Children’s Memories in P. Modiano’s Novella «Suspended Sentences»

Abstract

In the article the reconstruction of childhood memories in P. Modiano’s novella “Suspended Sentences” is analyzed. The analysis includes the abstracts of the writer’s Nobel lecture and the work of foreign researchers of his oeuvre. Conclusions are drawn that P. Modiano implements in his novella the theme of memory, which is cross-cutting for his work; he recreates images of the past through the reconstruction of the childhood memories of the hero-narrator, and reveals the features of his thinking. In the novella the key situations in the hero’s childhood life are viewed from two perspectives: a child’s view, based on naive ignorance, and an adult, rational view of the past events.