V.S. Naipaul – Travel Readings

Java, Indonesia: “Beauty is a Wound” by Eka Kurniawan : Can a square become a circle? It’s the inverse of the classic geometric problem of squaring a circle. A visit to Borobudur on the Indonesian island of Java gave me Continue Reading →

From the Valsesia to the Valle d’Aosta in the Italian Alps: « The Eight Mountains » and « The Wild Boy » by Paolo Cognetti and « The Weight of the Butterfly » by Erri De Luca. : Four of us, dashing young fifty-somethings, set off with our backpacks up the Vogna river. Our wives accompanied us through the first part of the valley, walking from hamlet to Continue Reading →

Saudi Arabia: « Girls of Riyadh » by Rajaa Alsanea : Saudi Arabia remained an enigma for me, like a blank on the world map. In 1993, I made a long trip to Asia, from Yemen to Hong Kong, but being Continue Reading →

Rwanda: “Jacaranda” by Gaël Faye : I just missed Gaël Faye’s visit to “La Page d’Après”, the bookshop my sister-in-law Floriane opened in Louvain-la-Neuve just over a year ago. Interest was so great that they had Continue Reading →

Books, Movies and Beyond: Congo

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Damien

It was sunset, and a few pirogues were crossing the river. I was sitting on the terrace of a restaurant along the Ubangi river, sipping a beer with a colleague. Continue Reading →

Côte d’Ivoire: Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Damien

The highway that goes from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro is fast and well maintained. In a little bit more than two hours, one reaches the hill on top of which sits Continue Reading →