In the days of World War II, the identity of those who were first hated, then disowned, and finally sought out ended up teetering between feelings of guilt and misunderstanding. European citizens of any country were torn between belonging to an unfortunate origin such as the Jewish people, and the awareness of their belonging to their new space, where their children belong. But for the cruel ideologues of that war, only one was his last name, without any other conditions.
The case of the Boltanski With its curious family tree full of artists and creators, it offers a unique retrospective with an epicenter in those hard years of war and persecution. The character and temperament of this family seems forged from strong creativity, tempered from uncertainty, fear and the dark past.
The time that each one has to live ends up configuring the other time, the one that you have left to live. East book A place to hide It is about that time lived, about that inscrutable path to become an adult with the burden of a unique inheritance on his back.
There are many ways of living in hiding, and the Boltanski probably know them all. Survival is a bit that, hiding from guilt and secrets, hiding from one's origin when others think that it has marked you for the worse.
But in the end there always comes a time for honesty, even for generosity with all those who lashed out for a simple human condition. Writing, painting, cinema or sociological thought and even music can be the way out of hiding and showing oneself to the world, releasing everything.
You can buy the book A place to hide, the latest novel by Christophe Boltanski, here: