On its 2008 publication in France, THE YEARS came as a surprise. Though Ernaux had for years been hailed as a beloved, bestselling and award-winning author, this was in many ways a departure: both an intimate memoir `written' by entire generations, and a story of generations telling a very personal story. Like the generation before hers, the narrator eschews the `I' for the `we' (`on' in French) as if collective life were inextricably intertwined with a private life that in her parents' generation ceased to exist.

2008年在法国出版时，《岁月》一鸣惊人。虽然Ernaux多年来一直被誉为最受喜爱的畅销获奖作家，但这部小说从许多方面看都是一个起点：既是一代人写的“亲笔回忆录”，也是一个非常私人的讲述几代人的故事。就像她前面的那一代一样，叙述者回避了用“我”代表“我们”，仿佛集体生活与她父母那代不再存在的私人生活是密不可分的。