Forbidden Vision

by Nina Bouraoui, Melissa Marcus (Translator)

This extraordinary first novel by a 25-year-old French-Algerian writer was accepted for immediate publication in France and went on to sell more than 120,000 copies there.Forbidden Vision is the compelling first-person account of a woman's forced enclosure among a repressive and abusive family in Moslem Algiers; her only escape from confinement is the hypnotic tale she weaves in her mind. The novel weaves together two passionately developed themes: the violent repression of women, not only by Islamic culture, but by western patriarchal culture as well; and the liberating power of the imagination. This latter theme is expressed through the expressive power of the writing itself, which is preserved in this remarkable translation.

Genres: Feminism, 20th Century, French Literature, France, Algeria

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1991

About the author

Nina Bouraoui (born on 31 July 1967) is a French writer born in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, of an Algerian father and a French mother. She spent the first fourteen years of her life in Algiers, then Zürich and Abu Dhabi. She now lives in Paris.

Her novels are mostly written in the first person and, with the exception of Avant les hommes (Before the Men), have been said by the author to be works of "auto-fiction". This is even the case for Le Bal des Murènes (The ball of moray eels), which, like Avant les hommes, has a male narrator. Since writing her first novel in 1991, Bouraoui has affirmed the influence of Marguerite Duras in her work, although the life narratives and works many other artists are also to be found in her novels (and songs). This is particularly true of Mes Mauvaises Pensées (My Bad Thoughts) which bears the imprint of Hervé Guibert, Annie Ernaux, David Lynch, Eileen Gray, and Violette Leduc amongst others. Questions of identity, desire, memory, writing, childhood and celebrity culture are some of the major themes of her work.

Reviews

[Mònica Villanueva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un llibre que en acabar-lo provoca que respiris alleujada. Amb un estil complicat en el qual m'ha costat entrar, et fa viure rera una finestra a Alger en un món femení on les mares odien a les filles per haver nascut filles; mentre que les filles detesten les mares perquè són les perpetuadores de la condició d'objecte gestant i de la presó en què viuen. Mort en vida. Violència patriarcal interioritzada i acceptada fins i tot per les víctimes.

[Sarena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

La voyeuse interdite provides a slow, detailed, intriguing look into the life of a young Algerian teen sequestered to her house, or her prison. Fikria, confined in terms of geography and gender, touches upon the themes of silence, solitude, and objectification, as well as the need for female solidarity.

[Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ik kwam er niet doorheen

[Suzanne Ondrus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book certainly lets one experience women's confinement to the home. "A Moslem woman leaves her house twice: for her marriage and for her funeral"89-90).

The description and portrayal of a mother betraying her daughters was interesting. In effect the mother's sole pride was in her daughter's marriage. It was the only time she could be happy; however, she never looked at her daughter.

[Léo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Franchement rien à dire de positif sur ce livre, si ce n est qu il me rappelle à quel point on peut détester une œuvre

[Eli · Rating 1 out of 5]

racist as hell and kind of the key to bouraoui's whole project as an author imo

[Chanez Djoudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book