Ali Zamir
Autor(a) de A Girl Called Eel
About the Author
Image credit: Ali Zamir - Prix Senghor du 1er roman francophone
Obras de Ali Zamir
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Data de nascimento
- 1987-01-07
- Sexo
- male
- Nacionalidade
- Comoros
- País (para mapa)
- Comoros
- Local de nascimento
- Mutsamudu, Anjouan, Comoros Islands
- Locais de residência
- Mutsamudu, Comoros
Cairo, Egypt - Educação
- University of Cairo
- Premiações
- Prix Senghor du 1er roman francophone
Mention spéciale du Prix Wepler
Prix Mandela de Littérature
Prix des Rencontres à Lire de Dax
Prix France Télévisions
Membros
Resenhas
Driven to Derangement
Review of the Fum d'estampa paperback edition (November 25, 2022) translated by Alice Banks from the French language original "Dérangé que je suis" (January 3, 2019)
This was quite a rollercoaster of a ride which follows the life of a haulage worker on the docks of Mutsamudu port in the Comoros, a tiny island nation north of Madagascar. [Readers with World Country reading challenges may want to add this short novella to their TBRs]. The title character, nicknamed 'Deranged', leads a scuffling existence hauling goods by hand with his wheeled cart nicknamed 'CaRleWis'. He is in constant rivalry with a trio of similar workers nicknamed the "PiPiPi" for Pirate, Pistol and Pity (and their fancier labelled carts 'Usain Bolt', 'LaShawn Merritt' and 'Michael Johnson'). A competition to haul the goods of a rich man results in a bet to run a race around the town of Mutsamudu. The rich man's wife is holding the stakes, but she also has other plans in mind for Deranged. Can he win the race, outfox the wife and beat off his neighbour's chickens who shit on his laundry every morning? The odds are against him, but Deranged is a survivor, and I don't count him out, even if it ends in seemingly dire circumstances.
See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Mutsamudu_port1.jpg
A view of Mutsamudu and its port on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
This may initially strike you as difficult reading with its long paragraph style and dialogue embedded without punctuation. It is novella length though and once you are immersed in it, it will carry you along in its underdog's journey and its comic tragic scenarios and set pieces.
The translation by Alice Banks was outstanding and read very easily and naturally.
I read Deranged as I Am through my subscription to Fum d'Estampa Press. It was "founded in 2020 by translator Douglas Suttle to bring exciting, different Catalan language literature to an English speaking audience. Though small, the press quickly established itself as an ambitious publisher of high quality titles. Since then, we have been long- and short-listed for some of the most important literary prizes in the UK and abroad, and have recently started to publish fantastic literature in translation from languages other than Catalan."… (mais)
Review of the Fum d'estampa paperback edition (November 25, 2022) translated by Alice Banks from the French language original "Dérangé que je suis" (January 3, 2019)
Deranged as I am I have only seven ancient shirts in all. Seven pairs of trousers and seven pairs of shorts all pocked with holes and on each of them is written a day of the week so I don't forget reminding me that I shouldn't wear the same outfit twice you see?! Understand me but don't read too far into it! There are even people who take advantage of my passing by to read me like a calendar: Ah! It's already Friday! Good God that escaped me thank you Deranged you're an angel! As if my name were really Deranged!
This was quite a rollercoaster of a ride which follows the life of a haulage worker on the docks of Mutsamudu port in the Comoros, a tiny island nation north of Madagascar. [Readers with World Country reading challenges may want to add this short novella to their TBRs]. The title character, nicknamed 'Deranged', leads a scuffling existence hauling goods by hand with his wheeled cart nicknamed 'CaRleWis'. He is in constant rivalry with a trio of similar workers nicknamed the "PiPiPi" for Pirate, Pistol and Pity (and their fancier labelled carts 'Usain Bolt', 'LaShawn Merritt' and 'Michael Johnson'). A competition to haul the goods of a rich man results in a bet to run a race around the town of Mutsamudu. The rich man's wife is holding the stakes, but she also has other plans in mind for Deranged. Can he win the race, outfox the wife and beat off his neighbour's chickens who shit on his laundry every morning? The odds are against him, but Deranged is a survivor, and I don't count him out, even if it ends in seemingly dire circumstances.
See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Mutsamudu_port1.jpg
A view of Mutsamudu and its port on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
This may initially strike you as difficult reading with its long paragraph style and dialogue embedded without punctuation. It is novella length though and once you are immersed in it, it will carry you along in its underdog's journey and its comic tragic scenarios and set pieces.
The translation by Alice Banks was outstanding and read very easily and naturally.
I read Deranged as I Am through my subscription to Fum d'Estampa Press. It was "founded in 2020 by translator Douglas Suttle to bring exciting, different Catalan language literature to an English speaking audience. Though small, the press quickly established itself as an ambitious publisher of high quality titles. Since then, we have been long- and short-listed for some of the most important literary prizes in the UK and abroad, and have recently started to publish fantastic literature in translation from languages other than Catalan."… (mais)
Ils s’appellent Pirate, Pistolet, Vibreur ou Dérangé et sont dockers sur l’île d’Anjouan aux Comores. Une dramatique histoire de rivalité et de séduction sous le soleil, racontée dans une langue vibrante, colorée et inventive, à la limite entre le mythe et une triste description sociale.
Listas
Prêmios
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Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 5
- Membros
- 50
- Popularidade
- #316,248
- Avaliação
- 3.7
- Resenhas
- 3
- ISBNs
- 11
- Idiomas
- 3
“life isn’t always a sweet-tasting fruit…most of the time it’s bitter-sweet, it’s acidic, salty and sugary all at once, tasting this mish-mash is what living is all about,”
A Girl Called Eel is a highly unusual book, written by Comorian author Ali Zamir in a single sentence in a stream of consciousness style. It was the Winner of the Prix Senghor 2016 and other awards and has been translated from French. It is set mainly in Mutsamubi on Ndzwani (Anjouan) island.
For those, like me, who don’t know too much about The Comoros, it is an island country in Southeastern Africa which became independent from France in 1975. It is made up of three major islands and many smaller islands, including the volcanic Comoro islands, except Mayotte which remains an overseas department of France. The majority religion is Sunni Islam. Most of the people are ethnically Comorian, which is a mixture of Malagasy, Bantu and Arab. Traditionally, women on Ndzwani wear red and white patterned garments called shiromani, as described in the story. The Comoros is a relatively poor country with over half of the population involved in agriculture, predominantly production of spices.
The book is the story of a 17 year old girl, Anguille, who calls herself Eel. She is lost at sea, close to death, and recalls the memories of her life. She tells her story as the daughter of a fisherman and describes life in The Comoros. I found the first fifth of the book difficult to engage with, in part due to the unusual style, but as I went on I became captured by Eel’s story and her comments on life and culture. She goes on philosophical tangents with comments such as, “her soul had departed her body, it wasn’t hers to keep in the first place, our soul is like an invisible lamp that’s lent to us for a short time while we play our part on this stage.” She describes her father’s rantings and ravings, who comes out with gems like, “do a donkey a favour and all you get by way of gratitude is farts,” her awkward relationship with her sister Rattler, and the way her life turns upside down when she meets handsome fisherman Voracious. This was an interesting, worthwhile read that I’m glad I chose.
Mutsamudu. Toplist.… (mais)