Philippe Claudel: author and film director

If you've never read anything by Philippe Claudel, you're missing something. You may know his Ames grises, published in English under two different titles for each of its two translations: Grey Souls and By a Slow River. And then there's Brodeck, a Novel (French title: Le rapport de Brodeck).

My favorite Claudel novel to date is La petite fille de Monsieur Linh, unfortunately currently unavailable in English. You'll need an intermediate to advanced level in French to understand and appreciate the story. Stick with it if you're intermediate only; it's a beautiful story of great humanity, well worth the effort... a love story like no other I've ever read and a poetic indictment of the ravages of war. To read more: http://incurablelogophilia.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/philippe-claudel-la-petite-fille-de-monsieur-linh/

Claudel is on my mind because I just saw his first film: Il y a longtemps que je t'aime ("I've Loved You so Long"), with Kristen Scott Thomas in a stunning, understated performance that caught me from the very first scene. It tells the story of two sisters getting to know each other after a fifteen-year separation. Juliette (Kristen Scott Thomas), the older of the two, has spent those years in prison...for murder. Her younger sister, Léa, welcomes her into the home she shares with her husband, two adopted daughters and father-in-law. As always with Claudel, the story is anchored in the unsaid, the unspoken and the unexplained. The visual aspects of communication, so present in Claudel's writing, are center stage in this film. Don't watch it when you're tired; you need to pay attention to the nuances. Chapeau, Monsieur Claudel, et merci.