Janine Niepce, HLM à Vitry. Une mère et son enfant (Social housing in Vitry. A mother and her child), 1965

‘When I presented my research to Annie Ernaux, she was particularly taken with the work of Janine Niepce. And there are various intriguing synergies between the two of them, especially in terms of the many themes that unite their work. Both have tracked the modernization of French culture, with various key shifts playing a central role in their work, from the introduction of new technologies such as television to the growth of rapid transport. And both have a particular interest in capturing the contrast between life in rural and urban communities, and the significant distance, both real and imagined, that exists between many of these places and the capital, Paris. A key theme in Journal du dehors
is the sense of separation that exists between Cergy-Pontoise [where Ernaux lives] and Paris.

Niepce’s image of a mother and child nods to the various ways Ernaux has addressed the complexities and confinements of motherhood throughout her work. On viewing the image, Ernaux was struck by the different gazes – the child looks at the mother, but the mother looks out at the world. It speaks to the restrictions and limitations, in terms of routine and freedom, that can prevent us from being able to observe and engage with the world.

Ernaux’s response to this image made me realize that, in some ways, Journal du dehors
is a testament to liberation – divorced, and free from the pressures of young children, Ernaux is free to engage deeply with what she sees, to move and be moved, to see and react, and be present in the world.’