the Voyage of Hector is a novel of the French writer François Lelord. He tells the history of a psychiatrist, Hector, which goes on a journey around the world to discover what is the " bonheur".

History

Departure for the round the world tour

The beginning of the history

“He was once a young psychiatrist who was called Hector and which was not very content with him. ” - with these words the novel starts. Hector wonders why it does not manage to make people happy and this is why it goes on a journey to seek happiness. It notes all its lessons in a small notebook (which you will find at the end of article). First of all, Hector leaves for China while his/her small Clara girlfriend remains at the house.

Hector will go in a " Chinese big city at the edge of the mer" , where it will find a friend of childhood become a " trader" overworked, then in a African country in full chaos (makes the initiates of them will recognize Haiti) then in " country of the plus" (the most psychiatrists, the most swimming pools, the most strategic bombers, the most apple tarts, the most Nobel Prize…) where it will meet a large specialist in the happiness with which it will show its small notebook. Because during its Hector voyage will not cease making meetings, a Chinese young person, an old monk, a businessman, children of the streets, a boss of drug, a humane doctor, an Afghan young woman… who will give him chacunun seen happiness, and will inspire a news " to him; lesson of bonheur" that it will note on its small notebook. Ex: Lesson of happiness n°4: sometimes happiness is not to include/understand. " Hector will turn over sees the old monk in top of the mountain, which will read also its notebook and will give him an outline different on research from happiness. And then it will return near Clara and " they married, lived happy, and had a little boy who became psychiatrist like his papa."

Interpretation

The " lessons of the bonheur"

Through its voyage, Hector note 23 lessons, each time inspired by a person or a situation. Some examples…

• Lesson n° 1: A good means of wasting its happiness, it is to make comparisons….
  
• Lesson n° 2: Happiness often arrives by surprise.
  
• Leçon n° 3: Many people see their happiness only in the futur.
  
• Leçon n° 4: Many people think that happiness, it is to be richer or more important.
  
• Leçon n° 5: Happiness, sometimes, it is not to include/understand….
  
• Lesson n° 7: The error is to believe that happiness is the goal (to be better done to explain)…
  
• Leçon n° 8: Happiness, it is to be with people that one aime.
  
• Leçon n° 10: Happiness, it is to have an occupation which one aime.
  
• Leçon n° 13: Happiness is to feel useful for the autres.
  
• Leçon n° 15: Happiness, it is to feel completely alive…
  
• Leçon n° 20: Happiness, it is a manner of seeing the things….
  

A modern fairy tale

Sometimes through the reading of the book the question of knowing if it is not a modern fairy tale can come us to mind.

To start, the first sentence: “He was once a young psychiatrist who was called Hector…” (p.9) causes already the memories of childhood where Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs or of another hero of the fairy tales were consequently introduced formula. Besides very that, the author tries to make happy the whole of the characters at the end: Ying Li is released from its profession, Hector and Clara marries finally, Edouard discovers the fifth family of happiness… In short, it is the perfect happy end .

Although the history proceeds in a fabulous environment, neither the time nor the place of the history are not indicated precisely. Therefore, one can guess or to think that the Chinese city is Hongkong, the largest economic metropolis in this area, but for the African country research is more difficult.

Moreover, several elements have the fantastic and miraculous air. Normally, one would not await only truths gangsters in Africa which are ready to kill no matter whom only to steal a car are intimidated by the threat of the anger of Eduardo, an international trader in drugs. Of course, it is possible that its influence is rather strong on the African continent, but it is doubted that a prostitute in China can be likely such to improve her life.

To that is added that Hector seems to be a hero " rétro" because it is nice, it listens to well its patients, it is the only one to help Djamila, it wants to improve the world, etc But, its passion for very the beautiful women reveals small defects. On another side, it must be essential and surmount obstacles during its adventure to arrive to its ends.

Generally, one can believe that the characters are rather prototypes. An example is the expert of happiness to the Country of More which burns jealousy immediately when he sees his love speaking with another male being. In a fairy tale such a distinction between the goods and the unpleasant ones is also practiced.

In China, Hector becomes acquainted with an old monk who represents in a certain direction the intervention of a good spirit which initiates it in the major mysteries of happiness. As in a fairy tale a moral message is transmitted so that the reader learns how it arrives at a happy life itself.

Finally, the very simple language allows the children or those which do not speak French as of their birth to easily include/understand the contents and the syntactic structure. The style is marked by a limited vocabulary which softens supposed expressions being too hard. The author preferably uses principal sentences and short coordinates. That involves processes of style like the anaphora and the parallelism. In conclusion, one notes several elements of a fairy tale that François Lelord modernized in its book.

Editions

• the Voyage of Hector or the research of happiness (Stitched), appeared at Editions Odile Jacob, on August 21st, 2002
• the Voyage of Hector or the research of happiness (Pocket), appeared at Editions Odile Jacob, on March 9th, 2004

Continuations

March 10th, 2005, Lelord published the book Hector and the secrecies of the love , in which it continues to tell the history of Hector.

In September 2006, the book the new voyage of Hector to the continuation of the time which passes will appear.

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