Louis Valentin Knihy

This is a memoir of living in the shadow of the man whose family members were forced to call him "The Sun" -- the twentieth century's most famous painter who, in becoming so, dominated the lives of his wives, his children and his grandchildren -- as told by Marina Picasso, the granddaughter of Pablo Picasso and his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, a former Russian ballerina who remained married to him until her death. While writers, artists and film stars were allowed into Picasso's orbit, he kept his family outside of it, not only in impoverished conditions but in terror of provoking his displeasure -- unable to carve lives and identities of their own. After years of being disdained by Picasso, first Marina's brother committed suicide and then Marina's father drank himself to death. Marina's own estrangement and subsequent breakdown followed, until at last, through grief and awakening, she came to terms with the blessings and curses of the Picasso legacy -- the result of which is in part this disturbing account of Pablo Picasso's private family life.

Originally published in French: Toulon, France, Editions Soleil, 2011-

À Ispahan, dans un Jardin planté de roses, de pavots et de jasmin, une petite fille regarde le ciel où passe, au loin, l’avion du Roi des Rois. L’inaccessible Shah-en-Shah qui, moins de dix ans plus tard, deviendra son époux. Mais à tout conte, il faut quelques ombres. De son père bakhtiare et de sa mère allemande, la jeune reine a l’esprit de rigueur et, de ses seize ans, le goût du bonheur. Il lui faudra pourtant supporter les intrigues de la cour et la solitude du pouvoir, jusqu’à ce que l’amour de son mari n’y fasse plus un rempart suffisant. Commencent alors, après son divorce, une nouvelle vie, sa vraie jeunesse. À Rome, la princesse Soraya redécouvre la joie de vivre et l’amour. Elle aura d’autres chagrins et perdra de nouveau ce qu’elle avait conquis. Mais derrière l’image, si belle et mélancolique, s’affirme la vérité rayonnante d’une femme qui a su gagner sa force et sa liberté.

French