La grava sul camin - L'Evangèli de Bertomieu - Joan Bodon

La grava sul camin - L’Evangèli de Bertomieu - Joan Bodon

La Grava sul camin is a novel published for the first time in 1956. It is inspired by the personal history of Joan Bodon, who was forced to make the Obligatory Work Service (STO) in Silesia from 1943 to 1945. This book tells of the difficult return of a young STO returnee just after the Second World War. Introduces by Robert Lafont.

L’Evangèli de Bertomieu (1949)  is similarly inspired by this experience. These few autobiographical pages by Jean Boudou on his two years of STO in Germany, gave this unpublished novel of the time, of which there remains only an unfinished manuscript which was among his papers at the time of his death. Presentation by Pierre Canivenc.

Editions IEO edicions, collection A tots.

The author:

Jean BOUDOU (Joan BODON in Occitan) (Crespin, 11/12/1920 - Algeria, 24/02/1975), is one of the great writers of the modern world. Marked by the imagination of the tale, he addresses in his work universal or biblical themes to talk about his intimacy with the Occitan language he sees decline.

Extract:

"Ai paur ! Darrièr la ròda de fèrre d’un vagon me soi aplatussat. Una bronzor se sarra sus l’autonbanh. Diriàtz las aigas d’una granda mar. Tot còp un flac, un sarrabastal. Las bastendas de la gara fumassejan, destrantalhadas. Ai paur.

Los Alemands son partits dempuèi un brieu. Nos an daissat aquí, en plena gara, al mièg dels vagons escarmentrats. E sèm demorats aquí, totes estirats, sens gausar bolegar.

Slava !... Slava !... Los Russes presonièrs cridan de l’autra part : « Slava !... » Me lèvi... Tot lo monde se lèva, galaupam amont cap al camin. [...]"