Étoile errante
Encyclopedia
Wandering Star is a novel by French
author and Nobel laureate
J. M. G. Le Clézio. The novel tells the story of two teenage girls on the threshold and in the aftermath of World War II
. Esther, a French Jew
who flees for Jerusalem with her mother just after Italy's occupation of a small section of south-east France
ended during World War II; and Nejma, a young Arab orphaned and unable to return to the ancient city of her birth, Akka
, after the Israeli declaration of statehood. Esther emigrates to the newborn state of Israel
, where she encounters another group of refugees, this time Palestinian
.
Esther and her mother and all the Jews in the village of Saint-Martin
must cross from France
to Italy
to avoid the SS
. After the war, she and her mother, Elizabeth, begin their long journey to France, to the sailing ship Sette Fratelli which will take them to Palestine. When Esther finally arrives in Jerusalem, she briefly meets and exchanges names with Nejma, a Palestinian
, another wanderer, one who ends up, in the summer of 1948, in the Nour Chams Refugee Camp.
or Jewish refugees
. The reviewer commented further that by "taking no sides" and by "showing the agony of all" Le Clézio had produced "a near masterpiece". In the French
newspaper Le Monde
Pierre Lepape put forward that Le Clézio "goes much farther than that, much deeper;" in that Le Clézio's writing looks at the pivotal points of life itself for signs of trouble as much his writing looks for hope of peace (even confontating both time and the elements). Le Clézio's writing seeks by way of the sun and by way of the earth (being born and the process of death), prodding into the mystery of the origin of everything (despite not knowing the future) towards a need to forget as well as a need to remember (without these needs nothing is repairable)
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
author and Nobel laureate
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
J. M. G. Le Clézio. The novel tells the story of two teenage girls on the threshold and in the aftermath of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Esther, a French Jew
History of the Jews in France
The history of the Jews of France dates back over 2,000 years. In the early Middle Ages, France was a center of Jewish learning, but persecution increased as the Middle Ages wore on...
who flees for Jerusalem with her mother just after Italy's occupation of a small section of south-east France
Italian-occupied France
Italian-occupied France was an area of south-eastern France occupied by Fascist Italy in two stages during World War II. The occupation lasted from June 1940 until the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces on September 8, 1943, when Italian troops on French soil retreated under pressure...
ended during World War II; and Nejma, a young Arab orphaned and unable to return to the ancient city of her birth, Akka
Akka
Akka is traditionally a female spirit in Sámi and Finnish mythology.In Sámi mythology, the first akka was Maderakka and her daughters were Sarakka, Uksakka and Juksakka. Some Sámi thought they lived under their kota tents....
, after the Israeli declaration of statehood. Esther emigrates to the newborn state of Israel
History of Israel
The State of Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948 after almost two millennia of Jewish dispersal and persecution around the Mediterranean. From the late 19th century the Zionist movement worked towards the goal of recreating a homeland for the Jewish people...
, where she encounters another group of refugees, this time Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
.
Plot summary
In the year 1944 in a mountainous area on the French-Italian borderItalian invasion of France
The Italian invasion of France in June 1940 was a small-scale invasion that started near the end of the Battle of France during World War II. The goal of the Italian offensive was to take control of the Alps mountain range and the region around Nice, and to win the colonies in North Africa...
Esther and her mother and all the Jews in the village of Saint-Martin
Saint-Martin-Vésubie
Saint-Martin-Vésubie is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-History:San Martin first appears in recorded history in the 12th century, although there are archaeological remnants of a Romanized indigenous population dating back to the 1st century.The medieval castrum,...
must cross from France
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
to Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
to avoid the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
. After the war, she and her mother, Elizabeth, begin their long journey to France, to the sailing ship Sette Fratelli which will take them to Palestine. When Esther finally arrives in Jerusalem, she briefly meets and exchanges names with Nejma, a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
, another wanderer, one who ends up, in the summer of 1948, in the Nour Chams Refugee Camp.
Political elements
According to one reviewer Wandering Star could have been an affecting novel if Le Clézio had written solely of the PalestinianPalestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
or Jewish refugees
Jewish refugees
In the course of history, Jewish populations have been expelled or ostracised by various local authorities and have sought asylum from antisemitism numerous times...
. The reviewer commented further that by "taking no sides" and by "showing the agony of all" Le Clézio had produced "a near masterpiece". In the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
newspaper Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
Pierre Lepape put forward that Le Clézio "goes much farther than that, much deeper;" in that Le Clézio's writing looks at the pivotal points of life itself for signs of trouble as much his writing looks for hope of peace (even confontating both time and the elements). Le Clézio's writing seeks by way of the sun and by way of the earth (being born and the process of death), prodding into the mystery of the origin of everything (despite not knowing the future) towards a need to forget as well as a need to remember (without these needs nothing is repairable)