From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Lemma.
Chestnuts are the apparently meagre meal Brotteaux can offer Longuemare. The priest finds them delicious because their smell recalls his impoverished but robust childhood and a family table full of children. Food scarcity does not have one emotional meaning: the same humble dish can embody privation, hospitality and recovered affection.
Places to read
- Chapter XIV, paragraph 6FrenchNous n’avons que des châtaignes: we have only chestnuts. Brotteaux apologises for the limited meal.
- Chapter XIV, paragraph 7Frenchcette soupe aux châtaignes: this chestnut soup. Longuemare’s response is grateful remembrance, not disdain.