I found this a challenging, albeit a short, read. Adnan's Sitt Marie Rose is both an attack and an interrogation of her own history, her own identity, just as much as it is an attack on the tribal and religious justifications for the violence and terror of the civil war in Lebanon. It is just too much realistic, especially for a Lebanese, to accept it when we are trying to forget a cruel difficult part of our history. Powerful anti-war book by a Lebanese writer. The above description of how the novel is split into two Times, one of which is further subdivided shows how, at an organizational level, the novel is an experiment of presentation and how a novel can be presented. They had been childhood friends, and had even experienced a brief but powerful affection for one another. Livraison sous 10 jours * en raison de l'afflux de commandes, Du lundi au vendredi de 9h00 à 18h00 au 06.98.77.73.30 After this brief section, the novel turns its attention solely to the death of Sitt Marie Rose as perceived by seven different characters. As the author observes after Marie Rose has been drawn and quartered in the name of religion, Christ has been transformed into a “tribal prince.”. Her work as a whole is a faithful record of the times and places she has lived in Beirut, Paris, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Part two is a bit confusing because it is written from the perspectives of three characters. Be the first to ask a question about Sitt Marie Rose. It also shows the misogyny that underlies war, the khawaja complex (white man complex) that ensnares so many Arabs. This is a beautifully written take on the senseless, chaotic and incredibly violent war in Lebanon. Unfortunately, some of this racism still live till our present days, no matter how much we try to live in denial towards this sensitive subject. But both the heroine and the author of this book assert the possibility of change, through the possibility of choice. The novel pinpoints the violent outcomes that any war could bring where women’s opinion and involvement in war, society and politics are forbidden practices. Nothing survives the passing of these divinities: they only love Power, the Brother or their Son. The deaf-mutes that Sitt Marie Rose teaches speak with a singular voice. They, with a Maronite priest, kidnap Marie Rose when she crosses from west Beirut to visit a school of deaf mutes where she teaches. I found this chaotic style exemplified the chaotic nature of the world around the characters. © Middle East Research and Information Project. Tony has no respect for any women in the book and has a very violent disposition similar to Fouad. Sitt Marie Rose is a remarkable novel by Etel Adnan, a Lebanese poet and artist. June 1st 1982 Georgina Kleege’s translation from the 1978 French edition, which won the France-Pays Arabe award, provides a rare opportunity for English-language readers to share this shattering vision and experience of an Arab woman. The book tells a true story that happened in the civil war, and unfortunately the cruel unbelievable events and racism in the book actually happe. Its language is naked and sharp, nauseatingly visceral. Themes Analysis Oppression Fear Rejection Power Patriarchy Masculinity Passage "Nobody love us. However, due to the nature of the novel it was marketed in Muslim West Beirut but not Christian East Beirut.[2]. Beautiful, elegant, well-though out, and it made me cry. Is there anything in her that is not of the most dispicable angelic perfection? Anat in Marrakesh, the Virgin in Beirut. Beautifully written and wrenching novel based on the true story of a woman in Beirut during the Civil War who ran a school for deaf children. They’re attempting to break down your values, and in the process are breaking their own necks. She was a woman, an imprudent woman, gone over to the enemy and mixing in politics…. Sitt Marie Rose talks about a Christian woman named Marie Rose who gets kidnapped by Christian militia based on her political beliefs in the 1970’s during the Lebanese civil war. The novel has many references to religion i.e Christianity and Moslem, how does violence reflect the principles of religion? The narrators always follow the following order in each of the three sections: the deaf-mute school children that Sitt Marie Rose teaches, Sitt Marie Rose herself, Mounir, Tony, Fouad, Friar Bouna Lias, and the unnamed narrator from Time I. But, I suppose I am to admire it not for its characters, but for its commonplace theme, that war is terrible and dehumanising, fanaticism is a horrible thing, all that- however, there are many far better books have been written on this theme, all more worthy of being read than this dungheap. It is based on the life of Marie Rose Boulos[2] who was executed by a Christian militia during the conflict. The novel is divided into two “Times”: “Time I” and “Time II.”. It’s part of a larger Crusade directed against the poor. It won the France-Pays Arabes award in Paris and has been translate. Sitt Marie Rose is a novel by Etel Adnan set before and during the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War.It was first published in France in 1978.It is based on the life of Marie Rose Boulos who was executed by a Christian militia during the conflict. Adnan divides each chapter up into a different voice in Part II of this book. All of the truths still ring today. The similarities between this story and Syria's current conflict are a terrible reminder of why this book matters. We’d love your help. The book tells a true story that happened in the civil war, and unfortunately the cruel unbelievable events and racism in the book actually happened in the past. Femininity is an integral part of it, as it is the main enemy. Although not an easy read, take your time, enjoy the language, and grieve for the victims both past and present. Kidnappings, murders, massacres are still the norm. Since the text was so heavy, this helped to air it out. The novel culminates with her death at the hands of her captors. So they put us in this school and only Sitt Adnan wrote a work that pains and purifies, yet leaves one as hopeless as a blade of grass before a bulldozer. This may be due to the translation, or it may be the result of this simply being a not-very-good book. I felt shocked after reading the first few pages because of the amount of racism displayed. He is by far the most cruel character in the book and his mind is always set on death and torture. It constitutes a new narrative form and is already a classic of war literature. Our parents beat us. Adnan wrote Sitt Marie Rose in 1977 in French. Refresh and try again. I really enjoyed this book -- once I figured out the structure. It was published in France in 1978,[1] following the publication of an Arabic translation in 1977. [3] With the exception of when the narrator talks with Mounir, women's speech in Time I is related through paraphrasing rather than direct quotation. "Circles of Oppression, Circles of Repression: Etel Adnan's, McCann-Baker, Annes. "The International Reception of, Ghandour, Sabah. I was not familiar with the story of Marie Rose Boulos, who was held captive by the phalanges militia in Lebanon during the ‘75 “civil war” because she chose to side with humanity (the Palestinians) over her tribe (Lebanese Christians). Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Though the focus is on the Maronite Christian mentality, the author repeatedly makes the point that this is endemic to the clannish social base of the Middle East as a whole. "Gender, Postcolonial Subject, and the Lebanese Civil War in, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sitt_Marie_Rose&oldid=924922706, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 November 2019, at 19:24. While historically French political influence in Lebanon ended with the French Mandate in 1943 the continued cultural influence of the West helped to create a diversity in the character of Lebanon. With the exception of when the narrator talks with Mounir, women's speech in Time I is related through paraphrasing rather than direct quotation. An invisible violence at first. Etel Adnan is a brilliant writer. This is the context that makes Marie Rose’s identification with the Palestinians significant. Marie Rose remembers when Mounir and his friends were young: The Crusades excited all of them. And I don't mean the depictions of the war, after that part, when we get a lot of Sitt Marie-Rose's POV, or her dialog or thoughts. I felt shocked after reading the first few pages because of the amount of racism displayed. Nightboat Books published the 2-volume set, TO LOOK AT THE SEA IS TO BECOME WHAT ONE IS: AN ETEL ADNAN READER, in 2014. Marie Rose is only one of thousands who have died in Lebanon. From this dream, the civil war erupted, as Marie Rose understands: The Crusade which I always thought was impossible has, in fact, taken place. It makes them angry that we're deaf-mutes. Time II has them acting as militia men underneath Mounir. The major dynamic is between Marie Rose and her interrogator, Mounir. Marie Rose Boulos was an immigrant from Syria who taught deaf-mute children and helped to organize social services for Palestinian camps. The novel pinpoints the violent outcomes that any war could bring where women’s opinion and involvement in war, society and politics are forbidden practices. About the Author Etel Adnan was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1925, the daughter of a Greek Christian from Smyrna and a high- ranking Ottoman officer from Damascus. It constitutes a new narrative form and is already a classic of war literature. Translated from the French by Georgina Kleege. Sitt Marie Rose's modernity effectively attracts and alienates Mounir as it is the cause for her transgressions of the expected role of women in Lebanese society.[3]. Sitt Marie Rose Fiction. [2] The novel undermines Bouna Lias’ position and qualifies Mounir's by suggesting that rather than fight for a higher cause the war is being fought across class lines, as poor immigrants versus established natives. Etel Adnan, I discovered, is a creative force; visual as well as written. Adnan describes the confrontation: She breaks on the territory of their imagination like a tidal wave. Start by marking “Sitt Marie Rose” as Want to Read: Error rating book. They dreamed of a Christianity with helmets and boots, riding its horses into the clash of arms, spearing Moslem foot-soldiers like so many St. Georges with so many dragons. Every year, those French priests led a procession in which all the students of the Christian schools dressed in white tunics with square red crosses sewn front and back…. For Mounir, Tony, and Fouad, the world exists as a series of hierarchies, with the French above the Lebanese who are above Syria as well as gendered hierarchy of Lebanese society that prejudices the militia's opinion of Marie Rose. Mounir, Tony, Fouad, Bona Lias, and Sitt Marie Rose are all Christians. Beyond the actual people and their principles, deep at the heart of the matter.