These wonderful pages tell us a story with a magical aura and a surprising ending, about the first love of a boy who was orphaned by his father in World War I. The father died at the front, the mother experienced trauma, and the grandmother is tough. None of this prevents the characters from blossoming, exploring the world, and developing feelings. Elise, a teenage girl who is accepted to work in Jacques's house, is the boy's only antidote to sadness. This is a work that describes the "green paradise of childish loves," as Baudelaire put it. This is a unique text illuminated by a radiant naivety. It provides a clear voice and an unforgettable view of a person's period of initiation at the gates of his life. Jacques Chouvier, a modest but very active writer and admired by Albert Camus, wrote this gem, which was chosen as the favorite work of French booksellers in 2003. Now it is presented for the first time in Hebrew in "Nine Souls."