#nathacha appanah

[post-scriptum]

Lecture : La mémoire délavée, Nathacha Appanah

 « Quand soudain, d’un arbre sur le quai, [les étourneaux] surgissent et ce surgissement ressemble à une déflagration silencieuse, on pourrait croire que le feuillage a explosé. A quoi ressemble le destin de ceux qui migrent, est-ce que ça explose bruyamment ou ça implose intimement ? »

Un récit familial poétique et émouvant, servi par une prose soignée. Nathacha Appanah peint le portrait de ses ancêtres, et surtout celui de ses grands-parents et leur vie passée sur l’île Maurice. Descendants d’engagés indiens qui venaient remplacer les esclaves noirs dans les champs de canne, ils sont le cœur des plus belles pages du livre. Cependant, la réflexion de l’autrice va plus loin, et le livre se veut aussi un témoignage de la difficulté à concilier ce que l’on peut apprendre dans les livres avec son histoire familiale. Il montre l’envers du décor, les recherches titubantes, les moments que la poésie vole au réel, au passé que l’on n’a pas connu.

Une jolie lecture donc, accompagnée de photos d’archives et rythmée par le vol des étourneaux que Nathacha Appanah a choisi comme point de départ.

[nerdsbianhokie]

Reading the World

In 2023, I challenged myself to watch a movie from every country in the world during the year, which I more or less succeeded. At the start of 2024 I decided to read a book from every country in the world (without the time restraint) and got a map to track my progress along with a challenge on Story Graph.

List of countries and books below the cut

Current count: 59

Afghanistan:

Albania:

Algeria:

American Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel

Andorra: Andorra: a play in twelve scenes by Max Frisch

Angola: The Whistler by Ondjaki

Anguilla:

Antigua and Barbuda:

Argentina: Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enríquez

Armenia:

Aruba:

Australia: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Alexis West

Austria:

Azerbaijan:

Bahamas:

Bahrain:

Bangladesh:

Barbados:

Belarus:

Belgium:

Belize:

Benin:

Bermuda:

Bhutan: Folktales of Bhutan by Kunzang Choden

Bolivia:

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Botswana:

Brazil: The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel

British Virgin Islands:

Brunei:

Bulgaria:

Burkina Faso:

Burundi: Baho! by Roland Rugero

Cambodia: Ma and Me by Putsata Reang

Cameroon: The Impatient by Djaïli Amadou Amal

Canada: The Gift is in the making: Anishinaabeg Stories retold by Amanda Strong and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Canary Islands: Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu

Cape Verde:

Cayman Islands:

Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza

Chad:

Chile: The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández

China: The Secret Talker by Geling Yan

Christmas Islands:

Cocos Islands:

Colombia:

Comoros:

Cook Islands:

Costa Rica:

Croatia:

Cuba: I Was Never the First Lady by Wendy Guerra

Curacao:

Cyprus:

Czech Republic:

Dem. Rep. of Congo:

Denmark: The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

Djibouti:

Dominica:

Dominican Republic:

Ecuador:

Egypt:

El Salvador:

Equatorial Guinea:

Eritrea:

Estonia:

Eswatini:

Ethiopia:

Falkland Islands:

Faroe Islands:

Fiji:

Finland:

France: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

French Guiana:

French Polynesia:

Gabon:

Gambia:

Georgia:

Germany: At the Edge of the Night by Friedo Lampe

Ghana: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

Gibraltar:

Greece:

Greenland:

Grenada:

Guam:

Guatemala:

Guernsey:

Guinea:

Guinea-Bissau:

Guyana:

Haiti:

Honduras:

Hong Kong:

Hungary:

Iceland: The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

India: Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir Of Surviving India's Caste System by Yashica Dutt

Indonesia: Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Iran: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Abid Khorram

Iraq: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Ireland:

Isle of Man:

Israel:

Italy:

Ivory Coast:

Jamaica: When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

Japan: The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

Jordan:

Kazakhstan:

Kenya:

Kiribati:

Kosovo:

Kuwait:

Kyrgyzstan:

Laos:

Latvia:

Lebanon: Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage

Lesotho:

Liberia:

Libya: Zodiac of Echoes by Khaled Mattawa

Liechtenstein:

Lithuania:

Luxembourg:

Macedonia:

Madagascar:

Malawi:

Malaysia:

Maldives:

Mali:

Malta:

Marshall Islands:

Mauritania:

Mauritius: The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah

Mexico: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Morena-Garcia

Micronesia:

Moldova:

Monaco:

Mongolia:

Montenegro:

Montserrat:

Morocco:

Mozambique:

Myanmar: Smile as They Bow by Nu Nu Yi

Namibia:

Nauru:

Nepal:

Netherlands: We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets

New Caledonia:

New Zealand: Tahuri by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Nicaragua:

Niger:

Nigeria: Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Niue:

Norfolk Island:

North Korea: A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

Northern Mariana Islands:

Norway: Blind Goddess by Anne Holt

Oman:

Pakistan: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Palau:

Palestine: The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

Panama:

Papua New Guinea:

Paraguay:

Peru:

Philippines:

Pitcairn Islands:

Poland: Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem

Portugal: Pardalita by Joana Estrela

Puerto Rico: Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino

Qatar:

Rep. of the Congo:

Romania:

Russia:

Rwanda: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

Saint Barthelemy:

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha:

Saint Kitts and Nevis:

Saint Lucia:

Saint Martin:

Saint Pierre and Miquelon:

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:

Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel

San Marino:

Sao Tome and Principe:

Saudi Arabia: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

Senegal:

Serbia:

Seychelles:

Sierra Leone:

Singapore:

Sint Maarten:

Slovakia:

Slovenia:

Solomon Islands:

Somalia: Under the Shade of a Tree: Somali Women Speak edited by Rissa Mohabir

South Africa:

South Korea: The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong -Mo

South Sudan:

Spain: Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

Sri Lanka: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Sudan: The Translator: A Memoir by Daoud Hari

Suriname:

Sweden: Fire from the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot

Switzerland:

Syria: The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui

Taiwan:

Tajikistan: The Sandalwood Box: Folk Tales from Tadzhikistan by Hans Baltzer

Tanzania:

Thailand:

Togo:

Tokelau:

Tonga:

Trinidad and Tobago:

Tunisia:

Turkey:

Turkmenistan:

Turks and Caicos Islands:

Tuvalu:

Uganda:

Ukraine:

United Arab Emirates:

United Kingdom: Poyums by Len Pennie

United States of America: Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers

United States Virgin Islands: No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

Uruguay:

Uzbekistan:

Vanuatu: Sista, Stanap Strong : A Vanuatu Women's Anthology edited by Mikaela Nyman and Rebecca Tobo Olul-Hossen

Venezuela: Doña Barbara by Rómulo Gallegos

Vietnam:

Wallis and Futuna:

Western Sahara:

Yemen:

Zambia:

Zimbabwe: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

[unesimplevie]

"J’oublie parfois combien tu t’attaches à ces riens, une couleur, quelques mots, une intonation, une babiole, et pourtant tu as l’impression que c’est dans ces détails-là que sont nichés les esprits de ceux que tu as aimés."

Nathacha Appanah (-Rien ne t'appartient-)

[whilereadingandwalking]

In The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah, translated from French by Geoffrey Strachan, young Raj knows little about World War II or how it’s changing the world past his island home on Mauritius. What he does know is what he’s experienced himself: his father’s domestic abuse clashing with his mother’s love, the grief that follows a tragic storm, and the difficulty of their move to a new place divorced from where he grew up. His father begins work at a local prison, and Raj makes a friend: a young, sickly Jewish boy named David, who is under lock and key. Appanah has written a historical fiction novel about a Jewish community and event that few knew about: in 1939, 3,500 Jews were fleeing Europe and tried to find refuge in British Palestine on their way to final destinations in Latin America. Not only did the British not allow them entry, but it ultimately deported 1,580 refugees to the colony of Mauritius, imprisoning them there at Beau Bassin. Few Mauritians even knew this happened for a long time, but hundreds of Jewish refugees are buried on Mauritius soil. In this novel, Appanah not only pulls a little-known piece of history into a spotlight, but also tells a compelling story of coming-of-age, grief, and childhood innocence. It was a sad story but a quick read, vivid and brimming with the hurt, hopeful feelings of a young kid.

Content warnings for violence, domestic abuse, grief, suicidal ideation. For more books in translation from Eastern Africa, see my piece for Book Riot!

[readrenard]

9 People Tag

Thanks for the tag @leisoree :)

Last song: Sometimes by Nick Lutsko

Last movie: Cannot remember.

Currently watching: Not a big fan of TV, but I am slowly re-watching One Piece with my partner (who's never seen it before)

Currently reading:

Secrets of Dorley Hall by @alysongreaves (delicious delicious book, I've stayed up late the past 3 nights devouring it...)

Petit éloge des fantômes by Nathacha Appanah

L'hygiène de l'assassin de Amélie Nothomb

The Birds by Aristophanes

Last thing researched for writing purposes: What colour is a young blue jay's eyes?

Tagging @arijensineink, @axl-ul, @stesierra, @hallwriteblr & @athemarina ~

[heeveblog]

La mémoire délavée

Ce roman constitue une plongée dans l’histoire familiale de l’auteure, ainsi qu’une plongée dans l’histoire coloniale de l’Ile Maurice. On y découvre comment à la fin du XIXème siècle des coolies indiens sont venus remplacer les esclaves noirs dans les champs de canne à sucre.

Le roman est construit autour du personnage du grand-père de Nathacha Appanah, magnifique héros rejeté par sa communauté pour avoir osé protester contre une injustice qu’on lui faisait. Décrivant la vie de ces ancêtres, leurs traditions conservées, leurs difficultés, leur force dans l’adversité, leur beauté à toute épreuve, Nathacha Appanah évoque aussi la difficulté à écrire et à reconstruire un récit à partir de bribes de souvenirs épars, de conversations, d’archives.

Un travail de mémoire pour mettre en lumière les vies essentielles de ces disparus aimés, très émouvant et très réussi.

Titre : La mémoire délavée

Auteure : Nathacha Appanah

Editeur : Mercure de France, 2023

[chansonsinternationales]

Le Masque & la Plume fasciné par "La Mémoire délavée" de Nathacha Appanah

[hcdahlem]

L’été en poche (15): Rien ne t’appartient

L’été en poche se poursuit avec «Rien ne t’appartient», véritable tsunami émotionnel auquel nous convie Nathacha Appanah. Un court roman, un superbe portrait de femme et des drames en cascade après le décès d’Emmanuel, la mari de Tara.

  En deux mots Emmanuel, le mari de Tara vient de mourir. Un deuil qui est l’occasion de retracer son parcours dans ce pays lointain, lorsqu’elle s’appelait Vijaya, lorsqu’elle rêvait à une carrière de danseuse et qui connaîtra sévices et brimades dans le pensionnat qui l’accueillera après la mort de ses parents, opposants politiques. Jusqu’au jour où un tsunami vient tout balayer. Ma note ★★★★…

[actualite-metz]

Metz. Nathacha Appanah, Émilie Aubry, Pierre Haski : les premiers noms du Livre à Metz Le Républicain Lorrain Lire la suite

[exhaled-spirals]

Où vont ces milliers de choses qui semblent nous occuper tout entier, dont on est persuadé qu'elles vont déterminer le reste de nos jours et qui, soudain, disparaissent ? Où vont ces émotions qui nous gonflent le cœur comme des ballons ? Pourquoi inventons-nous des robots alors que nous devrions inventer des cloches à souvenirs, des attrape-émotions, des filets bien serrés pour préserver ces petits riens qui tressent une vie ? En attendant, je suppose, il nous reste des livres pour nous rappeler qui nous étions...

Nathacha Appanah, Une année-lumière

[eva248]

Lecturas de abril. Segunda semana

Lecturas de abril. Segunda semana

Los cerros de la muerte / Chris Offutt. Editorial Sajalín, 2021 Mick Hardin, veterano de guerra y agente de la División de Investigación Criminal del ejército en Alemania, regresa de permiso a su Kentucky natal porque su mujer está a punto de dar a luz. Poco después de llegar, su hermana Linda, sheriff del condado, le pide ayuda para resolver el primer caso de asesinato al que se enfrenta: el…

[librospdfgratismundoepub]

El cielo sobre el tejado - Nathacha Appanah (2022)

Lobo tiene diecisiete años y está siendo trasladado en un furgón de policía a un centro penitenciario para menores por haber provocado un accidente de tráfico: cogió el coche de su madre y condujo durante horas sin tener carnet para reencontrarse con Paloma, su hermana mayor, a la que hace más de diez años que no ve. Cuando se aproximaba a su destino, Lobo se puso nervioso, entró por una calle de…

[les-toupies-h]

Nathacha Appanah

[jamesmurualiterary]

Nathacha Appanah, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr on Prix Fémina 2021 second selection.

Nathacha Appanah, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr on Prix Fémina 2021 second selection.

Nathacha Appanah  and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr were revealed to on the second selection for Prix Fémina 2021 on September 29, 2021. The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created by 22 writers for the magazine La Vie heureuse (today known as Femina) in 1904. It is decided each year by an exclusively female jury. They reward French-language works written in prose or verse, by both women and men.…

[bigtickhk]

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

US: https://amzn.to/31cagN4

UK: https://amzn.to/3duSd7d

The Fallen by Carlos Manuel Álvarez

US: https://amzn.to/2Z0cdcw

UK: https://amzn.to/2V9cuZp

Tropic of Violence by Nathacha Appanah 

US: https://amzn.to/3hW3lgH

UK: https://amzn.to/3hRDIOh

Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri 

US: https://amzn.to/2BDnbwo

UK: https://amzn.to/31adwbB

[tracesdelire]

Certains soirs, le bruit, la lumière et les conversations me font l'effet d'un trou noir qui m'engloutit.

Nathacha Appanah, Tropique de la violence