A Bookshop in Algiers: Kaouther Adimi

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All along, the Algerian struggle against the French loom over much of what happens -- and then more recent domestic struggles. Kaouther Adimi, (born 1986 Algiers) is a writer, graduate in modern literature and human resources management. She works today in Paris, where she has lived since 2009. A Bookshop in Algiers follows two timelines as we see the creation and then ruin of a bookshop that once felt like the heart of so many bibliophiles. Going between the 1930’s-1960’s and present day, we see two different characters and their relationships with books, and how books change them.

Charlot's bookshop is named after a novel that he admires Les Vraies Richesses: (1937) by Jean Giono (1895-1970). Adimi adds many cameo appearances by young writers of the time that Charlot was to publish, notably Albert Camus (1913-1960) with his first works. She builds a complete timeline of Charlot's life through a series of diary entries that take us through all of the ups and downs of his career. 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. Kaouther 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. The sections focused on Ryad and Abdallah are more expansive -- though also touching on their lives beyond this brief episode -- and are a decent counterpart to the others. I read A Bookshop in Algiers thanks to my subscription to Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company's Year of Reading 2020 New Releases.This book is a celebration of publishing industry and those who make stories available to the readers. A Bookshop in Algiers is a truly delightful read. Kaouther Adimi paid homage not only to Edmond Charlot but also to the art of storytelling, literature, and bookshop as a place of a great importance for local communities, of cultural exchange and freedom of thought. Here, a bookshop is more than just a physical place selling books – it is an idea, a magnet for those who dare to dream. 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.

While she was studying in the Alger university, she entered a writing contest organized by the French Institute, for the young writers in Muret (Haute-Garonne). The short story she submitted held the attention of the jury who published it in a collection alongside the other laureates' productions. Thanks to this contest, she was invited to Muret then Toulouse and finally Paris, where she met with les éditions Barzakh. Ryad's story in the present day setting is more of a comedic fish-out-of-water tale as the young intern tries to cope with his task. There is somewhat of a reconciliation and appreciation that grows through his struggles. 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: The story in this short novella, is told in two streams one in set in 2017 and the other which is in a diary entry form narrated by Charlot and spans 1930s, through WW2 and Algiers resistance through to 1961. Tenían la costumbre de esperar órdenes para vivir. Ahora se han decidido a vivir, humildemente, por su propia voluntad, sin escuchar a nadie, y entonces todo se ha iluminado, realmente como cuando uno encuentra las cerillas y la lámpara y la casa se ilumina, y uno sabe por fin dónde dirigir la mano para encontrar las cosas que necesita (...) Esto es lo que yo sentí cuando llegué a esta libreríaAlready in 1935 the very young literature-loving Charlot has a clear idea of what he wants to create:

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. There are still books there when Ryad arrives, but he has little interest in them; still, he gets to know Abdallah and some of the locals, making for a nice small slice of contemporary life in Algiers -- and Ryad does get some sense of what is lost here. Charlot had been born in Algeria into one of the original French colonial families. As a Pied-Noir (person of European heritage who was born in Algeria during French rule) there was continual tension with the Algerian people, and his bookshop, and lending library, operated through highly unstable times as the independence movement gained force, leading to the Algerian War of 1954-1962, including specifically the Battle of Algiers. He based himself both in Algeria and in Paris, depending on time's sway. This is a fictionalized biography of a real person, Edmond Charlot, a lover of books, who founded a bookstore in Algiers in 1935 when he was 20 years old. He called the bookstore Les Vraies Richesses - Our True Wealth. (Note that another edition in English has the title A Bookstore in Algiers.)Adimi gives a sense of the scale of these, and many of the lives affected, but when even a Camus figures as barely more than an incidental character it's hard not to think that (too) much is missing. Kaouther Adimi's novel is multilayered in its presentation: there are sections set in 2017, when the tiny storefront -- measuring only some seven by four meters -- has been bought by someone who plans on letting his nephew open a beignet shop in its stead; the engineering student Ryad travels from France to take on the job of clearing out the place and repainting it for the handover, while Abdallah, the longterm caretaker of the place warily watches what happens to the establishment. 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.

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. Edmond Charlot – Buchhändler, Verleger, Freund von Schriftstellern. Nie gehört? Ich bis vor wenigen Tagen auch nicht. Charlot gründete in den 30er Jahren eine Buchhandlung in Algier, die von Beginn an viel mehr als eine Buchhandlung war. Von den 30ern bis ins Jahr 2017 folgen wir dieser Geschichte, mal in Tagebuchnotizen Charlots, mal aus Sicht des Studenten Ryad, der in der Gegenwart die ehemalige Buchhandlung ausräumen und streichen soll. Da passiert allerhand Geschichte so nebenbei; der Zweite Weltkrieg, der Unabhängigkeitskamp Algeriens… Camus redigiert in der Buchhandlung seine Texte, auch Saint-Exupéry gehört zu den engen Freunden. Zeitweise lenkt Charlot das Geschäft von Paris aus. Freundschaften werden zu Feindschaften. Vieles wird zerstört. Charlot is also active as a publisher -- his acquaintance with an up-and-comer named Albert Camus certainly helping; "Camus often drops by to lend a hand" ..... This book is a celebration of publishing industry and those who make stories avaliable to the readers. This is what the old man, Abdallah, says he felt when he started working in the bookstore. A small little hole in the wall with an enormous history in French Literature. Once owned by the bookstore owner and publisher, Edmond Charlot, a real person in history, who was described as a man 'whose life was devoted to international understanding between Arabs and Europeans; an impassioned bibliophile and literary enthusiast who started the careers of many famous authors. He also defended the idea of "Mediterranean civilisation" as a force for peace and artistic excellence in a world rent asunder by politics and war.’I try not to give five stars too often. In my eyes, it diminishes the value of the books that truly deserve to be read. I suppose that you could argue that all books deserve to be read. I also suppose that you would probably be right in that argument. The contemporary chapters, focused on Ryad and his efforts to clean out the small Les Vrais Richesses store as well as longtime caretake Abdallah, are a sad coda to this bit of literary history. Pequeñas riquezas es una librería que abre sus puertas a principios del siglo XX con mucha ilusión y con muchas ideas en mente por parte de nuestro personaje. Incluso, con el paso del tiempo decide ser él el que publique algunas obras, algunas de ellas sabiendo que no serían vistas muy bien por la época y la sociedad y otras que serían de grandísimos autores como Albert Camus. Pero como todo negocio, tanto la librería como la editorial pasan por dificultades. Nuestro librero trata a toda costa de salvar su pequeño negocio y para cuando decide jubilarse la librería todavía sigue abierta. TW: Although generally this is a feel-good book about books, bookshops and publishing, there are some disturbi