Notes of a Son and Brother

In this intimate memoir, the narrator looks back on a childhood shaped by travel, family bonds, and the restless search for a suitable education. He recalls the family’s long sojourn in Geneva, the view of the Rhône from a modest hotel, and the Sunday outings that offered the only true happiness during those months. The sketches of his brothers and their occasional escapes from the Pensionnat Maquelin give the recollections a lively, personal texture.

The narrative turns to the author’s own schooling, first at a Swiss preparatory institute and then at a more technically demanding academy in Zurich. Here, the beauty of Alpine lakes clashes with the relentless grind of mathematics and physics, subjects that left him feeling bewildered and powerless. His candid frustration with the “darkness, waste and anguish” of these lessons paints a vivid picture of a young mind at odds with the expectations placed upon it.

Through these early experiences, the memoir gently explores how family affection and the stark contrast between idyllic scenery and rigorous study left an indelible imprint on the writer’s later outlook.