Les Chardons du Baragan de Panaït Istrati, un récit de la faim

Abstract

The novel The Thistles of the Baragan (1928), the most important in the oeuvre of Panaït Istrati (1884-1935), is not only an indictment against exploitation but also a story on hunger, inspired by the Romanian rural world of the early twentieth century, which summarizes adventures of the adolescent Matake. He will discover social inequality and poverty, and he will face both individual and collective death. He will see revolt everywhere and will be part of it. His long journey will last as long as his frustrated and traumatized childhood and will lead him to social meditation.