Scrabble: A Chadian Childhood

In 1979, two young boys played Scrabble in a hot, dusty district of NDjamena, Chad, while around them war raged, seemingly destroying all in its path. Michaël Ferrier draws from the darkness words and images to create a tribute to the city, its people, and the childhood that seemed to end there. He brings it back to life in a defiant, poetic statement on the power of friendship, family, and memory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2022
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

But when I close my eyes,I first fall as if drowning into the silty waters of the Chari River,which traces the border between Chad and Cameroon,and into which so many men,women and even children were thrown,sometimes still alive,their hands knotted behind their backs,or tied up in a shoulder bag. I sink with them towards the sand and the clay,down amidst the green and the brown,passing purple weeds,shards of pottery,and crocodile scales. My head is heavier than a cannonball and carries me toward the abyss: I dive into a bottomless bag where the letters collide or slip away,call out to or ignore each other,I bathe in an unlimited space free from the constraints of cycles and dates,and I enter into the time of childhood,which indeed has no concept of time. […] all my memories take flight in the wind of the sands,the past flows in the river,plays out in the branches,explodes in the foliage. The past is all around me now - and I laugh when I say ‘the past, because none of all this is past.’

Michaël Ferrier was born in 1950 in NDjamena,Chad,a country that was then known as French Equatorial Africa. He grew up in a family of nine children,and his childhood was marked by poverty,war,and the constant threat of violence. Despite these difficult circumstances,Michaël managed to find solace in the world of books,and he spent many hours reading and writing stories and poems.

In 1979,Michaël was working as a journalist in NDjamena when the city was invaded by the army of neighboring Cameroon. The war lasted for three years,and it was one of the most brutal conflicts of the 20th century. During the war,Michaël witnessed the destruction of his city,the death of his friends and colleagues,and the displacement of millions of people.

Despite the horrors of the war,Michaël refused to give up on his dream of becoming a writer. He continued to write and to read,and he drew inspiration from the stories of the people who had survived the war. In 1982,Michaël published his first book,Le Vent du Nord,which was a collection of short stories and poems that he had written during the war.

Le Vent du Nord was a critical success,and it helped to establish Michaël as a leading figure in the world of French-language literature. Since then,Michaël has published many other books,including La Nuit des temps,which was awarded the Prix de Flore in 2000,and Le Dernier des temps,which was awarded the Prix Médicis in 2003.

Michaël Ferrier is a masterful storyteller,and his books are filled with vivid images and powerful emotions. He has a gift for capturing the essence of a place and a time,and his writing is both beautiful and haunting.

In 1979,Michaël was working as a journalist in NDjamena when the city was invaded by the army of neighboring Cameroon. The war lasted for three years,and it was one of the most brutal conflicts of the 20th century. During the war,Michaël witnessed the destruction of his city,the death of his friends and colleagues,and the displacement of millions of people.

Despite the horrors of the war,Michaël refused to give up on his dream of becoming a writer. He continued to write and to read,and he drew inspiration from the stories of the people who had survived the war. In 1982,Michaël published his first book,Le Vent du Nord,which was a collection of short stories and poems that he had written during the war.

Le Vent du Nord was a critical success,and it helped to establish Michaël as a leading figure in the world of French-language literature. Since then,Michaël has published many other books,including La Nuit des temps,which was awarded the Prix de Flore in 2000,and Le Dernier des temps,which was awarded the Prix Médicis in 2003.

Michaël Ferrier is a masterful storyteller,and his books are filled with vivid images and powerful emotions. He has a gift for capturing the essence of a place and a time,and his writing is both beautiful and haunting.

Michaël Ferrier's childhood was marked by poverty,war,and the constant threat of violence. He grew up in a family of nine children,and his childhood was marked by poverty,war,and the constant threat of violence. Despite these difficult circumstances,Michaël managed to find solace in the world of books,and he spent many hours reading and writing stories and poems.

In 1979,Michaël was working as a journalist in NDjamena when the city was invaded by the army of neighboring Cameroon. The war lasted for three years,and it was one of the most brutal conflicts of the 20th century. During the war,Michaël witnessed the destruction of his city,the death of his friends and colleagues,and the displacement of millions of people.

Despite the horrors of the war,Michaël refused to give up on his dream of becoming a writer. He continued to write and to read,and he drew inspiration from the stories of the people who had survived the war. In 1982,Michaël published his first book,Le Vent du Nord,which was a collection of short stories and poems that he had written during the war.

Le Vent du Nord was a critical success,and it helped to establish Michaël as a leading figure in the world of French-language literature. Since then,Michaël has published many other books,including La Nuit des temps,which was awarded the Prix de Flore in 2000,and Le Dernier des temps,which was awarded the Prix Médicis in 2003.

Michaël Ferrier is a masterful storyteller,and his books are filled with vivid images and powerful emotions. He has a gift for capturing the essence of a place and a time,and his writing is both beautiful and haunting.

In conclusion,Michaël Ferrier is a remarkable writer who has managed to capture the essence of a difficult and painful past in a beautiful and poetic way. His books are a testament to the power of friendship,family,and memory,and they offer a glimpse into a world that is all too often forgotten.

Weight: 212g
Dimension: 138 x 217 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802076868