A gifted painter born in Paris in 1879, she started imitating her painter father's style before falling under the spell of Matisse's vibrant colours.
At the age of 33, after meeting an aviator who will become her husband, she moved to Algeria where her art reached a new level thanks to local models.
On June 24th 1944, she was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbrück, a concentration camp only for women. She died on November 11th 1944 at the age of 65.
In putting together the puzzle of Yo Laur's life, the author succeeds in getting the painter out of oblivion and describes these crucial decades in world history that have seen as much beauty and progress as savagery. More than just a testimony about an exceptional artist, the novel is also about two women, 100 years apart, yearning for the same goal: to overcome the night to live freely.
- Mixing biographical elements, fiction and genuine archives, Marie Charrel draws the deeply moving portrait of Yo Laur, her great-grandaunt. See her call for contribution and some of Yo Laur's paintings : https://lookingforyolaur.com/
- In the vein of Charlotte by David Foekinos.
Marie Charrel is a journalist at Le Monde. Je suis ici pour vaincre la nuit is her fourth novel.