In a previous posting, I wrote that there are still times when people want to hold a printed document in their hands. But what about books? Are there any humans remaining on Earth whose hands are not glued to a Kindle or iPad? The answer is yes! Books are still alive and well. I recently met up with an enthusiastic group of bibliophiles at a special book fair “Maghreb des Livres”. This two-day event was held at the Hôtel de Ville, the Paris City Hall, and showcased the literary offerings of classical and contemporary French-North African authors.
It was a wonderful venue for the book fair. You can’t just wander throughout the City Hall whenever you want, so the book fair also offered a great opportunity to see the interior. Click here to learn more about this historic Paris landmark.
Inside the main hall, I was pleasantly surrounded by books, and those who love them. There were literally hundreds of books to choose from, from paperbacks and special editions to bandes dessinées. These comic books are a historic form of storytelling that is very popular in France. I have seen children, teens and adults reading these books. In the corporate world, some businesses use this format to explain internal initiatives to employees. The French government also uses this comic book format to explain some health issues.
I’m interested in bandes dessinées both personally and professionally, so I spent time looking at the many examples at the book fair. One of the books I purchased, “El Journalist”, was written and illustrated by Issam Bourak. The story is told with a manga style of illustration and the language and tone is very much the voice of young man in the Paris banlieue (suburbs). A series of events are seen through the eyes of Saji, an adolescent who thinks and feel deeply as he observes daily life in his neighborhood. A tragic incident challenges him to decide the right response.
The second comic book I bought was “Oualou en Algèrie – une equete de Nadir Oualou”. The book is a joint effort by “Gyps” (text) and Lounis Dahmani (illustration). The primary character is Nadir, a private detective who lives and works in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris that is home to many immigrants as well as French citizens of North African origin. The story line is well written and developed, including some clever word play, making the book a pleasure to read.
Nadir has hair-raising adventures when he returns to Algeria to solve the case of a missing child. The story includes intelligent satire, painful irony and clear-eyed observations on the difficulties that impact Algeria’s social and economic progress. Mr. Dahmani was a quiet, pleasant man who took time to draw an illustration and sign the book I bought. His colleague Gyps sketched an image on the cover page as well.
Mairie de Paris/Déborah Lesage
When I left the book fair, my husband and I walked out into the cold but sunny afternoon, and we stopped to watch ice skaters of all ages gliding around the skating rink that is set up every year in front of the City Hall in Paris. Experiences like this make me happy to live in France. I hope you’ve enjoyed this short visit to the book fair with me…
