It was translated into English in 1966 by Helen Weaver, and published in the US by Simon & Schuster.

L'Opoponax is about "children undergoing typical childhood experiences like the first day of school and the first romance".

It is written with the author addressing the protagonist as "you" and describing to her the events of the book.

[1] Nathalie Sarraute said, at the awards, "I shall probably not be there to witness it, but in ten or twenty years you will see what a writer we have honored here."

[1] The New York Times Book Review said Wittig has 'made what can only be called a brilliant re-entry into childhood.'.