Book Review: 'Babylon’ by Yasmina Reza - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1516177

Book Review: 'Babylon’ by Yasmina Reza

icon 1 Photo
Yasmina Reza's novel

Yasmina Reza's novel "Babylon."

authorStaff Writer on Sep 4, 2019

Yasmina Reza is a French playwright who is best known in this country for her plays “Art” and “God of Carnage.” However she is also a brilliant novelist. In her latest novel, “Babylon” (Seven Stories Press. 203 pp. $23.95) she explores themes of exile [“By the rivers of Babylon” as the psalm laments ”we sat and we wept”] and the futility of existence, and introduces a violence that lurks beneath the bourgeois exterior.

“Babylon” is highly regarded in France, where it won the Prix Renaudot and was short-listed for the Prix Goncourt. “Babylon” is translated by Sagaponack’s Linda Asher, who was a long time fiction editor at the New Yorker. Asher has translated Victor Hugo, Balzac, Simenon, and Milan Kundera, among many others. While this non-French-speaking reviewer cannot vouch for the exactness of the translation, the English rendering is precise and crystalline. Asher has been awarded the Scott Moncrieff, Deems Taylor, and the French-American/Florence Gould translation prizes. She is a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic.

The novel takes place in a Paris suburb where Elisabeth, whose mother has died 10 days earlier, is organizing a cocktail party for friends, co-workers and neighbors, a celebration of spring on its first day. Elisabeth is a patent engineer at the Pasteur Institute. Her husband, Pierre, is a professor of mathematics. Elisabeth has just discovered behind her bookshelves, a book of photographs by Robert Frank, “The Americans.”

The book and especially one of its pictures, that of a solitary young man passing out a Jehovah’s Witness pamphlet, have a powerful effect on Elisabeth. The subject is surely dead by now, she thinks. And this leads to a meditation on death and a foretelling of what is to come.

“We didn’t know it [time] was irretrievable. Today I’m sixty-two years old. I can’t say I’ve figured out how to be happy in life. I couldn’t give myself a score of fourteen out of twenty, when I come to die, like that colleague of Pierre’s who said ‘Well--maybe fourteen out of twenty,’ I’d give myself maybe a twelve, because less would look ungrateful, or hurt someone. I’d cheat and say twelve out of twenty. When I’m in the ground what difference will it make? Nobody will care whether or not I managed to be happy in life, and I won’t much care either.”

There is a great deal of foreshadowing throughout the book which this reader didn’t realize until a second reading. It is subtle and has a cumulative effect.

The description of the dinner party involves the usual fastidious preparations: How many chairs? what kind of glasses? What shall the guests bring? There are small details about the lives of the guests, including Elisabeth’s sister, who has a new boyfriend with a taste for leather and leashes.

Also among the guests were Elisabeth’s neighbors, Jean-Lino Manoscrivi and his wife Lydie. Jean-Lino was not a close friend, but he and Elisabeth met frequently on the way to work and had coffee.

He even invited Elisabeth to join him at the race track. Lydie was a jazz singer and Jean-Lino once invited Elisabeth and Pierre to hear her sing. She was also “some sort of New Age therapist who used to manage a shoe store.”

During the course of the cocktail party Lydie expressed doubts about a chicken loaf. Was it made from free-range chicken? Jean-Lino teases her and describes her ideal chickens as being so free-range that they are “fluttering in the trees.”

But it is post-party that Ms. Reza’s unique blend of farce and tragedy reaches new heights. The couple had had an argument over the chickens and in the middle of the night Jean-Lino awakens Elisabeth and Pierre to reveal that he has strangled Lydie to death. There is an almost Marx brothers routine to dispose of the body, until they settle on a large suitcase. The police questioning has the chill of reality.

Imagine “Mrs. Dalloway” as written by Albert Camus and you will get a sense of the spirit of the book. The exile suggested in the title is an internal exile from happiness and a retreat from basic human feeling. “Babylon” is a memorable and disturbing novel and comes as close to perfection as her play, “Art,” does.

You May Also Like:

Leigh Bardugo Comes to Sag Harbor Books for Book Signing, Meet and Greet

Growing up, best-selling author Leigh Bardugo always knew she wanted to be a writer, but ... 11 Jul 2025 by Hope Hamilton

Springs Artist Fitzhugh Karol Debuts Outdoor Sculpture Show at Duck Creek

The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present “Fitzhugh Karol: On the Grounds,” a site-specific ... 8 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

La Goulue Sur Mer Arrives in Southampton, With a Dash of Chaos and a Side of Style

“Is it true?” said the anxious DM on my Instagram account. “Is La Goulue really ... by Steven Stolman

Art on a Line: Guild Hall’s Clothesline Sale Hangs Tough for 2025

Guild Hall’s beloved Clothesline Art Sale returns on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The annual event, a Hamptons tradition since 1946, transforms the museum’s lawn into a sea of original artwork — hung on clotheslines — and offers visitors the chance to purchase local art at accessible prices. Jackson Pollock once sold a painting at the sale for $250, and past participants have included Lee Krasner, Alfonso Ossorio, Elaine and Willem de Kooning and other art-world icons. The event continues to offer a rare opportunity for the public to view and purchase work by East End ... by Staff Writer

The Climate-Friendly Fitness Routine

“Live simply so that others might simply live” — Mahatma Gandhi The first time I ... by Jenny Noble

Joy Behar Gets the Last Laugh in ‘My First Ex-Husband' at Bay Street Theater, July 14-19

Emmy Award-winning comedian and co-host of “The View,” Joy Behar stars in “My First Ex-Husband,” a bold, funny and heartfelt new play based on true stories from her life. The limited engagement runs July 14 through 19, at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, “My First Ex-Husband” explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex and relationships. Adapted from Behar’s personal experiences, the show is both deeply personal and widely relatable. Behar will appear on stage on July 14, 18 and 19. Also appearing nightly, July 14 through 19, are Veanne Cox, a Tony-nominated ... by Staff Writer

Experience the Rhythms of Brazil With Nilson Matta’s Voyage Quartet

Grammy-nominated bassist Nilson Matta will lead his Brazilian Voyage Quartet at The Church on Friday, July 25, at 6 p.m. The concert is part of Hamptons JazzFest. The group features acclaimed guitarist Chico Pinheiro and offers a rich exploration of samba, bossa nova and modern Brazilian jazz. Matta, a founding member of the renowned Trio da Paz and longtime collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma on the Grammy-winning “Obrigado Brazil” project, is known for blending traditional Brazilian rhythms with contemporary jazz. His lyrical bass playing and deep rhythmic connection have earned him international acclaim. Guitarist Chico Pinheiro, recognized as a leading voice ... by Staff Writer

At the Galleries for July 10, 2025

Montauk The Depot Art Gallery, at the Montauk railroad station at the corner of Flamingo ... by Staff Writer

Round and About for July 10, 2025

Fireworks Shelter Island Fireworks The Shelter Island fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 12, ... by Staff Writer

Curtis Institute of Music Alumni and Faculty To Perform in East Hampton on July 22

Talented alumni and faculty from the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music will tour the East Coast this summer, with a concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton. The event is presented by Music for Montauk. The program features beloved melodies ranging from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” to works by Brahms and de Falla. Performers include mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg, violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen, pianist Hanchien Lee, and Curtis Institute President and violist Roberto Díaz. The concert program includes: Manuel de Falla’s “Suite Populaire Espagnole,” performed by Díaz (viola) and Lee (piano); ... by Staff Writer