The Years

'Memory never stops. It pairs the dead with the living, real with imaginary beings, dreams with history.'

She strikes a pose and the camera shutter clicks: a child playing in the debris of the Second World War. Click. A student discovering parties and men's bodies. Click. An activist fighting for the right to choose. Click. A wife picking out a velvet sofa. Click. A mother taking her eldest to judo. Click. A lover, seducing a younger man. Click. A grandmother presenting her granddaughter to the camera. Click.

Les Années (The Years) is Annie Ernaux's critically acclaimed 'masterpiece' (Guardian), charting a woman's personal and political life against the backdrop of a rapidly changing post-war Europe.

Eline Arbo's inventive stage adaptation was premiered as De Jaren by Het Nationale Theater in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2022, with a cast of five women collectively bringing to life an unapologetic portrait of one woman, and a whole continent. Arbo directed her adaptation at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2024, in an English language version by Stephanie Bain – with reference to translations by Alison L. Strayer and Tanya Leslie. In 2025, The Years transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.

'A remarkable stage adaptation that leads to a special catharsis through nostalgia, sadness and lots of humour'— Volkskrant

'An extraordinarily profound and yet playful drama... Eline Arbo's adaptation celebrates the multitudes contained within a single life... devastating... joyous... shatteringly raw... There is so much emotional depth, surprise and theatrical virtuosity here that it holds you rapt... What an accomplishment'— Guardian

'Stunning... a swoon-worthy smash... joyous... a real eye-opener'— The Times

'A unique, profoundly moving experience... manages the extraordinary feat of intricately telling the story of a whole life in less than two hours... finds laughter in tragedy and devastating detail in mundanity. It moved me in ways theatre often tries to but rarely achieves... utterly remarkable'— Independent

'A vivid, moving memoir play that celebrates the astonishment of being alive'— Time Out

'Unforgettable... strangely magnificent... full of roaring life'— WhatsOnStage

'Fascinating, funny and moving'— Daily Mail

'A remarkable stage adaptation that leads to a special catharsis through nostalgia, sadness and lots of humour'

'An extraordinarily profound and yet playful drama... Eline Arbo's adaptation celebrates the multitudes contained within a single life... devastating... joyous... shatteringly raw... There is so much emotional depth, surprise and theatrical virtuosity here that it holds you rapt... What an accomplishment'

'Stunning... a swoon-worthy smash... joyous... a real eye-opener'

'A unique, profoundly moving experience... manages the extraordinary feat of intricately telling the story of a whole life in less than two hours... finds laughter in tragedy and devastating detail in mundanity. It moved me in ways theatre often tries to but rarely achieves... utterly remarkable'

'A vivid, moving memoir play that celebrates the astonishment of being alive'

'Unforgettable... strangely magnificent... full of roaring life'

'Fascinating, funny and moving'

'Startling and enthralling... a perfect dramatic extrapolation of Ernaux's slippery narrative... I absolutely loved it'

'Brilliant... visceral... Ernaux speaks eloquently for for anyone with an open mind and a pulse'

'Vivid and profound... a superlative two hours'

'Unmissable... spellbinding... exquisitely mysterious, like life itself'

'Powerful... a must-see for its poignant, thought-provoking, and ultimately affirming portrayal of a woman's life'

'Captivating, funny and harrowing... a wonderfully literate and totally absorbing piece of storytelling'

'Head and shoulders above other adaptations in the West End... has the power to magic up emotion from simple ingredients... a gorgeous interplay of stagecraft and storytelling'

'A bravura, joyous feat of storytelling... quietly dazzling'

'As powerful as anything I've ever witnessed on stage... two hours of perfection... Theatre really doesn't come any better than this'

Annie Ernaux is a French writer who was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature.Her works include the 2008 historical memoir Les Années (The Years), which won the Marguerite Duras Prize and the 2016 Strega European Prize. Translated by Alison L. Strayer, The Years was nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2019, and won the 2019 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.Eline Arbo is a theatre director. She has been Artistic Director at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam since 2023.Her stage adaptation of Annie Ernaux's The Years has been staged in the Netherlands, at the Almeida Theatre, London, and in London's West End.Stephanie Bain is Head of Programming and Literary at the Almeida Theatre, London.

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