A Man with No Title
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ravaged by memories of the war in Algeria, he has withdrawn into his own world,
away from his wife and children. When his son Xavier discovers articles by
Albert Camus describing the appalling conditions his father grew up in, he
starts to piece together the story of his life.
Xavier retraces the steps of this dignified, illiterate and
strong-willed man: from Kabylia - where starving children, like Mohand-Said,
fought with dogs for scraps - to the metal factory in Normandy, where his
father would spend the rest of his days, consumed with providing for his
family. It is there that Xavier discovers his love of books. When he breaks
with conservative family traditions and confesses his attraction to men, Xavier
will find which doors slam closed and which will open.
A Man With No Title is a beautiful and moving tribute
to a father, to the immigrants condemned to undertake the hardest work for
meagre reward, and to the power of literature to transcend class.
Xavier Le Clerc
Xavier Le Clerc is a celebrated French Algerian novelist and poet. His third novel Un homme sans titre was met with wide critical acclaim in France where it was awarded four literary prizes: the Prix de l'Académie des Belles Lettres et des Sciences Caen, the Prix de la Grande Mosquée de Paris, the Prix du live de La Tribune and the Grand Prix du Roman Métis. Le Clerc holds two Master's degrees from the Sorbonne, in Human Sciences and in Comparative Literature. Born Hamid Aït-Taleb, he changed his name in his early thirties because of discrimination he faced. Born in Kabylia, Algeria, Xavier grew up in Normandy and now lives with his husband between Paris and Kent.
William Rodarmor
Translated by
William Rodarmor is a veteran French literary translator, writer, and editor. His translation of Tamata and the Alliance, by Bernard Moitessier, won the 1996 Lewis Galantiere Award from the American Translators Association. His recent translations include The Book of Time trilogy, by Guillaume Prevost, Diasporas, by Stephane Dufoix (Univ. of Calif. Press, 2008), and Julien Parme, by Florian Zeller (Other Press, 2008). He lives in Berkeley, California.
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