Le continent du Tout et du presque Rien by Sami Tchak

There she meets a man who has fled the war in Mali, discovers the professional world, before finally suffering the ordeal of being abandoned. Having grown up in a provincial village, neglected by her parents and especially by her mother, who prefers the roses in her garden and barely finding any comfort even with her grandmother, she escapes to Paris in the hope of leading a life free from the ghosts of the past. Anonymous and yet embodied, it is both the voice of one woman and of all women, who is talking about a stolen childhood, a torn adolescence and a broken life and destiny. The voice of its heroine reaches us from beyond the grave by means of notebooks that have escaped the passing of time and death.

Makenzy Orcel (Haiti) is in residence as part of the Cité internationale des arts '2-12' programme. Through this abundance of places and events, the festival gives voice to a living Paris and the important role played by literature. Among the many readings (more than fifty), get-togethers and literary concerts on offer, there are also several unusual conferences and bizarre performances. In addition to its base at the Maison de la Poésie-Scène Littéraire, it takes place in over 14 other venues, including the Cité internationale des arts.

The Paris en toutes lettres festival focuses on hybrid creations that span different literary genres and art forms, as well as resonating with Paris’s geography and literary life.

The evening will be followed by a discussion between the Haitian author, currently in residence at the Cité internationale des arts, writer Sami Tchak and writer and spoken word (slam) poet Ernis, winner of the Prix Voix d'Afriques 2022, who is also in residence at the Cité internationale des arts. In partnership with the Maison de la Poésie-Scène Littéraire and as part of Paris en toutes lettres literary festival, the Cité internationale des arts presents a reading of the novel Une somme humaine by Prix Goncourt 2022 finalist Makenzy Orcel.

Le continent du Tout et du presque Rien by Sami Tchak