Happy Friday, dear readers, and Happy Birthday to long-time bibliophile, and father of some of the longest sentences in literature–Victor Hugo!
Aside from being a great, empathetic, and engrossing author, Hugo was also a champion of human rights around the world. He spoke out in favor of freedom of the press and self-government for Poland, and, though he was elected to the French Parliament as a Conservative, he broke with his party to speak out on behalf of the poor, advocating for universal suffrage, free education for all children, and the abolition of the death penalty. After being sent into exile by Napoleon III, he moved to Britain, where he not only helped spare the lives of six Irish Republicans who were on trial there, and also helped abolish the death penalty in Columbia and Portugal. He waited until the death of Napoleon III to return to France in 1870, and remained there until his own passing in 1885 (at the age of 83). When it was opened, it was discovered that his will contained only five sentences:
“I leave 50,000 francs to the poor. I want to be buried in their hearse. I refuse [funeral] orations of all churches. I beg a prayer to all souls. I believe in God.”
So, while you are toasting the literary and personal heroics of Victor Hugo today, why not check out of a few of his books–or perhaps these new works that made their way onto our shelves this week?
Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life: This collection of satirical articles written by Sayed Kashua for the the Israeli newspaper Haaretz are phenomenal for their bone-dry wit, droll observations, and also their utterly sympathetic humanity. In documenting his own life, as well as the lives of his children, neighbors, and friends, Kashua is able to speak to a common humanity living in the midst of some often inhuman circumstances, and bring to light a place that many of us have heard of, but have seldom come to understand. Publisher’s Weekly has hailed this collection as “Startling and insightful. . . . Kashua conveys devastating social critique through dry wit, precise metaphor, and seemingly innocent subjects. . . . Kashua’s subtly shaded, necessarily complex, and ultimately despairing account of the tensions within his homeland, ‘so beloved and so cursed,’ is bound to open the eyes and awaken the sympathies of a new swath of loyal readers.”
And After Many Days: Nigerian author Jowhor Ile’s debut is both a personal story about one family’s loss and a broad, searching history of Nigeria’s past that works beautifully on both levels. When seventeen-year-old Paul Utu disappeared from the busy town of Port Harcourt, in Nigeria, his family is not only forced to deal with the loss of one they dearly loved, but also to search their own past for answers. Traveling to their ancestral village, the family, and, in particular, Ajie, the youngest of Paul’s siblings, relive the myths of their people, and the scars of past conflicts that still affect life in the present day. Kirkus Review loved this book, saying “The story gracefully weaves back and forth in time from the siblings’ early childhood to the present day in their Port Harcourt, Nigeria, neighborhood, and suddenly, every little thing is imbued with deeper meaning, made fateful through retrospect…This engrossing novel, couched in poetic, evocative language, creates a suspenseful yet sophisticated narrative from the first page.”
Free Men: Katy Simpson Smith’s latest novel is as much about a time and a place as it is about the four men who inhabit its pages, and her blend of historic detail and narrative insight have delighted critics and readers alike. Set in the American South in 1788, this novel tells the story of Cat, a white man from South Carolina, Bob, a black man on the run, and Istillicha, who has been forced out of his Creek town’s leadership, who meet in the woods of Alabama, each on their own quest. Within a few days, the men commit a murder that brings the force of the law on their heels in the person of a French tracker named Le Clerc, who is as intrigued by these three unlikely comrades as he is repulsed by their actions. Publisher’s Weekly calls this searching novel for its willingness to probe “connection and isolation, forgiveness and guilt…this novel evokes the complexity of a fledgling America in precise, poetic language…it is rich with insights about history and the human heart.”
Ginny Gall: Charlie Smith’s work also deals with race, murder, and the American South, but this time, the setting is the Great Depression, and the heo is Delvin Walker, a young man abandoned by his mother after she murders a white man. As racial tensions around him escalate, Delvin realizes that to survive, he has to flee, and takes to riding the rails across the United States, until another murder pulls him into the prison system himself, falsely accused of the murder of two white girls along with several other young black men. But Delvin is a man whose strength only grows through adversity, making this novel a fascinating, grim, and powerful tale that is creating quite a buzz. The New York Times Book Review wrote that this book is “An intricate examination of the coming-of-age of a young black man caught in the cross hairs of American racial history… A story that is equal parts-and often simultaneously-moving and harrowing… The quotidian country world is full of magic in [Smith’s] hands.”
The Plague of Thieves Affair: This fourth entry in Marcia Muller’s and Bill Pronzini’s historical detective series set in late 19th century San Francisco, and featuring Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon sees the two detectives facing their most quizzical case yet: Sherlock Holmes–or, rather, the man who is pretending to be him, and who insists on meddling (albeit helpfully meddling) in their cases. While Sabrina begins a hunt for this Holmes’ real identity, John finds himself on a case that will put his reputation on the line, as several brewmasters are found drowned in their own vats of beer. This story is more like two novellas, but both author’s bring such a sense of fun and professional acumen to their work to keep readers enthralled. The San Francisco Chronicle has loved this series thus far, saying “Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini have brought together the distinctive personalities and differing investigative styles of their fictional snoops. The result is a team that is as memorable as Nick and Nora Charles…. When they combine forces, they double our pleasure.”
Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!