other classic Duras themes and symbols that are also present here; criticism of marriage, despair, the boat as a metaphor for freedom, violence, power, class, gender, abuse (the liberating intoxication), criticism of authority, the melancholic mother, and the child with its hopeful revelation.

It is remarkable that someone who distrusts language is so good at using it. This also exists as a (deceitful) film (with ugly men and beautiful women).

Sinceramente, no sé qué escribir aquí.

Porque Duras es Duras. Ella es una escritora única, con un estilo propio que desafía las convenciones. Pero con esto me he quedado fría. Quizás esperaba algo más, algo que me emocionara más profundamente.

Pero a la vez, he visto el cine de Godard y hasta a Anna Karina haciendo de la prota. Y he visto cómo la actriz captura la esencia de la femme fatale, esa mujer seductora y peligrosa. Pero también me ha costado. Me han faltado las palabrotras, la mala leche, la falta de decoro.

Duras sabía lo que era ser una femme fatale, y esto es un pequeño esbozo que nos ayuda a entenderlo. Pero no sé, tengo que pensármelo un poquito. Para mí, edulcorada de más. Quizás necesito volver a leerla, a sumergirme en su mundo, para comprenderla mejor.

Nocturnal French, gentle and peaceful like its title "Moderato Cantabile", which means a soft and slow melody...

They met on the day following the incident of a woman being killed in a café. That incident coincided with their brief conversation, which indicated that you were worried and cautious. The sound of the sea was mingling with the fragmented piano notes, along with the siren warning the workers to leave the nearby factory. However, the sound of both was distinct and harmonious...

One observes their mysterious encounter while the light and shadow play on them in a silent game...

Here, one awaits where their conversation will lead, but in reality, all you have to do is notice everything that is not said... a soft and slow melody...

I imprisoned myself with a smile in the lonely palace, so that I could be my own companion.

In this desolate place, where the walls seem to close in on me, I find solace in my own company. The smile on my face is a shield, protecting me from the harsh reality of my captivity.

Although I am alone, I am not lonely. I have learned to embrace my solitude and find beauty in the simplest of things. The stillness of the palace allows me to listen to the whispers of my heart and discover the strength within me.

I may be a prisoner in this palace, but I am free in my mind and spirit. With my smile and my inner resolve, I will endure this confinement and emerge stronger than ever before.

I read the introduction of Abbas Maroufi.

Until now, I had never read a novel that could create such a beautiful space just with dialogue.

It was a masterpiece.

I will read it again.

This work of Abbas Maroufi is truly remarkable. The way he constructs the story and the characters solely through dialogue is a unique and impressive writing style. It allows the readers to immerse themselves in the story and imagine the scenes vividly. The beauty and depth of the space he creates are truly captivating. I was completely engrossed in the novel from start to finish.

After reading it once, I knew I had to read it again to fully appreciate all the details and nuances. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves good literature and wants to experience a different kind of storytelling.

‘Moderato Cantabile’ presents a seemingly innocuous tale of two strangers, Anne Desbaresdes and Chauvin. Their encounter occurs daily for a week at a seedy café, following a tragic murder of a young woman by her lover outside that very café. The language is sparse, yet it combines with the repetition of various symbols like the sunset, a magnolia flower, and tugboats, enhancing the ambiguity that underlies the characters' motivations and actions. Consider the descriptions of the sky-scapes and sunsets throughout the week the novel is set. For instance, when Anne's recalcitrant son is sullenly having his music lesson, the sunset is described as "The colour of the sunset suddenly became so magnificent it changed the gold of the child’s hair…the pink sky exploded in a final burst of colour." But this beautiful image is soon disrupted by the onset of dusk as the murder takes place.

Anne is intrigued by the murder and visits the café, where she meets the sullen and sinister, yet oddly seductive, Chauvin. He regales her with fictional accounts of why the man murdered his lover. Anne is drawn in by his stories, and the sexual attraction and potential relationship between them are symbolized by the repeated scenes of the sunset and sunlight. At the culmination of their relationship, as they share a cold kiss, the descriptions of the sunset add to the atmosphere. However, the passion reaches its peak the night before when Anne hosts a dinner party and Chauvin stalks outside, attracted by the scent of the magnolia on her breast. The scene is filled with sexual ambiguity, leaving the reader wondering if he actually visited her that night or if his descriptions of watching her are fictional.

‘Moderato Cantabile’ is a novel of ambiguities, with half-spoken emotions. The reader is constantly left in doubt about what truly happened and how much of the action occurs in the imagination of the two lead characters. It is a novel where only two characters truly exist, and all others serve as symbols of their emotions. The endless repetition of certain scenes and motifs only adds to the uncertainty that pervades the story. While superficial comparisons can be made to nouveau roman writers like Robbe-Grillet, these would undermine the startling originality of Dumas's style.

No come. No podría, él tampoco, alimentar su cuerpo atormentado por otro hambre.

He was in a state of despair, unable to find any solace or satisfaction. His body was suffering, but it was not just from physical hunger. There was a deeper longing within him that he could not fulfill.

[...]

Ella hizo entonces lo que él no pudo hacer. Se acercó a él lo bastante cerca como para que sus labios pudieran alcanzarse. Sus labios permanecieron los unos sobre los otros, rozándose, a fin de que quedara hecho y siguiendo el mismo rito mortuorio que sus manos, un instante antes, frías y temblorosas. Quedó hecho.

She, on the other hand, took a bold step. She moved closer to him, until their lips almost touched. In that moment, she did what he could not bring himself to do. Their lips met, gently caressing each other, following the same solemn ritual that their hands had just performed. It was a moment of connection, a moment of relief from the pain and longing that had been折磨着 them both.

**Title: The Importance of Recycling**

Recycling is of utmost importance in today's world.

It helps to conserve natural resources. By recycling materials such as paper, plastic, and metal, we can reduce the need to extract and process new raw materials.

This not only saves energy but also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling also plays a crucial role in waste management. It helps to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills and incinerators, thereby minimizing the environmental impact of waste disposal.

In addition, recycling can create jobs and boost the economy. The recycling industry employs a significant number of people in areas such as collection, sorting, and processing of recycled materials.

Moreover, it can also lead to the development of new products and technologies, which can further contribute to economic growth.

In conclusion, recycling is a simple yet effective way to protect the environment, conserve resources, and support the economy. We should all make an effort to recycle as much as possible and encourage others to do the same.

A woman flees from the miseries of life into the embrace of love for refuge.

Until perhaps the love of a man becomes a veil over the miseries of reality.

But

always, always, always.......new miseries are discovered.

And what will happen when the image of love takes on the assault of miseries??

What will become of love then??

......Love in the midst of miseries.

And perhaps it is such that even in love, there is always another degree, always something remaining.

It is such that a human is alone even in love.

Wherever one is, loneliness will draw a wall around them.

In Moderato Cantabile,

despite their simplicity, each sentence is crystal clear, without any hint of obscurity. The means employed are strict and precise.

Yet, this brevity, and even the repetitions, are charged with the power of lightning and lead.

The presence of beings and the transience of their exchanges must be amplified to an intense degree. These foreign characters, seemingly innocuous at first, are pushed to their very limits, magnetized by the banality of everyday life and made white-hot with emotion.

The concise descriptions are filled with vivid images that compel the reader to lean in and listen to the blanks left unsaid. There are no filters; the scenes unfold in stark reality, as if played out on the world's platform in this theater of the mind.

There is hope, despair, desolation, and a fierce struggle.

Disturbing and elusive, Moderato Cantabile will no doubt confound some. But this atypical work, mastered with such skill, has a mad audacity and great originality that sets it apart.

It challenges the reader to look beyond the surface and discover the hidden depths within.

My comments: https://youtu.be/UnnsipCm224

Eternal return. Infidelity as a crime. This work by the French writer is truly captivating. It reminded me of a story by Cortázar (if anyone knows the name, please share!). In that story, an eternal return, as Nietzsche described, makes an appearance. The drama is archetypal and universal, which is what makes it so engaging. Just like the works I've read by Marguerite, this one also presents powerful poetic images. Perhaps through psychoanalysis, we can see the unconscious-sea, a fortuitous event that reveals it to us and activates our desires. And then there's the free act of crime-infidelity that overwhelms us, like a vomit, leaving us as spectators of the consequences of our actions. The writer's powerful narrative makes us participate by leaving everything suggested, and also keeps the mystery veiled, leaving us with many doubts. Sadly, something gets lost in the film adaptation. I'm really looking forward to reading your comments and hearing your thoughts on this.

Eterno retorno. La infidelidad como un crimen. Esta obra de la escritora francesa me resultó muy interesante. Recordó un cuento de Cortázar (¿alguien sabe el nombre?), donde se manifiesta un eterno retorno (Nietzsche). El drama es arquetípico y universal, lo que lo hace muy atractivo. Pero como las obras que he leído de Marguerite, esta también muestra imágenes poéticas potentes. Quizás con un psicoanálisis podemos ver el mar-inconsciente, un hecho fortuito que nos lo revela y activa nuestros deseos. Y luego hay el acto libre (crimen-infidelidad) que nos desborda (vómito), dejándonos como espectadores de las consecuencias de nuestros actos. La poderosa narrativa de la escritora nos hace partícipes al dejarnos todo sugerido, y también deja velado el misterio (dejándonos muchas dudas). Lamentablemente, algo se pierde en la película. Espero sus comentarios y escuchar sus opiniones al respecto.