Xavière Gauthier

Besides reading the novels, short stories and plays of Marguerite Duras, there are several collections of interviews, which, as primary texts can help readers better understand the author and her work. In the interviews, both biographical details and questions related to the works are discussed. Naturally, the quality, depth and focus of the interviews largely depends on the interviewer. They take the initiative, and they ask the questions. Their temperament also dtermines the rhythm and flow of the interview. In some interviews, Duras tells more, is more prompted to long, explanatory or narrative answers, while in other interviews her role is more modest. In general, in the case of collected interviews both the interviewer, and interviewee are listed as authors.

Les parleuses (Engl: Woman to Woman) Marguerite Duras faces a very strong personality, in Xavière Gauthier. The interviews in Les parleuses were published in 1974. They mainly deal with Duras work written in the 1960s, particularly Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein (1964), (Engl: The Ravishing of Lol Stein) and Détruire, dit-elle (Engl: Destroy, She Said). Les parleuses is one of Gauthier's earliest publications, after a volume of poetry and two volumes of essays.

In one of the early interviews, Gauthier confesses to Duras that she was totally captivated by her work, and after reading one of her books had to read them all. Throughout the interviews, Gauthier's strong personality remains overbearing, and she often dominates the interviews, while Duras tends to give short answers or even exclamations of surprise. Her ideas are strongly determined by the then current feminism, and feel somewhat dated.

In her later work, Xavière Gauthier came to play an important role in the feminist movement in France. She is mainly active as an editor and essayist.… (mehr)