Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Tuesday, 15 October 1878

Tuesday, 15 October 1878

I know well enough that these are small things — but they are agreeable none the less.

Je sais bien que c'est des petites choses mais c'est quand même agréable.

Multedo writes to Dina.

Multedo écrit à Dina.

It is a fichue existence1 — and I am still lucky enough not to have to say: an existence fichue.

C'est une fichue existence, bienheureuse encore de pouvoir ne pas dire: une existence fichue.

Notes

Marie plays on French adjective placement: fichue existence (adjective before noun) = "a damned existence" (colloquial intensifier); existence fichue (adjective after noun) = "a finished/ruined existence" (literal meaning). She is relieved her situation is merely cursed, not destroyed. ↩