this book took me a long time to finish, both because it was written in french and because it was boring.
it's a novel but not really a novel, rather a philosophical work about the identity of the african-american male and the war of the sexes.
the story (what story there is) takes place in montreal. the narrator, an anonymous african-american lives in an apartment on la rue st. denis with another african american named bouba. while bouba spends his days sleeping (he often sleeps up to seventy two hours at a time) and listening to jazz or reading from the koran or from freud ("allah is great and freud is his prophet"), the anonymous narator types away at an old typewriter that he purchased at a second hand store. the type writer once belonged to chester himes--or so the dealer says--and that's why the narator purchased it. anyway, when he's not writing, he's hanging out with his casual girlfriend, named only miz litterature or having sex with her friends.
aside from being boring, the novel is at times very funny. so if you're into that kind of thing, it might be worth reading just for the sense of humour. but it's also quite bitter about the situation of the african-american and related racial issues. but i guess i can forgive the bitterness, seeing as the novel was published in 1985.
it's a novel but not really a novel, rather a philosophical work about the identity of the african-american male and the war of the sexes.
the story (what story there is) takes place in montreal. the narrator, an anonymous african-american lives in an apartment on la rue st. denis with another african american named bouba. while bouba spends his days sleeping (he often sleeps up to seventy two hours at a time) and listening to jazz or reading from the koran or from freud ("allah is great and freud is his prophet"), the anonymous narator types away at an old typewriter that he purchased at a second hand store. the type writer once belonged to chester himes--or so the dealer says--and that's why the narator purchased it. anyway, when he's not writing, he's hanging out with his casual girlfriend, named only miz litterature or having sex with her friends.
aside from being boring, the novel is at times very funny. so if you're into that kind of thing, it might be worth reading just for the sense of humour. but it's also quite bitter about the situation of the african-american and related racial issues. but i guess i can forgive the bitterness, seeing as the novel was published in 1985.
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