Romain Gary by Schoolcraft Ralph;

Author:Schoolcraft, Ralph;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Published: 2002-04-04T05:00:00+00:00

To take the decisive step, all that remains is for me to overcome this state I’m experiencing of being absent to myself. The sensation of not really being there—or, more precisely, of being a sort of prologomenon [sic]. This word applies perfectly to my case, for in “prologomenon” there is a prologue to something or someone, which gives me hope. These states of sketchiness or erasure are very trying . . . It was in the course of one of these prenatal bouts of consciousness that I wrote to Professor Lortat-Jacob . . . I even thought of sending a letter to Cardinal [François] Marty, but that prospect truly frightened me: he, on the other hand, was fully capable of telling me the truth. That I was prenatal, premature and by way of the urinary tract. (GC 82–83)17

Mere pre-text for Gary to produce a new writing persona (prolegomenon more properly indicating “the way into a work”), Cousin-Ajar is stranded in a strange no-man’s land, existing only insofar as the novel begins to exist.

But exist it does. On the Parisian literary scene, as mid-November drew closer, Ajar emerged as a strong candidate for the Renaudot Prize. This success would bring some unexpected complications, however. With Ajar in the running for honors aimed at helping young writers make their way in the literary world, Gary’s maneuver now entailed other ethical dilemmas. Robert Gallimard, one of Gary’s trusted friends and the only member of the publishing world in on the secret, informed Gary that he thought it would be unfortunate for an established writer like Gary to deprive a true beginner of the Renaudot.18 Gary reluctantly acquiesced, and letters withdrawing Ajar’s candidacy were sent to two members of the Renaudot jury, Max-Pol Fouchet and Alain Bosquet. Other juries took note and soon removed Ajar from their lists of contenders (Bona 327). It is nonetheless clear, however, that in the eyes of the critics Ajar was as talented as any of his contemporaries inside or outside of the “Hexagon.”

The speculation surrounding the prize derby served to stir up more curiosity about Ajar, and journalists directed the greater part of their interpretive skills at the effort to decipher his personality and background. Though no one really considered Gary the possible author, some of the readings detected traits very much specific to Gary’s literary vision, particularly with respect to authorship. Given the role attributed to Sganarelle in Gary’s theoretical manifesto, Decoin’s review in Les Nouvelles littéraires was somewhat close to the mark when he wrote, “Several centuries later, Émile Ajar’s approach meets up with that of Molière.” By far the most striking, however, are Christine Arnothy’s brief reviews of Gros-Câlin. Writing in nonliterary contexts (the populist Parisien libéré and a television guide), she all the same would see through the Algerian biography and single out with uncanny accuracy Gary’s true literary influences: “Ajar, the ‘Oranian’ with a Czech sense of humor and Russian angst, describes Paris with subtle touches like no one has ever done”; “If [Pierre] Daninos was Russian, .

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