Novel
Sitt Marie Rose
Etel Adnan · 1978
Synopsis
At the beginning of 1975, a narrator has to write for her friend Mounir the screenplay of a film, while violence rises in Beirut. A year later, in the midst of the civil war, Marie Rose, a Christian who teaches deaf-mute children and works in the Palestinian camps, is abducted by militiamen from her own community. Among them is Mounir, her childhood friend, now her interrogator; each chapter gives voice to one of those who witness the scene, children as well as militiamen.
Context
The book is inspired by a real event: the abduction and murder, in 1976, of Marie Rose Boulos, a teacher of deaf children, committed to Palestinian refugees. It is made up of two parts: the first, in the early months of 1975, follows the narrator among her Christian friends; the second, in 1976, is shared among seven voices, including that of the children, who speak like a chorus. Published in Paris by Des Femmes, it was translated into English by Georgina Kleege in 1982 and reissued in France by Gallimard in 2023.
Who it is for
A short novel, with multiple voices, which can be read in French as well as in English; it helps to know the early days of the civil war.
Prizes and reception
Awarded a Franco-Arab friendship prize on publication; critics read in it a rejection of sectarianism and of the fate imposed on women.