O my friends!
by Marielle Macé
Bayard edition, 76 p., €12.90
► What is it about
“I am your friend. » Who has not, at least once, said these words? But what does that mean, really? Is there a single definition of friendship, something common to these types of relationships from childhood to old age? In his essay published by Bayard (editor of The Weekly)Marielle Macé dissects this feeling as universal as it is intimate.
The CNRS researcher, specialist in literature, does not claim to be an expert on friendship, that is indeed the whole challenge of her remarks. Unlike the scientific themes of the “Little Conferences” collection, it cannot develop years of research on the subject. Resulting from a conference, delivered on October 7, 2023 at the National Drama Center of Montreuil, the text starts from the author’s experience to dissect the different forms of friendship, a discipline which does not yet have its place on the benches of the university.
► Who it’s for
This 73-page work is aimed at the general public. A particularity of the collection, the speech must speak to a 10-year-old as well as to a retiree. Despite everything, some references may escape some people, particularly when the author delves into sociology, the New Novel or Iranian cinema. But everything remains accessible, relying largely on anecdotes and feedback from the writer. Borrowing elements from Little Nicholasit highlights examples that children can relate to. Very oral, the words reported from the conference reinforce the proximity with the audience. The reader may even have the impression that it is a friend who is speaking to him.
► What we think about it
These few pages are an opportunity for a salutary introspection: what are we looking for, deep down, in friendship? The author shares, without imposing, her own testimony. She marvels at certain friendly demonstrations to which she may have been the object. Some friendships are distant but sincere, lost or ephemeral… No friendship is alike, but all are precious.
Reading this opus provides the opportunity for a welcome break, a moment dedicated to those who are always there, when the need arises. If the work is quickly devoured, the other side of the coin is hidden in the lightness of the tone. To avoid losing any audience, the writer sometimes stays on the surface of certain philosophical reflections, which will leave the most erudite unsatisfied. A researcher’s tightrope walk far from her own backyard, the essay gently opens the prospect of a great discussion.