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Illustrated portrait of Célestin Poux

A character in A Very Long Engagement

Célestin Poux

The resourceful former soldier who reconstructs Bingo most clearly.

What they want

To tell Mathilde what he saw and make the confused battlefield intelligible.

The book

Cover of A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot
A Very Long EngagementSébastien Japrisot, 1991

A young artist rebuilds the truth about five condemned soldiers from letters, witnesses, codes, and stubborn love.

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At a glance

Role
a supply runner called Terror of the Armies
Pressure
The resourceful former soldier who reconstructs Bingo most clearly.
Goal
To tell Mathilde what he saw and make the confused battlefield intelligible.
Evidence
His account establishes several deaths and supports the possibility that Benoît survived.

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Célestin Poux is a supply runner called terror of the armies. The resourceful former soldier who reconstructs Bingo most clearly.

The character wants to tell mathilde what he saw and make the confused battlefield intelligible.. That desire determines what is remembered, hidden, or investigated.

His account establishes several deaths and supports the possibility that Benoît survived. The detail matters because Mathilde can reach the truth only by comparing partial accounts.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Rolea supply runner called Terror of the Armies
  • PressureThe resourceful former soldier who reconstructs Bingo most clearly.
  • GoalTo tell Mathilde what he saw and make the confused battlefield intelligible.
  • EvidenceHis account establishes several deaths and supports the possibility that Benoît survived.
  • ExpressionThe face should register to tell mathilde what he saw and make the confused battlefield intelligible. without melodrama.
  • Place in the mysteryCélestin Poux changes how Mathilde or the reader understands Bingo Crépuscule.
What happens to Célestin PouxHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

His account establishes several deaths and supports the possibility that Benoît survived.

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