Woman of Letters: Irene Nemirovsky and Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky, Edited by Olivier Corpet and Garrett White, is an excellent book dedicated to Nemirovsky’s life and work. For all of you who are fans of Nemirovsky’s work, this is a must have book. It is a compilation of the items that are on exhibit in the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The exhibit runs until August 30, 2009.

The pages include over 150 family photographs of Nemirovsky with her daughters, with her husband, parents and other individuals. It also has a photograph of the suitcase in which she placed her unfinished manuscript and other items of importance to her. The reader is able to see photographs of the original notebook that contained the pages for Suite Francaise. Along with the notebook, we see photographs of actual pages from Suite Francaise, in Nemirovsky’s handwriting. The book includes a short story by Nemirovsky entitled The Virgins (which is presumed to be the third volume of Suite Francaise). There is so much history within Woman of Letters, and it is mesmerizing to look at. I was in awe.

“Just as our father was being taken away, he said to me, “There is a suitcase with mama’s notebook in it. You must always keep it with you.’”

I liked the fact that there is a 52-page time line or “Chronology of the Life of Irene Nemirovsky“. In short and concise format, one can gain insight into Nemirovsky’s life, not only including her writing, but issues pertaining to her family, etc. The reader is also given details of her writing through an interview with Denise Epstein, one of Nemirovsky’s daughters. The interview, in itself, is extremely fascinating to read, and it is a heartfelt one. It answers many questions that some have had throughout the years, as to the whys and wherefores of her writing, and what she chose to encompass within it. Some critics have been harsh in their assessments throughout the decades. This interview might sway their initial thoughts.

“Think of me sometimes…I have done a lot of writing…I suppose they will be posthumous works, but it helps pass the time.”

Irene Nemirovsky wrote up until the very end, until the Nazis came knocking on the door of her home. She had a story to tell, and it is an important one, told through pages of the book, Suite Francaise. She wrote about life in Paris, and about the occupation, as it was happening, while it enveloped her life. Suite Francaise is an important historical novel, filled with images one can’t easily forget. The reader is privileged to be able to see photographs of some of the original pages of it in Woman of Letters.

Woman of Letters: Irene Nemirovsky and Suite Francaise is an excellent resource to have in your personal library. It is a must-have book if you are a reader of Irene Nemirovsky’s work. Even if you aren’t, you will gain historical knowledge from this compilation. It is a fascinating look at the life and times of a courageous woman, a woman who was a mother, wife, daughter and author, a woman who died of typhus in Auschwitz. It’s historical merits are invaluable. That she was able to have the stamina and courage to pen Suite Francaise is amazing, in itself, under the extreme circumstances that surrounded her. I highly recommend this poignant and brilliant book to everyone. It is a testament to her courage and struggles as an author, during extreme adverse moments in time. Woman of Letters: Irene Nemirovsky and Suite Francaise is a book I will hold dear, and one that I am still looking through, fascinated by its contents. I know I will refer back to the pages often.
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Thursday August 13, 2009 – 23rd of Av, 5769