Letter to D：A Love Story

Thisspare,elegant,best-sellingmemoirbyacelebratedFrenchjournalistandwriterhasbeenimpeccablytranslatedintoEnglishbySydney-bornJulieRose.Thetaleittellsisadeeplymovingtributetoamuch-lovedwoman,theauthor'sBritish-bornwife,loverandconstantcompanionfor58years.Hewroteitforheralone,withoutthoughtofpublication,afteraroutinebackoperationbegantocauseherexcruciatingpain.Particlesofaradio-opaqueagentlodgedinherbrainandformedcervicalcysts,doominghertoincurablesuffering.TheagonyenduredbyDorine(aMolieresqueversionofDoreen)increasedaspredicted;herheart-brokenhusbandofferedherhislasthomagesinthiseloquentverbaltributetotheirlifetogether.TheyhadmetwhenhewasGerardHorst,sonofanAustrian-JewishfatherandaCatholicmother.Aqualifiedchemicalengineer,HorstwassufficientlyinfluencedbyameetingwithJean-PaulSartreandSimonedeBeauvoirtopursueaninterestinmoralphilosophy.UnderthepseudonymsofAndreGorzandMichelBosquet,hebecameaprominentopponentofnuclearpowerandthecelebrateddeveloperofatheoryofecologicalpolitics.MeanwhilehegottoknowtheyoungBritishwomanhe'dfirstspiedinLausanne,thetwoofthemexchangingaccountsofunhappy,lovelesschildhoods.Twoyearslatertheymarriedbutelectedtoremainchildless:Gorzcouldnotbeartosharethevivacious,charmingDorinewithanyone.Hordesoffriendsneverthelessflockedtotheirenjoyableafternoonteas:"Weknewhowtoliveinpovertybutnotinugliness,"Dorineexplained.Mutualtrustandabsolutefidelitycamenaturally;GorzhasnotroublepersuadingusthatDorineremained"beautiful,graciousanddesirable"evenwhenshewasillandinher80s.Theromanceendedin2006,whentheyconspiredtotaketheirownlives.AswellastheLetterToD,thereweretwoorthreeexplanatorymissivestoclosecolleaguesandfriendsandawarningforthecleaningladypinnedtothedoor.Thelargecircleofintimatesreceivedthenewswithmoresadnessthansurprise.AndrecouldnotlivewithoutDorine,andDorinecouldnotgoonliving.TheFrenchhaveasaying,"Lebeaumariagen'apasd'histoire"-ahappymarriagehasnostory.Thisnovellaisaccordinglyverybrief,littlemorethan100pages,butnotonlydoesittellitstalewithoutsentimentalityorself-congratulation,ithasgeneratedahugeresponseinFrance,criticalandpopular.But,giventheexemplarytranslation,whydoIwonderwhetheritsquiet,discreetbeautywillenjoysimilaracclaiminthiscountry?InFranceitispossible,evennormal,forapublicintellectualtobeanationalhero,aphilosophisingjournalistahouseholdname.Theadditiveofpublicfamecannotbuthelpmakethisotherwiserestrainedaccountofabidingdevotionfascinatingtothepopulace.ButtheGorzesarevirtuallyunknowninAustralia,andtheonlyparallelthatcomestomindisthefamouslyuxoriousMrHoward.