“Shall we have another drink? ” These two old ladies heard in the corridors of the book fair adjacent to the town hall of Vincennes needed a bit of calm. We understand them. From 22 to 25 September, the city where Diderot and the Marquis de Sade were imprisoned was the scene of a fireworks display of dedications and debates. Exciting, these exchanges rarely gave in the gaudriole. The titles of the “booksellers’ cafes” held in the town hall of the town hall – appropriately renamed the William Faulkner room – set the tone: “The banality of evil”, A desolate nature “,” The wounded bodies of America “,” A breathless ideal “…
Under the great chandeliers of the place dozens of writers have come and gone, from the United States but also from Canada, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba. Almost all of them have mixed the wounds of a continent obsessed with its violence, its racism, the destruction of its nature or the trauma of its conquest. On the latter subject, Native American author David Heska Wanbli Weiden quickly set the tone. Published in April, his book Indian justice (Gallmeister) follows a strong arm of a Dakota Indian reservation that goes to war against drug traffickers. His thriller criticizes an American legal system that refuses to investigate most crimes and gives little means to the tribal police. “The government has wanted us to disappear for 300 years and tons of Wanbli pastures. They took our land, our children, they banned us from practicing our religion and now we have drug problems on the reservations. “
“A great desire for destruction”
His diatribe was in line with the “America, first peoples” theme of this America 2022 festival, held every two years. He summoned natives from Canada, Montana, Guyana or North Carolina to discuss the protection of the language, the place of women, or the defense of living beings. The more motivated could also go to the “Solidarity with the Native Peoples of America” stand at the fair to collect flyers “Free Leonard Peltier! The connection was easy with the other strong theme entitled “Environment, nature”. In the course of the discussions, authors such as Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba and Antoine Desjardins of Quebec met to warn about the dangers of human footprints or over-exploitation of forests.
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And don’t rely on the police to protect you. During the debate “The banality of evil”, Emmelie Prophet, current Minister of Culture of Haiti, stigmatized the power of the gangs in his country. “If you can terrorize people, you have the power complains the author of Villages of God (Memory of the inkwell, 2020). In Haiti the police are less armed than the gangs. The compromise between them and the parliamentarians is ridiculous. ” At his side, the Mexican Eduardo Antonio Parra did not want to laugh. His book Eden (Edizioni Zulma, 2021) portrays a city dying to the rhythm of guerrilla warfare between drug traffickers, racketeering and ambushes: “At home, young people have a great desire for destruction. A cartel like Sinaloa replaces the state by taking over water supplies, education or hospitals. Consequently, the population defends it. “
“A terrifying time”
So must we go to the side of the American youth to find comfort? Not necessarily. On the stand of La Croisée editions, we surprise Brandon Taylor (Real Life), 2020 finalist of the prestigious Man Booker Prize. Smiling, the 33-year-old New Yorker is surprised to live “A terrifying time with many attacks on freedoms in my country. ” Black, gay, originally from Alabama and raised in the Midwest, he wants to believe it “Americans have a real ability to unite… but they have fun ways to prove it! “ Does France seem to him in better condition? “Your youth is an example. We saw it when you supported the Black Lives Matter movement. “ We do not dare to irritate him by telling him that, during the last legislative elections, 23% of young people between 18 and 24 years old voted for RN or Reconquest in the first round.
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We conclude with a bit of demagogy to estimate that, as usual, you readers are right. Crossed with a Philip Roth book under her arm, Céline came from Pantin (93) for the festival. However, she temper our enthusiasm: “The defense of minorities interests me more than the American dream. The United States, I don’t really want to go there. “
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