𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚, 𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞́𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞: "𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐄 𝐃𝐄 𝐋’𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑... 𝐇𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄... 𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐔 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓... 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄" (Le Figaro Magazine)

★★★ (𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖́ 𝕋ℝ𝔼𝕊 𝔹𝕀𝔼ℕ) 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚, 𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞́𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞, 𝐝’𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐤, 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬, 𝟒𝟕𝟎 𝐩., 𝟐𝟐,𝟗𝟎 €.

Le Figaro Magazine, 𝟣𝟧 𝗇𝗈𝗏 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧

𝖯𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗊𝗎𝗂 𝗅’𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖽𝗎𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗎𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗍𝖾𝗆𝗉𝗌, 𝗅𝖺 𝗃𝖾𝗎𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾 𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗎𝗌𝖾, 𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗂𝗋 𝗅𝖺 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗇’𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌, 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗂 𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾 𝗌’𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝖾 𝖽𝖾́𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖾́𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝗎𝗇 𝗉𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗎𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗋𝗌 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗎 : 𝗅’𝖴𝗇𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗌𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖾́𝗍𝗂𝗊𝗎𝖾. 𝖢𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝖺̀ 𝖫𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗋𝖺𝖽 𝗉𝖺𝗋 𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾̀𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋 𝖭𝖺𝗉𝗈𝗅𝖾́𝗈𝗇, 𝖶𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖽 𝗒 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝗎 « 𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗅𝖾 𝖽𝖾 𝗅𝖺 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗍𝖾́ 𝖽𝖾 𝗅’𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋 » 𝖾𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖨𝗋𝗂𝗇𝖺 𝖺𝗎 𝖬𝗎𝗌𝖾́𝖾 𝖽𝖾 𝗅’𝖤𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾. 𝖬𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾́𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗎𝗌𝖾, 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾́𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖾𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗎𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾. 𝖴𝗇𝖾 𝗃𝖾𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝗆𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗅 𝗇’𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗏𝖺𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗂𝗌𝖾́ 𝗊𝗎𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗓 𝖳𝗈𝗅𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗂̈. 𝖬𝖺𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾́𝗌 𝗌’𝖾𝗇 𝗆𝖾̂𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍, 𝗅’𝗂𝖽𝗒𝗅𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍, 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗌𝖾́ 𝖽𝗎 𝗃𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝗎 𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇, 𝖶𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖽 𝗇𝖾 𝗌’𝖾𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗋𝖺 𝗉𝖺𝗌. 𝖫𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝖾̀𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗏𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗅𝖺 𝗆𝖾́𝗆𝗈𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾, 𝗂𝗅 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖺 𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗎𝗂𝗅 𝖽𝖾 𝗅𝖺 𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋 𝗉𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗇 𝖽𝖾́𝗅𝗂𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗃𝖾𝗍 𝖽𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗏𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗌.

𝖧𝖾𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗊𝗎𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗉𝗈𝗎𝗏𝖺𝗂𝗍 𝗅𝖾́𝗀𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗌𝖾 𝗆𝖾́𝖿𝗂𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝗇 𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖽’𝗎𝗇 𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗆𝖾 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗋𝖻𝖾́. 𝖨𝗅 𝖿𝖺𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗂𝗋 𝖻𝗂𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗎 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗊𝗎’𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝗎𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗂𝗍 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾, 𝗆𝗂𝖾𝗎𝗑 𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗋𝖾, 𝖼𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾.

𝖨𝗅 𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗏𝗋𝖺𝗂 𝗊𝗎𝖾, 𝖿𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖺𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗎𝗋 𝖽𝗎 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾 𝗌𝗅𝖺𝗏𝖾, 𝗅’𝖺𝗎𝗍𝖾𝗎𝗋 𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝗎𝗇 𝖾́𝗉𝗂𝗌𝗈𝖽𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝗎 𝖽𝗎 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗆𝖾 : 𝑙𝘦 𝘨𝑒́𝘯𝑜𝘤𝑖𝘥𝑒 𝑑𝘦𝑠 𝑛𝘰𝑚𝘢𝑑𝘦𝑠 𝑑𝘶 𝘒𝑎𝘻𝑎𝘬ℎ𝘴𝑡𝘢𝑛 𝑎𝘧𝑓𝘢𝑚𝘦́𝑠 𝑒𝘯 𝘷𝑢𝘦 𝘥’𝘪𝑚𝘱𝑜𝘴𝑒𝘳 𝘭𝑎 𝑐𝘰𝑙𝘭𝑒𝘤𝑡𝘪𝑣𝘪𝑠𝘢𝑡𝘪𝑜𝘯 𝘥𝑒𝘴 𝘵𝑒𝘳𝑟𝘦𝑠. 𝖴𝗇 𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝗎𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖿𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝗊𝗎’𝗂𝗅 𝗇’𝖾𝗇 𝖺 𝗅’𝖺𝗂𝗋.

𝖤́𝗅𝗂𝗌𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗁 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾́

 

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Here is the English translation of the text by an AI. Consequently, contextual inaccuracies or errors in meaning may occur.

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★★★ (RATED VERY GOOD) Irina, a Russian Opera, by Anouar Benmalek, Emmanuelle Collas, 470 p., €22.90.

Le Figaro Magazine, Nov 15, 2025

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For those who lost it long ago, youth is a perilous land; to seek to revisit it is not without risk, especially if that youth unfolded in a country that has since vanished: the Soviet Union. Drawn to Leningrad by a thesis on Napoleon, Walid encountered there "the miracle of love’s calamity" upon meeting Irina at the Hermitage Museum. Mysterious, mischievous, and sensual, she was a young woman the likes of whom he had only ever encountered in the pages of Tolstoy. But the authorities intervened, and the idyll was cut short; expelled overnight, Walid would never truly recover. Since brief love affairs so readily take memory hostage, he would wait until the threshold of old age to set in motion a delirious plan for their reunion.

This story is a happy surprise, one which might have reasonably invited wariness due to its heightened sentimentalism. It requires great talent indeed to render such a romance plausible—better still, captivating.

It is true that the author, a fine connoisseur of the Slavic world, weaves into the narrative a little-known episode of Stalinism: the genocide of the Kazakh nomads, starved into submission to enforce the collectivization of the land. A novel far deeper than it first appears.

Élisabeth Barillé