[AM1VV9r6]

The book is composed of two stories,both with a child as main charactere and in Morocco but at a different period,interweaven and progressing together without direct connection.
The first is about Nour and his familly in a long exode from the deserts of the south to a promessed land, following Cheik Ma Al Aimine,a religious leader and a rebel to French occupation.We slowly understand that more than going to this shangrila of plenty,they run from the French army through a long trail of death,thirst and hunger under a mercyless sun.Ths cheik and his warriors being the only ones aware of the reality of the situation.
The segond discibe the free life of Lalla hawa from a small shanty by the sea of souther Morocco to France,where she lead the same life of contemplation and errancy.She start in Marseille by being a cleaning woman in shabby hotel to end a successfull fashion model without the slightest change of her ways.

The writing is,what i would call,impressionist.Made of small touch,by repetition of fellings and perception.Like a collection of obsevation made on a note pad,without the intervention of obvious leading structure.It suit very well the feeling of freedom of the two childrens lives.(Even when grown up Lalla is still very much cild like).
I wonder for a while what tied those stories together and maybe it is this liberty,a struggle as for Nour or as an attitude to life with Lalla.
I picked mistakes in Le Cleziot book,which is strange for i can't imagine they are not intentional.The first is Lalla speak French when in Marseille and then Paris,and from her background in Morocco(a young girls in a shanty) it would be a miracle.Girls are the last to reach schools,and specialy not in a poor place,it is never mentioned in the novel.I see the people from the village here speak very little French.The segond more trivial is about the children doing the fast of ramadan.They fast start with the puberty,unless it was a special pratice of the place?
This is bizzard because there is plenty of very accurate details about the everyday life of the country.
I liked it and found it very similar to Mondo(same theme,same kind of child charactere) but i have a tendancy toward more classical prose.I found it difficulte to read,and it didn't have those moment of marvel before some well turned sentences or ideas.I started Ourania and found it more in my line of taste.
Still a solideout of pure chauvinisme.

[RussellPG]

Of what I've heard Desert is one of the peak moments in Le Clezio literature and by the way you are reviewing the novel it doesn't sound too tempting to read. It sounds so similar to Poisson d'Or, the novel I read from Le Clezio 2 weeks ago, which starts very appealing to the reader and then it keeps falling until the main purpose gets lost. At the end it surfaces again but without the same glimpse from the beggining. I'm about to create a post on the Poisson d'Or and you can tell me if you agree in what I comment.

[SingleMan]

It's only taken 29 years and a gentle shove from the Nobel Academy, but Le Clezio's Desert is seeing English publication,thanks to a new translation by C. Dickson. It's published in the States by David R. Godine. No news on other territories yet. There's a review up at the Critical Flame.