Promise at Dawn Kindle Edition

The best book i ever read .He was a man and his mother was a heroI am a jew and i am proud

Life as a Work of ArtThis autobiography is a story of self-discovery which is at once charmingly engaging and profoundly deep. This book is one of two of my absolute favorites. I am a native speaker of Russian and I also read a lot in Spanish -- this is not to boast, but to show that I know to what to compare to. And surely there are books which are better written, not to mention more famous. And yet, as other reviews indicate, I am not alone. How come?Literature and in art general is often intellectualized, taken too seriously and made separate from everyday experiences of life. But experience of reading a book is actually could be just like another experience: observing the beauty of nature, doing Yoga on the mat, staying in a challenges situation in everyday life or having a good conversation with a friend. In all those experiences we discover what we are and what we are capable of. And the book we read, we really read only to the extent that there is something in it which resonates with us and own worldview. The great book is only great for us as it speaks to each us individually while it articulating our own yearnings and dim glimmering. This is one such great book.Paraphrasing Nietzsche, it is a story about life as a work of art. The author constantly finds itself in impossible situations when he faces multiple conflicting constraints; in fact it is sheer impossibility of these life situations which makes them believable: fantasy rarely stretches as far as exigencies of real life do. Making creativity a way of life, Gari always finds spectacular solutions, sometime more so, sometimes less but always creative and unpredictable. He says he has no choice, he promised his mother (hence 'Promise at Dawn'). Freudian undercurrents aside, the book is one paradox after another, all told with disarming irony and self-irony. A perspective on the world which discerns laugher amid sheer tragedy and which turns everything upside down . Sense of humor, as Gary puts is his ultimate defense against injustices of the world.This is a perspective not shared by everyone. The book (as well as other Gary's novels) either arouses the passion and gratitude to the author (coming from that sense of recognition -- we see our own story and our perspective on the world) or flat indifference. Most of my friends love it but some don't see anything in it: they don't get it. There is no way to tell in advance which way it will turn out.I have read the novel in Russian and later in Spanish (Mondadori, Barcelona, 1997) and I also checked English translation. Predictably, both Russian and Spanish versions are more vivid, subtle and evocative. It has nothing to do with the quality of translation but with expressive power of the language itself. Nonetheless, English version is not bad.Finally, an illustration. Students of serious Yoga (which goes beyond asanas) are familiar with Dharana -- a state of concentration when you merge, become one with the object of concentration. That state comes (and then only to committed few) after many years of practice. Here is quote from the book which shows how Dharana emerges -- in the process of writing of his first novel in 1945 -- precisely because constraints and conditions (of war-time fighting) are inhumanly cruel.'... The conditions at Hartford Bridge were not ideal for literary work. It was very cold.... Each night I would put on my flying jacket and my fur-lined boots, prop myself up in bed and write in bed with numbed fingers, my breath rising in visible vapor in the freezing air..... Then I got into my Boston bomber and set off, in the gray dawn, on a mission against powerfully protected targets. It was difficult in such conditions to do literature. But this is not what I was doing. Literature and life were always interconnected for me, and flying and writing were part of the same fight, of the same effort to discover the hidden meaning of life..' (I changed the translation a bit because the one in the book was a bit imprecise.)

It seemed like an interesting topic to learn about Romain Gary's past but yikes, the first 40 pages are all about his relationship with his mother as a young boy and the need to please her. Really? A famous war hero, great writer, fighter pilot, did it all for his intrusive, annoying mom? Gary overdoes it in the extreme. Not recommended. Instead, read The Kites, which is wonderful fiction.

Gary, one of modern France’s most respected and prolific writers describes in great detail his early life. His relationship with his mother is one for the therapists to sort out. For the rest of us, the idea that Gary apparently succeeded in life despite having a very complex anchor to drag is a story in itself. Gary was an excellent writer who was able to express his feelings in words. This was an excellent read.

I got a lot more than what I was expecting. His mother was one strong, powerful woman and he was exceptionally courageous. His perspective on the French and his piloting during WW2 was eye opening.

Everyone should read this book

One of the most beautifully written autobiographies I have read. And, what a story it is. First published decades ago, the violence is war related, often involving plane crashes. The sexual content is subtle and discreet. This is the story of a young boy and his mother who strive to survive on their wits alone first in Poland then in France during the 1930's leading to the second world war.

The trek from Russia and Poland of a mother and son, to southern France fulfilling the loving dreams of a mother bestowed on her son. This autobiographical narrative of growing up with love and purpose to meet One's mother's expectations, is poetic, captivating and flowing narrative.

This is a very loose translation of an important novel. Much of the original has been left out and the translator has thought fit to add "improvements" to the text. Put this alongside the French original in the current Gallimard edition supervised by Mireiile Sacotte and you will think you are reading a different book. An object lesson in how not to do justice to a major writer.

A gift for my partner, and she thinks it's a wonderful piece of writing. I look forward to reading it myself.

everything perfect

lovely clever and moving story about mother and son...

Romain Gary is the sort of character that, if he didn't really exist, you'd have to make him up. Or he would. It's difficult to tell in this heroic, audacious, enchanting memoir what is fact and what is fable. But that's not the point.A lot is said these days about finding your purpose in life. Roman Kacew never had to find a purpose: it was instilled in him from an early age by his adored mother, and nurtured continuously as the pair moved from Vilnius to Warsaw to Nice, as the boy grew to an adolescent and an adult: he would be a Great Man. "Romouchka's" mother is simply marvellous - in equal measures deluded, devoted, brave, eccentric and exuberantly optimistic. Rather like a human version of Dumbo's mother. The author writes about her with an uncompromising fondness for her unwavering strength and fabulous failure. Later in the book, he channels her spirit during his heroic escapades in WW2.Yes, the language is flowery. Yes, the mother-son relationship veers into dubious territory. And yes, at times the author sounds like a sleaze-ball.But in the end, your heart soars, reading this book. In the end, Dumbo did learn to fly.