From celebrated Belgian author Geneviève Damas, a modern fable about friendship, self-determination, and the power of education.
Illiterate, isolated, and held at arm’s length by a bitter father, François Sorrente has spent his seventeen years within narrow confines. By day he tends the family farm’s pigs; by night he manages the household chores. Still, François can’t help but wonder about the wider world and his place in it. Who was his mother, who he remembers not at all? And why is the opposite shore of the river, where his beloved older sister disappeared many years ago, forbidden to him?
Propelled by curiosity, François turns to the eclectic denizens of his town to help make sense of these mysteries. He begins reading lessons with a melancholy curé, falls into an affair with a village woman, and affectionately confides his secrets to a velvet-eared piglet named Hyménée. As François questions both his origins and the course of his life, he begins to unlock the true story of his mother and sister, and comes to reinvent himself.
Exquisitely translated from the French by poet Jody Gladding—in the spiky syntax of one whose world is rapidly shifting and evolving—If You Cross the River is a striking debut.
About Author:
Geneviève Damas is a Belgian actress, playwright, and novelist. After completing a law degree, she turned to theater. She has acted, directed, and written award-winning plays for both children and adults.
Added Date: 5/09/2024 12:30:14 PM
Last update: 26/09/2024 6:06:16 PM
پدرش به او گفته بود هرگز از رودخانه نگذرد. در مزرعه‌ای بزرگ شد که دو خوک دوست و محرم رازش شدند. آخرین فرزند از پنج خواهر و برادر، متوجه شد به بقیه شباهتی ندارد. چرا پدر از او خواسته قسم بخورد هیچ‌وقت از رودخانه عبور نکند، چرا نمی‌داند مادرش کیست، چرا خواهرش به آن طرف رفته. به یاری چند تن از دوستان روستایی خود، رازهایی را کشف می‌کند. دستیابی انسان به هویتش، نقش کسانی که به مثابة مادر در تقدیرمان حضور یافته‌اند، و یا جایگاه اساسی فرهنگ و ادبیات؛ این‌ها موضوعاتی هستند که نویسنده در این اولین رمان خود به ژرفا و با حساسیت به آن‌ها می‌پردازد.
درباره نویسنده:
ژنویو داما (Geneviève Damas) (زاده: 1970) کمدین، نمایشنامه نویس و رمان نویس بلژیکی است. او پس از گذراندن مدرک حقوق به تئاتر روی آورد و به بازیگری و کارگردانی نیز پرداخته است.
