“I missed writing letters. We don’t do it anymore. We consider it a waste of time that deprives us of images and sounds…
Writing a letter, sending it, waiting for a reply gives new value to the days, has a weight in my opinion more in keeping with the message inside the envelope“.
These are the words introducing the French book “Esther’s Letters” projecting us into a not too distant past. The one when we used to write letters to each other and use the time to express ourselves in our own words, writing well, in an understandable way so that we could communicate with the recipient, a friend, a relative, a love…
and we waited days, or more time, for the answers preparing us to write back and continue our friendship/ human relationship.
Esther is a librarian of Lille. She has the idea to spread an advertisement to national newspapers inviting people and create a CLUB of “HAND LETTER WRITERS”. 5 people answer the call. They all meet in Paris for the first time and then they start writing letters to each other guided by Esther motivating and giving her tasks. They choose to whom writing the letters. They re-start feeling that emotions of receiving letters without knowing when and discovering from time to time the life of other people.
Many things happen writing letters: conflicts, loneliness Past and present, life changes, new perspectives and relationships Forgiveness…
They choose to whom writing the letters.
They live the excitement of starting a “dialogue” with strangers.
They re-start feeling that emotions of receiving letters without knowing when and discovering from time to time the life of other people.
They decide what to reveal about themselves.
The time is not fast and immediate anymore like we are used today with emails and social networks.
They read books while waiting for the letters and share their opinions.
An important love situation finds a solution while a new love is born…
The participants to the workshop are involved, quietly, without pressure and stress in a new experience which finally deeply changes their lives.
Letters are live rivers crossing their background existences and their actual situations, sometimes positive and sometimes, near to be revolutioned.
The writer guides us in a fluent and peasant reading. While reading, you ask yourself if it would be possible to create the same in your country with strangers. Maybe yes, maybe not. Maybe we need a brave and delicate librarian like Esther… Let’s find her around us, hopes to go back to hand writing letters is not lost at all… what do you think about it?
Some notes about the author: Cècile Pivot.
After working as a production assistant at Jacques Chancel’s Grand Échiquier, she worked in multimedia in Lyon, then on the L’Express website1, before becoming a journalist and editor-in-chief of the decorating magazine Maison française2. She is the daughter of Bernard Pivot and Monique Pivot3, and was born in 1966.
Article written by Erika Gerardini, JUMP Team
Enjoy watching the book trailer
Esther’s Letters
