Bird singing (novel)

Most of the novel focuses on Stephen’s life in France before and during the war, but the story also tells about the life of his granddaughter, Elizabeth, and her attempts to learn as much as possible about the life of his grandfather in the First World War. The author was inspired to write a novel by the works of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen .

The novel is divided into 7 parts, the action in which takes place in different time periods of the 20th century.

France 1910

Stephen Raceford arrives in Amiens ( France ) to, at the request of his wealthy guardian, work for some time at the Rene Azera textile factory. Stephen stops at his family's house (his second wife, Isabelle, and children from their first marriage, Lysette and Gregoire, also live there). Stephen has been keeping a personal diary for a long time, but he encodes the language so that no one but himself can decrypt it. After a short stay in the walls of this house, Stephen understands that there is something wrong with Isabelle and Renee. One night, Stephen hears Renee beating his wife. Later we learn from Isabelle that in this way Rene removes anger because he can no longer have children. Stephen learns from workers at the factory that a strike is being prepared. Isabelle secretly from her husband carries food to Lucien LeBrand, one of the workers of the factory Rene. LeBran, in turn, distributes food to the families of other workers, who also barely make ends meet. Stephen and Isabelle fall in love, and they begin a secret love affair. In the afternoon, when the children and Rene are not at home, they retire to the Red Room. Sixteen-year-old Lisette falls in love with Stephen, although he does not reciprocate. At a picnic, on the day of a walk along the Somma River with the whole family of Azeris and their friends, the Bera spouses, Lysette finds Stephen, who is secluded on the river bank. She tries to seduce him, but he does not give in. Lysette blackmails Stephen and threatens to tell her father that she heard what Stephen and Isabelle are doing in the Red Room. Then he agrees to her request to "touch her like Isabelle" so that she does not reveal a secret. After the strike at the factory, Rene, returning home, says Isabelle that she knows about her campaigns with Lucien, and that Lucien is her lover. Isabelle, unable to hide, admits that she has a lover, but this is not Lucien, but Stephen. Isabelle and Stephen run away together and rent a house in another city. Isabelle learns that she is pregnant, but decides not to tell Stephen about the baby. She is tormented by guilt before her family and the children of Rene, whom she loves very much. Isabelle writes a letter to Sister Jeanne, then collects things and leaves Stephen while he is at work.

France 1916

We meet with Stephen 6 years later, shortly before the battle on the Somme River. He is a lieutenant of the British army , a completely changed and hardened man. Fellow soldiers call him cold, dry, "mad", many notice that he is "not of this world" - not a trace remained of the energetic and ardent Stephen 6 years ago. Without exception, he refuses to dismiss all his soldiers. The only person Steven has more or less warm feelings for is Captain Michael Weier. In this part, we also meet for the first time with Jack Firebrace, a former miner, one of those charged with breaking through tunnels to enemy trenches and laying mines under them. Jack's wife and sick son John remained at home. Stephen descends into a dug tunnel to evaluate the work done. One of Stephen's soldiers, Hunt, begins to panic. Stephen tries to calm him down and, pointing a gun at Hunt, threatens to shoot him. But it’s too late, because of Hunt , the Boschs (Germans) hear that the British are near them and blow up the tunnel. Stephen is seriously injured. Stephen is considered dead for some time, but he is miraculously recovering. On the eve of the attack, Stephen finds out that the German barbed wire was never cut and that he must lead the soldier to certain death. Stephen is forbidden to report this to his soldiers and ordered to blindly obey the orders of the command. Realizing that he could die in the morning, Stephen writes a letter to Isabelle. He admits that she is the only woman he has ever been in love with.

England 1978

This part is about Stephen’s granddaughter, Elizabeth. She is trying to find out who he was, how he was a father, what happened to him during the war. On the way to his married boyfriend Robert, Elizabeth calls in at the cemetery of those killed in World War I. To her amazement, most of the buried were unidentified soldiers. Elizabeth finds some of Stephen’s many encoded diaries and tries to decipher them.

France 1917

Weyer goes home for dismissal, but realizes that he can no longer communicate with his family - the war has changed him too much, and he is not affected by the everyday worries of his relatives. They, in turn, are unable to understand what it feels like to be in a war. Stephen sees Isabelle thanks to Jeanne, her sister, whom he accidentally meets in the city. Jeanne is reluctant to say that Isabelle returned to Rene and the children after leaving Stephen. He insists on meeting with Isabelle, and Jeanne agrees to help him with this. Isabelle tells him that at the beginning of the war she was wounded during the bombing of the house - the left side of her face and body are cut with scars. She also tells Stephen that she is engaged to a German soldier, Max, and will soon leave France to be with him. Stephen goes to London and then to Norfolk to take a break from war and life in the trenches. After leaving, Isabelle Steven visits Jeanne and they become friends. Stephen admits that he is afraid to return to the front line. Jeanne promises to wait for him. Steven Weier’s friend dies from a sniper bullet on the front line.

England 1978-1979

The husband of girlfriend Elizabeth decrypts Stephen's diaries. She is trying to find surviving fellow soldiers Stephen - Gray and Brennan. Elizabeth finds out that she is expecting a baby from Robert.

France 1918

The Germans are undermining the tunnel in which Stephen, Jack Firebreis and other soldiers are located. Everyone dies, except for the two of them, but they are trapped. Soon, Jack also dies, but he manages to tell Stephen how to get out of the ground. Before Jack's death, Stephen promises to name his son, if he is born to him, in honor of John, the son of Jack, who died from diphtheria two years ago. A few days later Stephen was rescued by a German officer, a Jew, Levy. He informs Stephen that the war has already ended. The inspiration for a similar end to the novel was a poem by W. Owen, “A strange meeting.”

England 1979

Francoise (mother of Elizabeth) says that she was raised by Stephen and Jeanne, who settled in Norfolk after the war; her mother, Isabelle, died in Belgium in 1918 from the flu. Elizabeth confesses to her mother that she is pregnant. Elizabeth and Robert go on a trip to Dorset . There, she gives birth to her son John, named after the dead son of Jack Firebrace. In this way, Elizabeth is holding back on Steven’s promise to Jack before his death in the tunnel over 60 years ago.

The play "Bird Singing" was staged at the Harold Pinter Comedy Theater in London , in the West End and went from September 28, 2010 to January 15, 2011. The British actor Ben Barnes , Isabelle - Genevieve O'Reilly , Jack Firebreis - was chosen for the role Lee Ross, Rene Azera - Nicholas Farrell , Jeanne - Zoe Walters. The director of the production is Trevor Nunn .

In 2012, the adaptation of the novel filmed by the BBC channel was released. The role of Stephen was given to the British actor Eddie Redmayne , Isabelle - Clemence Poesy .

• Birdsong (novel) (neopr.) . Date of treatment September 7, 2011. Archived May 16, 2012.
• Eddie Redmayne, Clémence Poésy in 'Birdsong' (neopr.) . Date of treatment September 14, 2011. Archived May 16, 2012.
• Comedy Theater, Birdsong **** (Neopr.) . Date of treatment September 14, 2011. Archived May 16, 2012.
• Eddie Redmayne and Clemence Poesy answer BBC One's Birdsong call (unopened) . Date of treatment September 14, 2011. Archived May 16, 2012.
• Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, eNotes ( unopened ) (inaccessible link - history ) . Date of appeal September 14, 2011.