Le Grand Meaulnes

Alain-Fournier, was born in 1886 in La Chapelle-d'Angillon in the Cher region of France. His book "Le Grand Meaulnes" is about adolescence and regret for that which is lost. Jennifer Hashmi has not tried to transform Le Grand Meaulnes into an English version of a French novel. The poetic style of the original has been left intact, pointing always to something unattainable. Alain-Fournier communicates in hints, recollections, and frequent ellipses when Francois leaves the reader to intuit the rest for himself. Ms. Hashmi has adhered to the French wording and gaps in order to retain the intangible quality of Alain-Fournier's narrative. The story is about searching for that which is lost, lost youth, lost people, and is told by Francois who narrates all that is precious in his memory of Augustin Meaulnes, who changed his life for ever, and the lives of all of his class at Sainte-Agathe.