This was my first Leïla Slimani read, after a lot of pondering (I’ve heard all her books are very different from one another) and as recommended by one of my favourite ladies from one of my favourite places.
In the middle of a writer’s block, Leïla Slimani is invited to spend a night at the Punta della Dogana museum in Venice, all by herself - and not just the idea of finding herself alone and at peace with several works of art (a dream to me in several museums!), but the idea of being confined, appeals to her immensely.
The art at the museum is incredible, but makes her feel inferior; but art and creation exist in several mediums and, ultimately, the night at the Punta della Dogana is more of a context to her introspection on her own work as a creator, as she mentions being less comfortable with contemporary art (which I can also relate to) and not having much to say about Venice, as an author.
In this essay, she explains to the readers a bit of her writing process - and how being closed inspires her, as her characters will speak to her more clearly and thus the story will also become clearer to her. This is not quite what happens here, as she starts reflecting on her work as a writer: as she connects being alone with her creativity and literature, she also speaks of her writing as something she needs, as she tells us of her childhood in Morocco. She also talks political: of her father being in jail (also confined), of gender, colonial heritage and racial identity, from her standpoint as someone who is half Moroccan, half French. She speaks often of fear.
A literatura preza as cicatrizes, os vestígios do acidente, as desgraças incompreensíveis, as dores injustas.
This is a very vulnerable piece, as she is very critical and self-aware, and perhaps not the best to start reading her work - but likely a good companion to her trilogy, of which I already own the first book, and probably her books I’m most curious about.
If you’re in Portugal, you can get a physical edition via wook, in Portuguese or in English or even in French.