The Forum Book Club thread 2020. August: Tiempos recios

[Maiwenn]

I'm reading Les Hirondelles de Kaboul in Arabic (I read it in French in the past).

February was unexpectedly busy for me, so I wasn't able to participate in Metro 2033 as much as I would have liked to (and I still haven't finished it...). I'll be more present this month since I nominated Les Hirondelles de Kaboul. :)

Edited to add: Found these discussion questions (in English) for the book: https://www.readinggroupguides.com/revi ... abul/guide The questions are mostly spoiler-free, aside from perhaps #15.

[Maiwenn]

A few words on the author: Yasmina Khadra is the pen-name for Mohammed Moulessehoul, a former officer in the Algerian army. He was born January 10, 1955 in the Algerian Sahara. His pen-name, Yasmina Khadra, is the two given names of his wife. (Well, her name is actually Yamina, but the editor added an 's' believing that he was correcting a mistake and he just rolled with it.) His published writing career began in 1984. To avoid problems with his military career, he used different pseudonyms before settling on Yasmina Khadra definitively.

Les Hirondelles de Kaboul is part of a trilogy comprising L'Attentat and Les Sirènes de Bagdad (though they each treat different subjects).

Taken from an interview with the author (English translation and any faults my own), he discusses his choice of pen-name:

Vous, vous avez pris aussi un pseudonyme féminin dans un monde arabo-musulman. C’est assez transgressif.

Il n’y a aucun héroïsme. Je pensais que j’allais mourir, sincèrement. J’étais en guerre. J’attendais juste cette balle qui va me foudroyer ou cette bombe qui va me déchiqueter. Donc, au départ, je voulais que les prénoms, des lettres, que je chéris le plus au monde, ornent un petit peu mon travail d’écrivain. Par la suite, c’est devenu un combat parce que beaucoup de gens ont protesté de voir ça, surtout dans le monde arabe, ils étaient outrés. Moi, je suis fier de porter un pseudonyme féminin. Il y avait même un prince, à Koweït, qui pensait que j’étais homosexuel.

Interviewer: You took a female pen-name in an Arab-Muslim world. That's rather transgressive.

There's no heroism in it. I honestly thought I was going to die. I was at war. I was just waiting for that bullet that would strike me down or the bomb that would shred me to bits. So, in the beginning, I only wanted that those names, those letters, which I cherished most in the world, would adorn my work as a writer. Following that, it became a fight, because a lot of people objected to seeing that, especially in the Arab world, they were outraged. Me, I'm proud to use a female pen-name. There was even a prince in Kuwait who thought I was gay.

http://www.rfi.fr/culture/20180417-ecri ... ulessehoul

[Maiwenn]

In spite the fact I have read a lot during my whole life, never read anything written from arabic world. The book is really fascinating me.

I'm embarrassed to admit that prior to meeting my partner, I hadn't ever read anything by an Arab author, either. I began with Tahar Ben Jelloun and Yasmina Khadra who both write in French. I'm now slowly dipping my toes into works originally written in Arabic. It's exciting to get to "discover" new literary traditions and familiarize myself with different authors.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that the used of english is very tough to me. Lots of news words here and there. In fact, it is the most difficult book I've read in the last times. Maybe, I would have quit it if I hadn't have my kindle and its easiness to search for new words.

Yasmina Khadra's books are filled with extraordinary richness. At the end of reading one, I always feel like I'm coming away with a sharper mastery of whatever language I'm reading in. So, yes, it's going to be a tough read, but it's well worth it. (Helpfully, The Swallows of Kabul is also on the shorter side. ;) )

[MamaPata]

Well, Ok. That's rather disappointing after spending 5 weeks reading the book and genuinely looking forward to discussing it. If people weren't going to read it, how did it win the poll? <sigh> I have no nominations to offer. I'll read the next book, because I already bought it, but after this I think I might pass on the book club. Sorry.

That is obviously your prerogative, but I will be sorry to see you go. You raised very interesting points and I think you will contribute much to future discussions. Unfortunately, most people do not seem to have read Metro 2033 perhaps due to the length.

Also, just to clarify (in case), I wasn’t suggesting anyone should stop talking about Metro 2033. It seems to me that one of the resounding benefits of a forum book club is that we can return to old books and bring them back up at any point - if someone reads something months after the fact, if something else they read brings up new thoughts. I just wanted to remind people about this month’s book so we all have time to read it.

I do have some nominations and will try to post them this evening.

[MamaPata]

Nominations:

- Le Grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier (French)
Gentle coming of age French classic. Fifteen-year-old François Seurel narrates the story of his friendship with seventeen-year-old Augustin Meaulnes as Meaulnes searches for his lost love. It’s the only book Alain-Fournier wrote as he was killed at the very start of the Second World War.

- Prince of Mist, Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spanish)
Young adult mystery novel. 1943. As war sweeps across Europe, Max Carver's father moves his family away from the city, to an old wooden house on the coast. But as soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen: Max discovers a garden filled with eerie statues; his sisters are plagued by unsettling dreams and voices; a box of old films opens a window to the past.

- First Love, Ivan Turgenev (Russian)
Coming of age Russian classic. Shockingly, it’s about a first love. Fairly short (you can decide if that’s a plus or not)!

All of them have been widely translated as far as I can tell.

[MamaPata]

For those people starting Les Hirondelles de Kaboul, extralean once posted a list of new words. May be useful in case anyone wants to study vocab before they start.

J'avais imaginé que Les hirondelles de Kaboul par Yasmina Khadra aurait été moins exigent au niveau vocabulaire que les deux dernières livres que j'ai lu et dont les mots inconnues vous ont du lire un peu plus haut dans cet fil. Yasmina Khadra (Arabic: ياسمينة خضراء‎, literally "green jasmine") is the female pen name of the Algerian soldier and author Mohammed Moulessehoul.

Je m'en rends compte à quelle point je me suis trompé dès les premières deux pages:

Les mots:
vauvert : Au diable, au diable vauvert ou, familièrement, au diable vert, très loin. = j'ai toujours pas compris le sens de vauvert
épousseter⇒ vtr (enlever la poussière) (clean) dust vtr
croasser [kʀɔase] vi to caw - I had imagined 'croak'; not 100% wrong, or right.
racloir nm (Mines) scraper / squeegee. I understood from context; but had forgotten it.
stèle nf (monument monolithique) stele, tablet n
Il y a une stèle commémorative là où tomba l'avion.
stèle nf (plaque, colonne) headstone, stele n
cliquetis nm (tintement) jingling, clinking n = I understood it to be clicking; not completely wrong.
culasse nf (partie arrière d'une arme) (gun) breech n
culasse nf (partie de moteur) cylinder head n
culasse nf argot (fesses) (US) ass, butt n
reptation nf (action de ramper) crawling
rocaille nf (terrain couvert de cailloux) rocky ground, stony ground n
Il y a beaucoup de rocailles dans la garrigue.
rocaille nf (jardin ornemental à base de roches.) rockery, rock garden n
garrigue nf (végétation sèche du sud) garigue, garrigue
éclore⇒ vi (action de s'ouvrir) hatch; hatch out vi + adv
Les œufs éclosent et les poussins sortent.
éclore vi littéraire (s'ouvrir) open, bloom vi come out vi phrasal
Chaque matin de nouvelles roses éclosent.
éclore vi littéraire (apparaître) break, dawn vi
nénuphar, nénufar nm (plante aquatique) water lily n
Pashtun (also spelled Pushtun, Pakhtun, Pashtoon, Pathan) - are a people who live in southeastern Afghanistan and the northwestern province of Pakistan.

En: The first 13 words on this list came from the first 2 pages of The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra.
So hold on to your hats cowboys; it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

cruche nf (carafe) pitcher, carafe, jug n
houri nf (Coran : vierge) houri Note: Le h est aspiré.
houri nf littéraire (femme très séduisante) (literary) houri n
gargote nf (mauvais restaurant) cheap restaurant n
boutoir nm (groin) (of wild boar) snout n
boutoir nm (instrument) farrier's hoof knife, French clog-maker's knife, currying knife n
burnous nm (manteau de laine sans manches) burnous n
patauger⇒ vi (marcher en terrain très humide) (with effort (deep water or mud)) wade, trudge, flounder vi
grivoiserie [gʀivwazʀi] nf sauciness; ribaldry
cloporte nm (crustacé des lieux humides) woodlouse - we call them rolly-pollys
ribambelle nf familier (longue suite) flock, bevy; ton; heap ::: eg of galopins
galopin nm familier (enfant turbulent) rascal, scallywag n
taudis nm (logement misérable) hovel, slum n
guitoune nom féminin (arabe maghrébin gītūn) Argot militaire. Tente de campement, abri de tranchée.
Familier. Tente de campeur.
choir⇒ vi soutenu (tomber) drop vi
Tire la chevillette, et la bobinette cherra (Charles Perrault).
choir argot (renoncer) drop vi
Laisse choir, c'est râpé..
tergiversation nf (hésitation à agir) procrastination n
(formal) prevarication, equivocation, tergiversation n
cravache nf (baguette mince et flexible) switch, riding crop, horsewhip n - i got this from context; but needed to check
loqueteux, loqueteuse adjectif Littéraire. Vêtu de loques, misérable.
loque nf Vieux vêtement, vêtement très abîmé
badaud, badaude nom (ancien provençal badau, niaiserie, de badar, rester bouche bée)
portefaix nm Archaïque porter ....
Vieux. Homme dont le métier était de porter des fardeaux.
Littéraire. Homme grossier et brutal : Parler comme un portefaix.
tchadri nom masculin (mot persan) - Voile dissimulant les femmes musulmanes de la tête aux pieds, grillagée à hauteur des yeux. (Il est traditionnel en Inde, au Pakistan et en Afghanistan.
marmaille nom féminin (de marmot) - bande, troupe désordonnée d'enfants bruyants.
ridelle [ʀidɛl] nf slatted side (of truck
débraillé - bedraggled; dishevelled
mirobolant adj (incroyable) fabulous, stupendous adj
estaminet nm Belgique, nord de la France small café
chèche nom masculin (arabe chāch) Au Sahara, sorte de grande écharpe que l'on porte enroulée autour de la tête.
énergumène nm (excité, forcené)Personne exaltée qui parle, gesticule avec véhémence:::: maniac, crazy person n
fatras nm (fouillis) jumble, clutter n
vautour nm (rapace charognard) vulture n - makes sense if I say it out loud!
recroqueviller⇒ vtr (rétracter, tordre) shrivel, wither vtr
(formal) desiccate vtr
La sécheresse recroqueville toutes les plantes.
se recroqueviller⇒ v pron (se replier sur soi) curl up vi
fange nf littéraire, figuré (avilissement) (figurative) mire n
meuzzin - noun muezzin a man who calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret of a mosque.
gravats nmpl (restes de démolition) rubble n de gravure...
leurrer⇒ vtr (tromper) deceive, delude vtr
dodeliner de la tête vi bob head, shake head, nod head vi
horripiler [ɔʀipile] vt to exasperate

En: The first 49 words on this list came from the first 27 pages/ 2 chapters of The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra.
I have the impression that either I'm dumber than I thought; or the author/translator is good friends with their thesaurus!

Je viens de finir Les Hirondelles de Kaboul. J'ai noté beaucoup trop de mots inconnus!! 100 en 148 pages.

Voici la continuation de la liste plus haut dans ce fil.

Really #50 - étuve nf (hammam) sauna, Turkish bath, steam room n
Elle s'enferme dans une étuve pour transpirer.
badigeonner⇒ vtr (peindre un support) paint vtr (pejorative) daub vtr
badigeonner vtr (enduire une partie du corps) smear vtr slather vtr
nanti nm péjoratif (riche, privilégié) the rich, the wealthy, the affluent, the well-to-do, the well-off, the privileged few npl
édredon nm (sur couverture moelleuse) duvet n
eiderdown, quilt n
bedspread, counterpane n
farfadet nm (lutin) elf, imp n
étau nm (outil de serrage) (UK) vice n
s'amonceler⇒ v pron (s'entasser) (informal) pile up, heap up vi phrasal
sans coup férir phrase without encountering any opposition
gué nm (niveau bas d'une rivière) ford n
nasse nf (panier conique) fish trap, creel lobster pot n - also a tightspot/tangle in a slangy sense
famélique adj (maigre et affamé) scrawny adj
azimut,azimuth nm (angle avec le nord magnétique) azimuth n EN - the direction of a celestial object from the observer, expressed as the angular distance from the north or south point of the horizon to the point at which a vertical circle passing through the object intersects the horizon.
the horizontal angle or direction of a compass bearing.
débiner⇒ vtr familier (dénigrer) (informal) run [sb/sth] down vtr phrasal sep
(informal) badmouth vtr
(UK, colloquial) slag [sb/sth] off vtr phrasal sep
(colloquial) bitch about [sb/sth] vi + prep
se débiner⇒ v pron argot (céder, ne plus tenir) come apart, fall apart vi phrasal
geindre⇒ vi (gémir) moan; groan, wail, lament vi
pagne nm (vêtement) loincloth n
Louve nf (femelle du loup) she-wolf n
Remus et Romulus, les fils de la louve.
louve nf (levier) lever, ratchet n
La louve est un instrument indispensable quand il s'agit de lever des pierres.
louve nf (filet de pêche) sea perch, sea bass n
mansarde nf (pièce aménagée dans un comble) attic room n
madrier nm (poutre, solive, planche) beam n
ployer⇒ vi (courber, fléchir) bow, bend, sag
en un tournemain loc (rapidement) in no time at all expr
(dated) in two shakes, in two shakes of a lamb's tail expr
séant nm littéraire (fessier) (formal) posterior; buttocks
courroucé adj littéraire (en colère) angry, irate adj
(literary) wrathful adj
asséner,assener, replace: asséner qch vtr (donner un coup vigoureux sur qch) strike [sth] with [sth], hammer [sth] with [sth] vtr + prep
hennir⇒ vi (pousser son cri) neigh, whinny vi
(humans, figurative) bray vi
fêlé adj familier (fou) (colloquial) cracked, crazy, nuts adj
fêler⇒ vtr (fissurer) crack vtr
s'avérer⇒ v pron (se révéler, apparaître) prove to be expr
se languir de⇒ v pron soutenu (s'ennuyer) pine for, long for vi + prep
venelle nf (littéraire) alley
chanvre nm (plante : cannabis) (plant, textile) hemp
medersa nom féminin invariable Forme maghrébine de madrasa.
madrasa nom féminin invariable (arabe madrasa) Établissement islamique d'enseignement sunnite (orthodoxe, traditionaliste). Tout édifice musulman destiné aux sciences. (Au Maghreb, on dit medersa ; dans le monde turc, medrese.)
teigne nf familier (personne hargneuse) (slang) nasty piece of work expr
trique nf (gros bâton) big stick, cudgel, club, rod n
pacotille nf (chose sans grande valeur) (object) cheap adj
(concept, action) pseudo-, bogus, phoney, sham, empty, fake adj
déguenillé [deg(ə)nije] adj ragged, tattered
tertre nm butte ; hill; hillock; mound
autodafé nm (bûcher de personnes) (History) auto-da-fé n
public burning n
L'Inquisition réalisa de nombreux autodafés.
autodafé nm (bûcher de livres) book burning n
burning of books n
(literary) auto-da-fé of books n
varan nm (dragon) Varan ...goanna monitor lizard...not the fire breathing type of dragon I imagine
canasson nm péjoratif (cheval) horse
canasson nm ((péj.)) nag
cheptel nm (ensemble de bétail) (cattle) livestock n
(sheep) flock n
paître⇒ vi (brouter) graze vi
envoyer paître (colloquial) send [sb] packing v
toiser⇒ vtr (regarder avec défi) look up and down n
(figurative) weigh up vtr
look at scornfully vtr
La boxeuse toisait son adversaire.
toiser vtr vieilli (estimer à la vue) (figurative) weigh up vtr
dépêtrer qch⇒ vtr (débrouiller, démêler) extricate vtr
se dépétrer⇒ v pron (se sortir d'une situattion) extricate yourself vtr + refl
brimade nf (vexation) bullying, baiting n
(dated) ragging n
ubuesque adj (Littérature) grotesque
cagibi nm familier (local réduit) (UK) box room; (US) storage room; (informal) cubby hole n
Vénusté nom féminin; (latin venustas, de Vénus); Littéraire. Beauté gracieuse et élégante.
fieffé menteur out-and-out liar n
jacasser vi familier (parler très fort) (informal) chatter, jabber vi
mégère nf (femme acariâtre) shrew n
acariâtre adj (grincheux, mécontent) sour, sour-tempered adj

Ce que je trouve intéressant est le nombre de mots desquels je connais un synonyme (souvent la version non-littéraire) et puis j'admets que je ne connais pas grande chose de l'islam ni l'arabe; donc j'attends toujours d'apprendre les mots d’origine arabes quand je lis des livres du monde arabe.

[MamaPata]

Maybe people could have until the end of the day Monday week (11th) and then a week to vote? What are people’s nominations?

Does anyone else want to make a nomination for the April read?

[rdearman]

Maybe people could have until the end of the day Monday week (11th) and then a week to vote? What are people’s nominations?

Does anyone else want to make a nomination for the April read?

How about, Nabokov Vladimir's "Lolita"

[MamaPata]

Okay, poll has been created, you have a week to vote!

[kanewai]

I finally started The Swallows last night. It looked like such a slim little book; I thought that it would be a quick read. But that prose was dense! And the subject matter intense - I think this is going to be slow going. The first chapter was absolutely horrifying. I don't want to trigger any spoilers, so I'll hold off more discussion until we're all further along.