J.H. cherche âme sœur

by Leïla Sebbar

Roland et Jaffar.
Ils sont chômeurs, ils sont jeunes. Ils rêvent d'amour, de révolte et d'argent.
Ils se retrouvent en prison dans la même cellule et se racontent les coups foireux, les désespoirs, les filles des Petites Annonces. Lise la fille des hold-up, la ferme, le pays, la mèreà dans leur langue, rude et émotive.
Jaffar et Roland refusent de vivre le destin lamentable de leurs pères. Ils deviennent ainsi les héros maudits, tragiques d'une mythologie moderne qui leur échappe.

216 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 1987

About the author

Leïla Sebbar is an Algerian author, the daughter of a French mother and an Algerian father. She spent her youth in colonial Algeria but now lives in Paris and writes in French. She writes about the relationship between France and Algeria and often juxtaposes the imagery of both countries to show the difference in cultures between the two.

Sebbar deals with a variety of topics, and either adopts a purely fictional approach or uses psychology to make her point. Many of Sebbar's novels express the frustrations of the Beur, the second generation of Maghribi youth who were born and raised in France and who have not yet integrated into French society. Her book Parle mon fils, parle à ta mère (1984; Talk son, talk to your mother), illustrates the absence of dialogue between two generations who do not speak the same language.