The Years: an audacious adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s masterpiece of memoir and sociology

Eline Arbo’s production of The Years at London’s Almeida Theatre is a rare triumph. First adapted into Dutch and premiered in Amsterdam in 2022, the play breathes theatrical life into the Nobel-winning writer Annie Ernaux’s masterpiece of the same name, delineating a composite portrait of a woman and a culture over seven decades. This audacious translation to the stage of a complex work of literature represents a considerable feat of dramaturgical vision and sensitivity.

The Years, first published in 2008...