Laila Lalami's Blog, page 15
January 20, 2015
On Charlie Hebdo
My essay on the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks appears in the February 2nd issue of The Nation magazine. Here is an excerpt:
Two men in balaclavas burst into Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris and opened fire on the editorial staff, killing five cartoonists, a columnist, a maintenance worker, an economist, a visitor, a copy-editor and two police officers.To make sense of the senseless, we tell ourselves stories. The story is that this is the latest salvo in an ongoing clash of civilizations between Islam and the West. The story is that the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was the last bastion of free thought in a cowed press, a press that has bowed to political correctness and is now too afraid to criticize Islam. The story is that Muslim leaders remain silent about this atrocity. The story is that France has failed to integrate its Muslim citizens, descendants of immigrants from its former colonies. The story is that France has sent troops to fight in Muslim countries. The story is that there are double standards.
None of these stories will do, at least not for me. I find myself reading them in different guises in the national press, hoping they will enlighten or satisfy me, but something is always missing.
You can read the rest of the essay here. Thank you to all who shared it on Facebook and Twitter, emailed me about it, or commented on it.
January 4, 2015
December 15, 2014
December 10, 2014
March 27, 2015
10:30 AM
Deceptive Histories, Truthful Fictions
Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival
The Historic New Orleans Collection
New Orleans, Louisiana
December 9, 2014
March 28, 2015
11:30 AM
Panel: The Transnationalists – American Writers on Border Crossings
Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival
Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
New Orleans, Louisiana
December 7, 2014
And Then We Came To the End
I was so happy to return home this morning that when I stepped off the jetway at LAX, I wanted to fall on my knees and kiss the ground. The book tour was great fun, but after seventeen cities I was starting to show signs of wear. There were days when a cab driver would ask me where I had flown from and it would take me a minute to remember where I was and where I had been. Now I’m looking forward to spending the next few months at home and getting back to my writing routine.
Before I disappear into my writing cave again, I wanted to mention that The Moor’s Account was included in several year-end lists: the New York Times Notable Books of 2014, NPR’s Best Books of 2014, and the Los Angeles Times Holiday Book Recommendations. Thank you to all who read the novel, reviewed it, and recommended it. I am grateful.
(Illustration credit: Jon McNaught, New York Times)
December 4, 2014
April 19, 2015
12:30 PM
Fiction panel: Untold Stories
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
April 18, 2015
Time TBA
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
December 1, 2014
Last Stop on The Tour
Good news! The Moor’s Account received a great review in the December 1st issue of the New Yorker. It was also selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Fiction Books of 2014. Thank you again to everyone who has read the book, shared news about it, or attended one of my events.
My last stop on the Moor’s Account book tour will be in Austin, where I will take part in the UT Symposium for African Writers. Here are the details for my reading:
December 3, 2014
3:00 PM
Reading and conversation with Maaza Mengiste
University of Texas at Austin
Liberal Arts Building 1.302E
I’m looking forward to talking African literature with my friend Maaza and with the other writers present. If you happen to be in Austin this week, come on by. In the meantime, here is a review I wrote for the New York Times about Nuruddin Farah’s new novel, Hiding in Plain Sight.
