A personal narrative of the period from 1941 to 2006, viewed through the lens of memory and impressions, both past and present – even projections into the future. Photographs, books, songs, radio, television, decades of advertisements and headlines, contrasted with personal conflicts and notes from six decades of diaries.

Local dialect, words of the times, slogans, brands, and names for the objects that continually multiply, here gain a voice. The voice we recognize as the author's voice constantly dissolves and re-emerges. Ernaux makes the passage of time tangible. Time itself, inexorable, narrates its passage, exiling other narrators into anonymity.

A new kind of autobiography emerges, subjective and faceless, private and collective at the same time.

WRITTEN BY THE PRESS

The Years is a revolution, not only in the art of autobiography but in art itself. Annie Ernaux's book combines memories, dreams, facts, and reflections into a unique recollection of the years we have lived and continue to live.

John Banville, author

One of the best books you will ever read.

Deborah Levy, author

Annie Ernaux’s book – the author of one of the most important works of French literature – is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, as suggestive as it is enraged.

Edouard Louis, author

I have never encountered such technique. It sheds light on the different facets of each character through the culture that emerged from within her; it deals with time and how existence in a specific timeframe and place shapes each individual. It is incredible.

Sheila Heti, author

Carefully crafted, collective, and truly new, Annie Ernaux's book The Years is an admirable achievement.

Olivia Laing, author