Le sari vert

As I mentioned at the beginning, this blog is not all about movies. It's about things worth seeing or reading. So let me introduce my recent delight: Le sari vert (The green sari - this is how would the novel be entitled in English. It's a literal translation, as far as I know, there's no official English translation. However, I genuinely hope it will happen soon. Then y'all can read it!). So, Le sari vert is written by Ananda Devi, a Mauritian writer. (Where is Mauritius for Christ's sake, right? So, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar.) It's her very first novel translated into Polish; moreover, it's one of her the most important and original works. It was originally published by Gallimard (2009) in the prestigious "Collection blanche" series. In 2010, she was awarded the Prix Louis-Guilloux. 

I'll be honest. It's not an easy read. Not because of a intricated plot and sophisticated language. On the contrary, the book is well written and it's a pleasure to read. In fact, it's full of a patriarchal violence and a cruelty towards women. In short, the action takes place in Mauritius. Inside, an old, dying Doctor and three women: a daughter, a granddaughter and a wife, whose death years ago became the biggest family taboo, a carefully kept secret. Throughout his life, the Doctor had unquestionable power in his family. He was a domestic tyrant and cynical manipulator. Now, on his deathbed, in his memories, conversations and monologues, he makes perhaps the last attempt to recreate and maintain the former privileged position of a partiarchal despot. 

This lecture reminded me of how much we still have to fight for, we, women. How priviledged we are. The situation we witness in central, west and eastern Europe is just the tip of the iceberg.