Pardon pour l'Amérique (Vermillon)

by Philippe Rahmy

Elle s’appelle Dengé. En brassière léopard et baskets Hello Kitty, elle ramasse, pour trois fois rien, des tomates bourrées de pesticides dans les champs brûlants de Floride où elle va laisser sa vie. Il se nomme Tony Jay. Accusé à tort d’un double meurtre, il a passé trente ans derrière les barreaux avant d’être innocenté, et tente de renouer avec la liberté. Engeli, quant à lui, arpente sans fin les couloirs d’un hôpital psychiatrique, hanté par les bombes au phosphore déversées sur Falloujah, prisonnier à jamais de la guerre d’Irak.
Philippe Rahmy est mort en octobre 2017. En résidence d’écriture à la Fondation Jan Michalski, il travaillait sans relâche à son nouveau livre, Pardon pour l’Amérique. Fruit d’un voyage de plusieurs mois dans le sud des États-Unis, celui-ci s’ouvre sur l’élection de Donald Trump et se referme avec l’ouragan Irma. Prisonnier de la maladie qui l’avait condamné au fauteuil roulant, Philippe Rahmy a voulu s’y confronter à d’autres formes d’enfermement : le travail clandestin, l’incarcération, l’aliénation mentale.
Par la force du langage, ce langage qui lui tenait lieu de squelette, il rend aussi bien le tangible que l’impalpable : l’immensité des Everglades, un scarabée sur le bord d’une fenêtre. Son road trip fiévreux, violent et tendre abolit les frontières entre récit, roman, poésie et essai politique. Pardon pour l’Amérique déborde de son cadre, étoffé par les digressions, enrichi par l’imprévu. Les personnages, rencontrés ou imaginés, s’expriment à vif, dans un style percutant comme un corps-à-corps.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2018

About the author

Philippe Rahmy was a Swiss writer, poet, and essayist born on June 5, 1965, in Geneva, Switzerland. Writing primarily in French, he emerged as a significant voice in contemporary literature, known for his introspective and poetic style. Rahmy’s life was profoundly shaped by his struggle with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that left his bones brittle and caused frequent fractures. This physical fragility influenced his writing, which often explored themes of vulnerability, resilience, and the human condition. Despite his health challenges, Rahmy pursued a rich intellectual life, earning a degree in literature from the University of Geneva and later studying Egyptology and art history, fields that informed the depth and texture of his work.

Rahmy’s literary career gained recognition with his poetry collections, such as Mouvement par la fin (2005), which won the Prix des Charmettes/Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and his prose works, including the critically acclaimed novel Allegra(2016).

His writing often blended personal reflection with broader philosophical and social questions, earning praise for its lyrical precision and emotional resonance. Rahmy was also an active member of the literary community, contributing essays and articles to various publications and co-founding the literary website remue.net. His work was deeply rooted in the French-speaking literary tradition of Switzerland, yet it resonated universally, touching readers with its exploration of pain, beauty, and human connection.

Beyond his literary contributions, Rahmy was a cultural figure who engaged with the world through residencies and collaborations, including a notable stay in Shanghai that inspired his travelogue Béton armé (2013), which won the Prix Wepler. His writing often reflected a fascination with the intersection of the personal and the political, as seen in his reflections on disability, urban life, and globalized society.

Tragically, Rahmy’s life was cut short when he passed away on October 1, 2017, at the age of 52. His legacy endures through his poignant and thought-provoking body of work, which continues to inspire readers and writers alike in the French-speaking world and beyond.