If you're looking for a truly exquisite read, I highly recommend "Missing Person," a masterpiece by the incredible French writer Patrick Modiano.

The wonderful Patrick Modiano is the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature and is held in very high esteem in the French literary world.

From 1968 to the present, Modiano has published nearly 30 novels, which have been published in more than 30 countries—what an amazing achievement! Today's "Missing Person" is his most well-known and well-loved masterpiece. It's the story of a private detective who's trying to remember his past. For other writers, this theme might be just one of many, but for Modiano, it's a common thread in most of his novels. Through searching, investigating, remembering, and exploring, he turns the perspective back to the past, depicting the "vanishing" past in a way that's truly special.

Dozens of novels share a common feature, and it's a fascinating question: could it be that Modiano has been writing the same story all his life, a story about searching for identity, memory, and the past? This question is actually also asking whether Modiano's writing is repetitive. I think it's a great question!

Modiano once explained this question in a really lovely way. When he's writing, he's not even aware that he's writing about the same themes and images! He only realizes it afterwards, bless him! He even said that a novelist is like a sleepwalker! He said something really lovely in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. He said, "Every time I write a new book, I feel as if I'm erasing my previous work." It's like I've been on a journey of forgetting, where I feel like I've written one book after another, one after the other. But it's often the same faces, the same names, the same places, and the same phrases that pop up in his work, as if he's dreaming he's weaving the same carpet pattern, half asleep and half awake.

I've always wondered why Modiano writes so often about searching for identity, memory, and the past. This brings us to another fascinating topic: his parents and the writing motifs that stand out in his work. Most writers have their own favorite motifs, and it's always so interesting to see what they are! Modiano's favorite place to write is Paris during the German occupation of World War II. He was born in 1945, and he's a "child of war." But what really gets him is not the big picture of history. It's trying to solve the mysteries of his parents. There's this mystery that's been on Modiano's mind his whole life. It's about what his parents did during World War II.

Today's interpretation is made up of three parts. First, let's learn a bit about Modiano's life and see what secrets his parents really had. Secondly, I'd love to know more about the main plot of the book, Missing Person. And finally, why is Missing Person such an unusual detective novel?

Let's take a quick peek into the life of Patrick Modiano, shall we?

In 1942, a lovely Belgian girl named Louisa came to Paris, which was under German occupation at the time. She found a job at a film company. The film company was called "The Continent" and was funded by the Germans, who wanted to use the tool of public opinion to boost the Nazi government. Louisa was a real linguist, speaking Dutch, French, and German. Her job was to translate German films into Dutch.

A few months later, Louisa met Albert Modiano, an Italian Jew who dealt in black market goods. At that time, Jews were required to wear a six-pointed star to symbolize their ethnic identity. It was a sad and difficult time for them. But Albert was a bit of an odd duck. He never wore that symbol, and he even made up a new identity for himself! And then, something even more incredible happened. Earlier in 1942, Albert was arrested and was supposed to be sent to a concentration camp, but he managed to escape. Oh, that Albert! There have always been whispers that Albert Modiano was actually secretly working for the Gestapo, the secret police during the Nazi era.

A mother who worked for a German film company, a father who was thought to be helping the French authorities, and a couple who made a lot of money during the Second World War. Modiano would later describe himself as an "organic being of contradictions and hybrids," which I think is a pretty cool way of putting it!

In 1945, Modiano was born in a lovely little town just outside Paris. He was often separated from his parents, who lovingly entrusted him to the care of friends. Modiano lived in different places and, bless his heart, had no idea who his parents and friends really were. As a child, he looked through his mother's notebooks in the hope of finding out where she was during World War II. As a teenager, he was really eager to find answers to all his questions and doubts about his parents. He thought writing might help him do that. He traced the path of Paris during the occupation, but sadly, he didn't find what he was looking for. After writing 20 pages, he decided to put the project aside. It was around this time that Modiano met Raymond Queneau, who was not only an old friend of his mother but also a kind literary guide.

Raymond Queneau is a big name in French literature. He was one of the founders of the Oulipo, an organization whose aim was to explore the potential of words and experiment with new ways of writing. Gernot was happy to use his connections to help Modiano get started in the literary world. In 1968, Modiano, in his twenties, published his debut novel, La place de l'étoile, and it was an instant hit! It won him several literary awards, which was well deserved. By the time he was 33, Modiano had already published several works, and it was in this year that he won the Goncourt Prize, one of the most important literary awards in France, for Rue de l'étoile. What an amazing achievement! The jury was so impressed with Modiano's work that they gave him the award in recognition of all his talent. He was named the "most talented writer of his generation."

Guess what? Along with La Calle de las Oficinas Secretas, the work that made it to the final round of the Goncourt Prize was a book called La Vie à la Carte by the French writer Perrak. Perrak is also one of the main members of Ulip, and his work is really interesting because it mainly explores loss and identity through word games. I'd love to know your thoughts on whether Perrak's writing theme sounds similar to Modiano's! And there's more! Modiano named the book "La Calle de las Oficinas Secretas" as a tribute to another Perrak work, "La Calle de las Oficinas."

So, you might be wondering, what is a dark shop? I've always wondered if there really is a Dark Shop Street! Modiano's writing is full of fascinating place names, and Dark Shop Street is no exception! Oh, but this street isn't in Paris! It's actually in Rome. During the Middle Ages, lots of commercial and artisanal activities in Rome were done in places without windows. These were called "dark shops," which is how Dark Shop Street got its name!

Part 2

We all know and love Modiano's "Missing Person" as his acknowledged masterpiece. This is because it perfectly captures Modiano's unique style, both in terms of what it's about and how it's written. In terms of content, the novel is about the German-occupied Paris that Modiano has always been obsessed with. It's a topic close to his heart! Modiano just loved reading detective novels and they really influenced him a lot. In terms of narrative style, he almost completely adopted the detective novel model in Missing Person.

Before we dive into the plot of Missing Person, it's helpful to understand what the detective novel mode is. French literary theorist Todorov has a theory about detective novels that I find really interesting. He says that most of them have a dual narrative structure, which basically means that there's a crime part and a detective part.

Usually, a detective novel starts with the crime. It describes the case and poses a mystery to get the reader's interest going. Then, it quickly moves on to the investigation phase, where you, the reader, can put yourself right in the detective's shoes! Sometimes, the clues you have can lead you to a dead end. But don't worry! There's always a way forward. And then, at the end, the story goes back to the crime, the mystery is solved, and any remaining doubts are answered, creating a perfect little loop that ties everything up nicely. You'll be hooked from the very first page! That's why so many of us get hooked on reading detective novels.

I'd love to know how Modiano used this dual narrative structure to create Missing Person! And now, we're officially off on our journey together into the story! The novel is written in the first person, from the perspective of the main character, "I." This allows us to get to know him and enter the plot alongside him.

The novel begins with the statement that in post-World War II Paris, our protagonist, "I," has suffered from amnesia for ten years and knows nothing about his past. A kind private detective named Hute takes "I" under his wing and hires him as his assistant detective. He also gives "I" a new identity and a new name: Guy Roland. "I" and Hute have been working together for more than eight years, and now Hute is planning to retire and close the detective agency. I, on the other hand, am really eager to start investigating my true identity and the cause of my memory loss.

This is what the first chapter of Missing Person is all about! In one chapter, Modiano wraps up the mystery in a neat little bow. This story isn't about murders, thefts, or other cases handled by ordinary detective novels. The mystery for me and for you, the reader, is not to find the murderer. It's to find out who I am and why I have amnesia.

The second chapter is where the fun really begins! That's when the novel dives into the detective part. Guess what! I've found a clue to my past! Many years ago, I was lucky enough to be inseparable from a wonderful Russian man named Steopa. We loved spending our nights together at the best nightclubs in town! I found out that he'd be at a funeral recently.

With this clue, I waited at the funeral, hoping to meet Steopa. I was a little worried that he might not recognize me, but I was excited to see him again! How should I go about talking to Steopa? I told him I was writing a book about exile, which I thought might pique his interest. Maybe my appearance brought back some long-buried memories for Stiopa. He was so kind and took me home, where he rummaged through old photos he had stored in a candy box. Many of the lovely people in the photos had sadly passed away, and these images were the only evidence of their existence. There was a lovely blonde woman named Orlov in the photos. I noticed her because the man standing so intimately with her looked a lot like me!

I'd love to know more about the relationship between "I" and Orloff! Sadly, poor Orloff died of a drug overdose in 1950, so I had to think of another way. I also found out from Orloff's ex-husband that he had later fallen in love with a man named Freddie. So, do you think I could be Freddie?

This clue takes me on a little journey to a small city in the French provinces. Standing in front of an abandoned castle, I can't help but wonder if I've returned home. At this moment, someone interrupts my thoughts with a friendly "excuse me!" His name is Bob, and he's the lovely gardener of Freddie's family. For many years, he has been the castle's devoted guardian. It turns out that I'm not Freddie after all! Bob kindly shares Freddie's story with me.

Freddy's family was once very wealthy, but then, sadly, they fell on hard times. Freddy went to the United States in search of fortune, where he met the lovely blonde Orloff. After they returned to France, they would occasionally invite friends to stay at the castle, and it was such a carefree and happy time! Bob suddenly remembered that I was a South American friend named Pedro, who was brought by Freddy.

As the moon shone down on us, I said my goodbyes to Bob and took a cookie tin full of Freddie's precious mementos with me. Bob stayed put, still hoping to hear from Freddie. On the back of a photo in the cookie tin was a phone number, and I used it to find an address—10B, Rue des Combattants. The lovely middle-aged woman who answered the door recognized me and called me Mr. Michael Ewing. Bob had said that my name was Pedro, so I wondered if my real name was Pedro McEvoy?

The middle-aged woman welcomed me into the apartment with a warm smile and asked about Denise. Who was this Denise person? The middle-aged woman was a little confused by my reaction, which I can understand. It's not easy to forget someone you've lived with for several months! After all, Denise and I had lived together in love in this apartment for several months.

Oh, why did we leave? The middle-aged woman smiles as she recalls some of the things Denise said back then. Things like, "It's not safe here," and "We'll sneak across the border to Switzerland." The middle-aged woman still has Denise's notebook, and I found something really interesting in it! "Oh, my! I just learned something new! Denise and Pedro Stern actually married in 1939!" When I saw this document, I was really surprised. It turns out that Denise was married before she started dating me! And who is this Stern who married her? I'd love to know!

I'm sorry to say that my current investigation hasn't solved the mysteries of the past. In fact, it's left me with even more questions! For example, I'd like to know why I risked smuggling myself into the country. Oh, goodness! Why did Denise disappear from my life? I was really stuck until I met André in a bar. Or rather, André recognized me! He was really nice and introduced himself as a horse racing expert. Back then, I used to hang out with the loveliest people: Andre, Denise, Freddie, and Orloff. We even got to attend Freddie and Orloff's wedding! The reason why Freddie and Orloff were standing so close together in the photo that the Russian Steopa showed me earlier was that they got married that day! Everyone in the photo was beaming with joy, and we all wanted to keep on feeling this way.

At this point, I was also able to remember some things. At that time, to keep their happiness alive, the five of us hopped on a train to a little border town, avoiding folks along the way, and then checked into a villa together. At first, the five of us took it slow and lived a pretty reclusive life. But over time, Freddie and Orloff started to let their hair down and have fun with other people who had also come here for refuge. I was a little concerned that these fun parties might attract the attention of the police, who would then check their identities. "I" felt that the villa wasn't really a long-term solution, and that smuggling would be the safest option.

Freddie, Orloff, and Andre decided to stick around, while "I" and Denise started putting the smuggling plan into action. They paid the smugglers 100,000 francs, which was a lot of money! Just to be on the safe side, "I" and Denise decided to go our separate ways. Before saying goodbye, I got a little bit of a funny feeling in my heart, but I told myself not to be silly and to stop being paranoid. Later on, I realized that was the last time I saw Denise. I followed a stowaway through the Alps, who said he was going to scout out the way and left me behind. I was really sad because I thought we were going to be friends! Ten minutes later, I realized that the stowaway would never come back and that we had been tricked. I was so sad! I finally gave in and collapsed on the snow. All around me was a beautiful, white world.

I'm really sad to say that of my former best friends, Orlov is now dead, Denise is missing, and Andre doesn't know what happened to them. The only person who can tell our story is Freddie. Freddy had supposedly emigrated to an island in the Pacific, and I went there, but sadly, my hopes of finding the truth were dashed. Just a few short weeks before I got there, Freddy had set sail in his boat, which had run aground. He was no longer on board. At this point, it seemed like Freddy had vanished without a trace. But then, something amazing happened! "Pedro Stern, 2 Rue des Petits Hotels, Rome."

I'm not sure what I'll do next. I'm really torn! Do you think I should reopen the investigation? And that's where the story ends, but don't worry, there's more to come!

Part 3

We know that Modiano used the structure of a detective novel when writing Missing Person, but is it really a detective novel? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Let's dive back in and re-analyze the story together!

The beginning of Dark Store Street introduces us to a couple of intriguing mysteries. First, we're introduced to the protagonist, "I," and then we're left wondering why "I" has lost his memory. Then, the author gives the protagonist a great reason to start investigating: my boss has retired, which gives me a chance to think about my life in a new way. So I started a series of investigations, but I guess the results are open-ended. I think it's fair to say that Modiano actually wrote something a bit different, a detective novel that doesn't give a definitive answer. He leaves it up to you, the reader, to interpret everything however you like. You get to hold the clues and piece together the puzzle with your own ingenuity.

The story seems to have no ending, but after carefully comparing the clues in the book, you'll be delighted to discover that there is another story! It turns out that the true identity of the protagonist "I" is Pedro Stern. In 1939, not long after "I" married Denise, Germany occupied Paris. Because I was Jewish, I used the false name Pedro McEvoy to hide my identity. In 1943, "I" realized that things were getting pretty rough, so I tried to sneak out of the country with Denise.

Oh, I do hope the truth comes out here! Oh, but there's still more to it! Just when you think you've got it all figured out, you realize there's still one more piece to the puzzle!

The story of "Missing Person" begins around 1965, according to the protagonist's account. It was ten years ago, in 1955, that the detective, Uter, found "I." Oh, and poor "I"s stowaway failed in 1943.

Oh, I wonder what on earth "I" was up to between 1943 and 1955? Oh, I wonder if maybe "I" lost his memory because of the aftereffects of passing out in the snow, or if something happened during these ten years that we don't know about? Also, after meeting André, "I" said that he remembered the smuggling incident. Could it be that I made up a past for myself based on clues and testimony? That would mean I filled the black hole of memory with a false past.

These questions are just one of the many things that make Modiano's narrative so charming! He tells just one story, but he leaves enough room for our imaginations to fill in the gaps, so that we can interpret it endlessly, discovering something new each time. For instance, in "Missing Person," we learn that Pedro Stern was born in the lovely Greek city of Thessaloniki. If you know a little bit about Modiano's life, you'll totally get what he's trying to say! Modiano's family originally hails from Thessaloniki, and later made their way to Italy.

As we've already seen, Modiano is just using the framework of a detective novel in "Missing Person." He uses the detective story as a way to talk about the things he's most passionate about. Paris during World War II is such a fascinating place to explore! The street lamps are dim and lonely, casting shadows into the windows. The stairs leading up to the building are dark and mysterious, and the people around you might seem a little suspicious. But that's all part of the charm, right? There's so much history and secrecy in the air! As the Nobel Prize citation says, Modiano's work shows us what it was like to live through the German occupation. This isn't what Modiano set out to reveal, though. All he wanted was to solve the mystery of his parents. But, in a wonderful way, he ended up evoking the elusive human destiny, using the art of memory.

For Modiano and the main character, "I" in "Missing Person," it's all about embracing your past and your identity while living fully in the present. It's not really important how true to life the past is. In an interview, Modiano also said: If we can't learn from our past, it's like it never happened!

Oh, but what if Modiano's parents just didn't want to talk about the past? The year Modiano was born, World War II finally came to an end. As a young boy, he probably would have loved to ask his parents about those years of World War II and about Paris at that time, but they didn't want to talk about it. There was also a little thing that really shocked Modiano. He made an intriguing discovery: a peculiar name on the list of tenants on the ground floor of his home. He'd never met this person before, and later he learned that it was a pseudonym used by his father. He had this feeling that his dad had been through some really tough times during World War II. Maybe he'd been involved in something like impersonation, or maybe he'd just disappeared without a trace. Or perhaps he'd been involved in some black market trading, or maybe he'd even been involved in some theft.

It's so important to try to understand these really difficult experiences that were just part of life for so many people during those times. However, when the war ended, the survivors wanted to erase this memory because, for them, it was a nightmare. And more importantly, the survivors felt guilty for having survived.

Facing the silence of his parents, Modiano felt like he could guess everything and feel like he was there with them. Modiano is open about the fact that he draws inspiration from the names and experiences of his parents' friends for his writing. The fates of these ordinary people are usually attached to a yellowed photo and recorded in an unclaimed notebook. In his novels, Modiano will use an address or a phone number to bring back memories from long ago, get your senses going, and make you feel a bit nostalgic. We could even say that Modiano doesn't really write stories. Instead, he weaves an atmosphere with enigmatic sentences and tells stories of confused youth and fleeting happiness with a sad and light voice.

As we've already seen, most of Modiano's work is about searching for identity, memory, and the past. Since these stories are similar, could we say that we've read enough Modiano? Is it over just by reading one masterpiece? If you like Modiano's writing style, you're in luck! You can read them all, as they are all variations on the same theme, like parallel universes. As you read, you'll see that the main character in each novel gets a little older, just like Modiano himself. You'll also notice that characters from one novel show up again in the next, but they're different people with different looks and names. And you'll see that the same story can start in different ways in different novels.

All of these parallel worlds are rooted in Paris. Writers are often linked to a city. Think of Dickens and London, Dostoevsky and St. Petersburg. It's no different with Modiano and Paris. Modiano has lived in Paris all his life, and he's so grateful to be able to describe the joys and sorrows that have happened here. Modiano recalled that from the tender age of eight or nine, he would wander the streets alone, exploring new and exciting neighborhoods and letting his imagination run wild, conjuring up stories and secrets that he hoped to uncover. We all have a special attachment to the city we live in, and Modiano has really captured that deep feeling so vividly! For those lucky enough to be born and raised in Paris, every neighborhood and street in the city can evoke a memory, an encounter, a moment of sadness, or a happy time, no matter how many years have passed.

Modiano is a writer born for Paris! His novels not only take us back to the past, but they also serve as an epitaph for the city. In his writing, Paris is not a cold, unfeeling metropolis. He's created a wonderful web of memories about the city. He once said that he was just unceasingly digging up the "secrets of Paris," which I thought was a lovely way of putting it! Missing Person and his other works are the keys to entering this maze, and they're waiting for you! In Modiano's works, you can almost smell the scent of time and hear the echoes of the distant past. It's like being in a dream between wakefulness and sleep, isn't it? Walking in the fog of memory. Modiano is both a sleepwalker and a dreamer, bless his heart.

So, that's a wrap on "Missing Person." I hope I've been able to help you understand its essence. Let's take a quick look at the key points of today's knowledge.

First, I'm so excited to tell you that Modiano's "Missing Person" won the Goncourt Prize, France's top literary award, in 1978! Later on, Modiano won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2014 for his wonderful work. He used the art of memory to evoke the most elusive human destiny and reveal the human world during the German occupation.

Secondly, Modiano's parents had some pretty unique experiences during World War II, and their complicated relationship with the Nazis left a bit of a confusing mark on the young Modiano. This became one of the themes of his writing as he tried to unravel the secrets of his parents.

And third, you'll find that "Missing Person" isn't your typical detective novel. It uses the same kind of narrative structure as detective novels, but at its heart it's still about the lives of ordinary people during the German occupation. Modiano has been called the "Proust of our time," which is quite the compliment! Both he and Proust are absolute masters of recollection. They're both obsessed with the past and memory, but their styles are very different. Proust's past years come to life in the details, like a vivid painting. Modiano's memories are full of uncertainty and only fragments, which is totally normal!

Modiano once explained this difference in a really lovely way: Proust lived in the 19th century, a relatively stable society. It was a time when one could use patience and honesty to search for lost time. Modiano lived in the 20th century, which was a pretty tumultuous time with two world wars. This unrest and uncertainty are really etched into his bones. To pursue memory, you've got to constantly fight against forgetting. But in his view, "but perhaps this is the novelist's vocation, to face the great white page of oblivion and bring to the surface only half-remembered fragments, like icebergs adrift on the ocean."