Letter from Congo: The Life Before Us
A little while ago I sent my young friend in Congo a novel I thought he would like. We share a love of literature, and tend to have the same taste. This novel, “La vie devant soi,” is a seminal French work that influenced many, maybe even Ahmadou Kourouma when he wrote my favorite, “Allah n’est pas oblige.” (The latter has too much swearing to appeal to my friend in Congo, who used to lecture me about evils of “the bottle.”)
“La vie devant soi” is about an orphaned Arab boy living with a Jewish holocaust survivor who has adopted many orphans from Africa in her Paris apartment. The boy narrates, and (considerations of their moving adversities aside), he has a hilarious worldview. For example, he dreams of having a dog. One day he lands one and takes it home to the apartment. It is annoying for Madame Rosa but all the children adore the dog, the narrator most of all. “Je me suis fait un vrai malheur avec ce chien. Je me suis mis à l’aimer comme c’est pas permis. Les autres aussi, sauf peut-être Banania … Je tenais toujours le chien dans mes bras et je n’arrivais pas à lui trouver un nom.” And then he sells the dog, just like that. He buys candy or soda or something with the money. He’s devastated about his act. All the other children too. He doesn’t know why he sold it just to get something that will disappear after consumption. But it’s the kind of thing children do when left to their own devices, and so rarely do we get to read their account of this kind of puzzling, child-realm behavior, fictional or not.
Anyway today the Congolese boy, who might be an orphan himself these days, wrote me an email to say he’d received the book and started to read it. My day was a five star day after I read that. To children, and to the power of literature to transcend culture, age and history to bring joy, catharsis and unity.
subject: je suis heureux de vous
sbonjours comment alle vous je suis heureux d’avoir menvoiyer un roment ces tres formidable j’ador ces romant vraiment ;il fallait que mois aussi je puisse vous donne une surprise vraiment Emily tu ne peut pas imagine la joie que tu mes donne je t’ador Emily vous été trés excelente. malgre que la distance nous sépare mais l’amitier nous unisl’amitie ne s’apprend pas dans un livre cest l’instiinct qui nous la fait decouvrir. je frequante la section pedagogie generale
merci emily je vousouhaite bon travail.
English:
hello how are you
i am happy to have been sent a novel by you it’s really fantastic
i adore this novel really; i must be able to send you a surprise too
truly emily you can’t imagine the joy that you’ve given me
i adore you emily you are so excellent
despite the distance that separates us our friendship unites us friendship is not something you learn in a book its instinct that allows us to discover it
i frequent the reference section [of my school library]
thank you emily i wish you good work
