Irene Nemirovsky — Le Bal

Vintage 2007 Paperback, 256pp. Two lost classics from the Ukranian-born, French-educated writer gathered together in one volume. Le Bal depicts the life of the Kampfs who, having recently gone up in the world thanks to luck with the stockmarket decide to throw a ball in order to launch themselves into society. Their daughter Antoinette, who has just turned fourteen, dreams of attending. But Madame Kampf is resolved not to present her daughter, already so grown up, to her admirers. Instead, Antoinette is forced to sleep in the laundry, as her bedroom is used as coatroom. In an unpremeditated fury of revolt and despair, Antoinette takes her revenge. It is swift and it is horrible. A cruel, funny and tender examination of class differences, of the dynamic between mother and daughter, Le bal is ultimately dedicated to the torments of childhood. Snow in Autumn pays homage to Nčmirovsky's beloved Chekhov and chronicles the life of a devoted servant following her masters as they flee Revolutionary Moscow and emigrate to a life of hardship in Paris. (ISBN: 9780099493976). Very Good.