"Being alive overwhelms me, it makes me want to write." - Duras
In March 2023, CITIC Publishing Dafang released four works by Duras: "Wartime Notes and Others", "Just Like This", "The Outside World I" and "The Outer World II". Among them, "Wartime Notes and Others" and "Just Like This" were published in China for the first time; "The Outer World I" and "The Outer World II" were introduced by Lijiang Publishing House in 1997 and Writers Press in 2007, and this publication is the second time to meet Chinese readers after more than ten years.
The main body of " War Notes and Others " consists of four notes written by Duras between 1943 and 1949 , which Duras found in a cupboard in his later years, sealed them in an envelope inscribed "War Notes" and presented them to the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Although they are called "wartime notes", they cover beyond the war. In some of these autobiographical narratives, Duras refers to key periods in her life, especially her childhood in Indochina, where the earliest reminiscences of the "Chinese lover" appear, and many biographers have taken the text on these manuscripts as the possible truth of her story. There are also drafts of later novels, such as The Against the Pacific, The Sailor of Gibraltar, Mrs. Dodan, etc., as well as the story blueprint for the novel "Pain", published in 1985. The book also includes ten other texts from the same period, completing the writer's early image.
"So it is" is included in texts written or written by Duras during his bedridden illness from November 20, 1994 to February 29, 1996 (Duras died on March 3, 1996), collected by her last partner, Jan Andrea. The text is marked according to the date it was written, and only a few words written each day form a long poem about love and death.
The last date marked in the book is February 29, 1996, and three days later, Duras left this world. In a way, this book is also a testament to the fact that she has been writing all her life.
The Outer World I and The Outer World II were written by Duras, who was keen on private writing, for the Outer World. The two books include newspaper articles, prefaces, letters, and essays written by Duras between 1957 and 1993, some of which have been published or some of which have never been published. Some are written by invitation, and some are written by their own feelings. Some articles about social events in France at that time, some because of a beloved movie, a frame of paintings watched for a long time, a meeting and a lonely night.
Duras 4-volume set
