A Bookshop in Algiers
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Description
'Truly potent ... Adimi confronts us with episodes that are simply never spoken of in France' The New York Times Book Review
In 1936, a young dreamer named Edmond Charlot opened a modest bookshop in Algiers. Once the heart of Algerian cultural life, where Camus launched his first book and the Free French printed propaganda during the war, Charlot's beloved bookshop has been closed for decades, living on as a government lending library. Now it is to be shuttered forever. But as a young man named Ryad empties it of its books, he begins to understand that a bookshop can be much more than just a shop that sells books.
A Bookshop in Algiers charts the changing fortunes of Charlot's bookshop through the political drama of Algeria's turbulent twentieth century of war, revolution and independence. It is a moving celebration of books, bookshops and of those who dare to dream.
Book Information
Posts
While the subject was very interesting (and well researched!), this book could have benefited from being three times as long. If, as a reader, you do not have in-depth knowledge about the literary circles of French Algeria in the 20th century, you will find yourself bombarded with names you most likely won't be able to retain or associate with any character traits. This makes the story feel a bit flat and like a list of historical facts, pressed into an ill-fitting fiction corset. Nonetheless, I am so happy that this book exists and that the story of Edmond Charlot has been preserved in this way. Also, for what it's worth, the book itself is beautiful and I will be happy to keep it in my collection.
Description
'Truly potent ... Adimi confronts us with episodes that are simply never spoken of in France' The New York Times Book Review
In 1936, a young dreamer named Edmond Charlot opened a modest bookshop in Algiers. Once the heart of Algerian cultural life, where Camus launched his first book and the Free French printed propaganda during the war, Charlot's beloved bookshop has been closed for decades, living on as a government lending library. Now it is to be shuttered forever. But as a young man named Ryad empties it of its books, he begins to understand that a bookshop can be much more than just a shop that sells books.
A Bookshop in Algiers charts the changing fortunes of Charlot's bookshop through the political drama of Algeria's turbulent twentieth century of war, revolution and independence. It is a moving celebration of books, bookshops and of those who dare to dream.
Book Information
Posts
While the subject was very interesting (and well researched!), this book could have benefited from being three times as long. If, as a reader, you do not have in-depth knowledge about the literary circles of French Algeria in the 20th century, you will find yourself bombarded with names you most likely won't be able to retain or associate with any character traits. This makes the story feel a bit flat and like a list of historical facts, pressed into an ill-fitting fiction corset. Nonetheless, I am so happy that this book exists and that the story of Edmond Charlot has been preserved in this way. Also, for what it's worth, the book itself is beautiful and I will be happy to keep it in my collection.