Estoy absoluta y completamente enamorada del 2bis de la calle Hamami. Siento un flechazo absoluto por el entusiasmo de Edmond Charlot, por su amor a los libros y por fundar 'Las Verdaderas Riquezas', una librería/hogar donde he podido conocer los comienzos de Camus, Gide, Giono, Jules Roy y un montón de autoras y autores más que no he parado de apuntar. Siento que ese pequeño rincón, ya es un poco mío. Charlot was an advocate for Algerian independence and the story is peppered with historical incidents of violence and massacres during the war for independence. I go on a bit much about the schools in the paragraph above because it ties in with a book I reviewed about a month ago: The Simple Past by Driss Chraibi. It’s the story of a ‘native boy’ in French Morocco whose father sent him to French school to ‘learn how his enemy thinks.’) Charlot was the one who ‘discovered’ and published the first books by Albert Camus and had close literary relationships with other writers of that era such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Andre Gide and Jean Giono. Charlot is portrayed as an idealist, humanist, dreamer, and bibliophile who strongly believed in the power of storytelling as a path to peace and unity.

I loved this novel for its timeless adoration of literature. Stories withstand throughout all and that is truly beautiful. “Literature, at least, will never abandon me” being a fantastic quote to stand by this. There is so much gorgeous writing in this book, a credit to the Adimi, but also to Chris Andrews, the translator. It was as true in 1935 as it is now that’s it's hard to make money with a bookstore. But Charlot was quite an entrepreneur. The bookstore became a cultural center for the city, the largest city in Algeria. It served as a painting and sculpture gallery and he hosted events featuring local and visiting speakers. He started a subscription service where students could rent books rather than buy them. I tried to see if I could locate 2 bis Rue Hamani (previously Rue Charras) via Google Maps but didn't get very far, but here is a photo of Rue Hamani in general: Already in 1935 the very young literature-loving Charlot has a clear idea of what he wants to create: Adimi's novel is, of course, an attempt to reconstruct much of this that had been lost -- though she does so only with the lightest of brushstrokes.All along, the Algerian struggle against the French loom over much of what happens -- and then more recent domestic struggles. Later scenes from Charlot's life (i.e. notebooks) include the turning point of Camus' death and the final years of Algeria's battle for independence. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial?

We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. After the war, however, Charlot heads for the big times, setting up his (publishing) shop in Paris. Bir gün kitabevi açma/yayınevi kurma hayali olan tüm okurlar için Charlot’nun öyküsü oldukça heveslendirici ve motive edici. Sadece okur olarak kalmak isteyenler ise Camus, Exupery, Gide ve pek çok başka yazar hakkında bilgi sahibi olmakla yetinebilirler. Bence hiç de az buz bir şey değil! 😊 Kaouther Adimi, çok kapsamlı bir eser ortaya koyuyor. Yakın ve uzak geçmiş ile bugün arasında gelip gidiyor..Hem Cezayir hem Fransa tarafını anlatıyor. Sadece Charlot ve kitabevinin hikayesini değil; Abdallah ve Ryad karakterleriyle de başka bir evrenin kapılarını aralıyor. Abdallah’ın sadakati,Ryad’ın kafa karışıklığı, kitabevinin bulunduğu sokaktaki sakinler.. Tarihsel gelişmeler bu öykülerin beraberinde geliyor; bir bakmışsınız ikinci dünya savaşı cephesine gönderilen Cezayirli asker olmuşsunuz; bir bakmışsınız 1961’de uğruna savaştığınız, size güzellikler vadeden aynı ülkenin nehrine atılmışsınız..Barbar olduğunuz ileri sürülerek.. Çamaşır suyu katılmış sular püskürtülmüş yüzlerinize, sizin dilinizi alıp kendi dillerini öğrenmeniz için var olan okullara kabul edilmemişsiz.. The writing loses direction at times; characters appear who were never introduced, along with details that are unnecessary and uninteresting. Yet the truly potent effect of the book is that by taking on literary history from the underbelly of the French nation -- from the colony just across the sea -- Adimi confronts us with episodes that are simply never spoken of in France" - Elisabeth Zerofsky, The New York Times Book ReviewKaouther Adimi me transportó desde el primer párrafo a las calles de Argel. Me perdí entre callejones, deambulé por sus recuerdos, me mezclé con sus olores y me enamoré perdidamente. Me enamoré de ese increíble templo, de esa librería llamada ‘Las verdaderas riquezas’. Me enamoré de ese hombre que la creó, de toda la pasión que volcaba en su trabajo y de toda la lucha para que saliera adelante. It's a struggle but he reports already in the fall of 1945 that they're: "managing to publish 12 to 15 books a month"; by 1947: "Sales are reaching 100,000, and much more for some titles"; by 1949 Éditions Charlot has flamed out, bankrupt. The author was born in Algeria (1983) and now lives in France. This is her third novel and it was nominated for the Prix Goncourt. Kitabın en güzel yanı Kaouther Adimi’nin arşivleri, kitapları, söyleşileri tarayarak oluşturduğu Charlot’nun kurmaca günlüğü. Bu günlük aracılığıyla 1930’dan 1961’e kadar hem Cezayir’in kültürel ortamı hem yayıncılık dünyasında yaşanan sıkıntılar hem de Cezayir’in bağımsızlaşma sürecinde yaşananlar hakkında bilgi sahibi oluyoruz. Charlot, bastığı kitaplarla yıllar içinde ünlenen bir kitapçoksever. Edebiyatı o kadar seviyor ki başka bir iş düşünemiyor ve bir kitabevi kurmaya karar veriyor. Sonra kitabevine ek olarak beğendiği genç yazarların tanınmasını da sağlayacak bir yayınevi kuruyor. Kitabevinde sanat eserleri de sergiliyor. İlk eserlerini yayımlayarak tanınmasını sağladığı yazarlar arasında Camus, Gide, Kessel var.

In 1994, she returned to Algeria, which was then under the influence of terrorism. Having very few opportunities to read, she started to write her own stories.

Archives

A sort of meeting place for friends, but with a Mediterranean outlook too: bringing together writers from all the Mediterranean countries, regardless of language or religion Against this setting Charlot energised the local writing industry, launching many writers. Though avoiding political affiliations, he had been wrongly accused by the Vichy regime of being a Gaullist and communist sympathiser and imprisoned. At other times he sought to mingle with and support leading thinkers and creators, such as Andre Gide and de Saint-Exupery. The is an old Arab man who worked in the bookstore for much of his life. He ‘stands guard’ across the street watching all the activities. He attempts to acquaint the young man with the rich history of the bookstore. Por la mañana, cuando llego a la librería, me paro un momento delante del escaloncito que hay ante la puerta para contemplar el local que me pertenece. En ocasiones me quedo allí inmóvil tanto tiempo que el camarero del café de al lado se alarma y me pregunta si va todo bien. Pues claro que va todo bien: los libros están colocados por orden alfabético, las obras de arte colgadas justo encima, y aquí solo tienen derecho de ciudadanía la literatura, el arte y la amistad.”]