Ma part de Gaulois par Magyd Cherfi

Abstract

Origami smacks of several different genres as well: following the title page of each of its four chapters (“Washi,” “Origami,” “Zen,” “Ima”) are factual, italicized messages about the UNESCO Committee which, in November 2014, chose Japanese washi as an artisanal activity working toward peace. In addition to these brief historical interludes, the novel begins each of its chapters with the kanji character that is the equivalent of its title and the explanation of what the symbol’s lines mean. Just as the kanji writing enhances the storyline’s exotic aspect, the sparseness of words on many of the pages transports the reader far from the often flowery language of traditional prose. Rather, the simple lay-out of print against an expanse of white is reminiscent of the Japanese haiku poem. University of Texas, El Paso Jane E. Evans Cherfi, Magyd. Ma part de Gaulois. Arles: Actes Sud, 2016. ISBN 978-2-330-066529 . Pp. 260. This is a personal narrative account of Magyd, a young man of Kabyle origin who lives in the north banlieues of Toulouse in the early 1980s. The story takes place in the year Magyd is preparing for the baccalauréat. This is a usual ritual in the life of a Frenchman, but it was atypical for a young man of Arab origin, and Magyd was the first one from his cité to reach that level of education. Behind this achievement stands a whole family, especially his mother, whose sacrifices and priorities about her son’s education are clear. Magyd’s account allows the reader to enter a space that is closed to anyone outside the banlieues. The reader follows Magyd’s militant friend, his artist friend, and the young women who try to escape family oppression and neighborhood marginalization to whom Magyd tries to lend moral support. In addition to the description of the outskirts of the city of Toulouse, the reader is made aware of its people, whose historical and cultural references are not the ones taught at French schools. The language in the outskirts of Toulouse is neither Arabic nor French but a mix of both. The reader sees what is hidden in this impenetrable space, witnessing the identity struggles of the youth. The blatant contrast between the enthusiastic reaction of the French to the arrival of the socialist government in 1981 and the fear of those in the outskirts of Toulouse is beautifully depicted. To most French, Mitterrand is the conveyor of hope and of new ideas of inclusion, and social change. To the French in the outskirts of Toulouse, he is the executioner who sent to death the FLN fighters as Interior Minister during the Algerian War. For the population of la périphérie, the arrival of the socialists is a missed opportunity. The French language plays a central role in the narrative, as it is central to Magyd’s identity. For Magyd, written French becomes a tool that helps him integrate into French society. It enables him to bypass the division between those inside and those outside. Yet, the more Magyd integrates into French values, the more he becomes a threat to his group of friends. He finds 260 FRENCH REVIEW 91.1 Reviews 261 himself the object of ridicule as his mastery of the French language is an indirect reminder of how marginalized they are. Through the French language Magyd is armed with an ability to fight the academic failure of his friends and the exclusion and abuse of women whose efforts to read and escape ignorance destabilize the social status quo of a macho society. Magyd’s language, full of irony and self-mockery, helps the reader to penetrate a world long unnoticed. St. John’s University (NY) Zoe Petropoulou Chiarello, Fanny. Le zeppelin. Paris: L’Olivier, 2016. ISBN 978-2-8236-0997-4. Pp. 220. Ce quatrième roman confirme la singularité de son auteure. Sa douzaine de narrateurs aux noms plus invraisemblables les uns que les autres—Séverine Cockenpot , Solveig Cruette, Simone Chlopek—créent un chaos polyphonique arrimé par le seul zeppelin qui survole leur ville en ce 26 juillet 2005. Chiarello nous promet un livre-catastrophe à la manière de ces films...