Le Carton de Mon Père by Lucas Barfuss

 I've been attracted by Le Carton de Mon Père

by Lucas Barfuss Editions Zoe because I thought that this book was a novel regarding the departure of a father, while it is a real essay on life, death and what there is in the between, with a profound and never semplicistic analysis of our reality and its complexities.

Lukas starts the book with the departure of his father, and the research of his ashes and the desire of not having any kind of inheritance from him.

A man, Lukas, as he wrote, who hasn't always lived a simple or common existence, but, devoted writer, at the end reached the goals he wanted to reach. Like also his father did, Lukas lived a borderline existence, and at long he didn't experience a good life. Lukas writes; "Je pouvais espérer la pitié, la compréhension ou la clémence, mais je n’étais pas assez stupide pour avoir de l’espoir. Ma famille ne m’aiderait pas et les services sociaux encore moins."

 

We live in a strained world, admits the author, where there are new perils and where people are like dormients. 

This book is inspired by a conference kept in 2021 at the faculty of law of the universtiy of Zurich and where Lukas was invited to speak on the rights of "posthumous children" and how we can formulate interests for the future generations and their integration into the democratic process. They were interested to discover which was his point of view, so starting from his own experience.

Lukas starts a literary digression, that passes through the book by Darwin on the Origin of Spieces and the arrival at the nazi-fascist as direct implication of the theories elaborated by Darwin explaining that the social and psychological process of our society is also marked by books, and experiences in grade to change the face of the world.

The people of XIX century for example felt the desire of inventing a national identity. Truth is a lie, freedom a prison and ignorance a strength writes the author. 

Right is not universal in our society, there is not a human right, but a privilege. Privileges are desired, or disputed. Objects are important because they keep satisfied us: if a smartphone works, we forget what it is going on in the world. 

The mass society meant for the man new injustices, new problems.

James Greenwood largely treated in his book the new society born with the progress and new injustices committed.

Other topics are treated, and although the book is little, trust me, it's a wonderful reading.

Highly recommended.

Anna Maria Polidori