IN SEARCH OF JEANNE

Zazie Tavitian, illustrations by Caroline Péron

(Calmann-Levy, 192 pages, 2022)

***TRANSLATION SAMPLE AVAILABLE HERE***

A deeply moving and original perspective on the Holocaust as Zazie Tavitian delves into the life of her ancestor, Jeanne, before she was deported to Sobibor.

One summer, a cousin tells Zazie Tavitian about a recipe notebook that was found in her mother's attic. This priceless heirloom used to belong to Jeanne Weill, their great-great-grandmother, killed in 1943 at Sobibor, a Nazi extermination camp.

Everyone in the family knows who Jeanne was but nobody ever talks about her. What was she like? What was her life like?  Why was she deported?

Travelling from Jerusalem to Dijon and cooking Jeanne's recipes with her family along the way, Zazie sets out on a quest to rebuild a vibrant portrait of her ancestor, piece by piece. As she brings the memory of Jeanne back to life, her search, beautifully illustrated by Caroline Péron, also speaks to the multifaceted Jewish heritage of a family in which every member has learned to deal with their complex past in their own way.

Zazie Tavitian is a food writer and restaurant critic. She is a contributor for L'Obs magazine, France Inter and Sony Music, and has developed several podcasts for Binge Audio: Casseroles, Sous la robe and À la recherche de Jeanne (SCAM 2020 award for best documentary). Seeking Jeanne is her debut volume.

A graduate of l'École des Arts Décoratifs Paris, Caroline Péron is an illustrator and graphic artist. Her drawings have appeared in various publications and exhibitions. Seeking Jeanne is her first book.