Nicolas Mathieu has written a great French novel about a generation that must find its way in a changing world. But what if the drama of life began with a trivial youthful decision? Four summers, four episodes: from the hits of the Nirvana group to the 1998 World Cup. The book tells the story of France in the 1990s, small towns and shantytowns, the boredom of beaches and abandoned factories. The children of unemployed parents, for whom the great dream is extravagance, listen to Nirvana, ride mopeds, smoke weed and dream about sex. Life is squeezed between memories and decline, politeness and rudeness. The novel “And the children after them” was awarded the most prestigious Goncourt Prize in French-language literature, and the English translation received the Albertine Prize. It has been translated into 20 languages. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 2024, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.