NOUVELLES
L’écriture a vraiment commencé en Angleterre, avec un cours en ligne « Start writing fiction ». En effet, pour bien écrire, il faut s’entrainer et travailler d’arrache-pied. Comme un athlète s’échauffe avant une course, je commence par des histoires courtes qui me permettent de me glisser dans la peau de personnages très éloignés de mon quotidien, et d’évoquer des trajectoires qui m’interrogent.
Les deux histoires courtes ci-dessous ont été sélectionnées par le Magazine Writer’s forum qui tirait à 20.000 exemplaires par mois.
Écrire en anglais s’est donc révélé être un excellent exercice pour chercher le terme juste, ne prendre aucun mot pour acquis. Une aide précieuse pour l’écriture de mon premier roman Et la vie reprit à petites foulées.
“Another day in the City of Men”
“The air was brisk and pure, cold but dry. Turyalai Muhammadzai orientated himself for the Fajr, the Khyber Pass facing his right shoulder and his silk worn out carpet turned towards Mecca. Like his Prophet, he deeply savoured the first prayer of the day, with his mind as unclouded and peaceful as possible. The soil was still dormant from the cold invasion of the winter night. After several years of outdoor physical labour, his knees resented the prostrating and kneeling parts of the oration, but he mentally waved at the pain, like an old friend, and went on with the litany…”
“Another day in the City of Men”, Giulia Larigaldie
Short-listed by Writer’s Forum
Commentary by judge Lorraine Mace from Writer’s Forum: “Turyalai, his wife and the City of Men all come to life. The characters are real and believable; the city is vibrant and has a personality of its own.”
“Los Perdidos”
“If this letter stands now in your hands, it means that you have found the body. Here is my account of the events that led to the present situation. My name is Ernesto Aguirre. I settled down in Los Perdidos thirteen years ago. You may have already seen me several times in the city, but you would not remember my face. I am an ordinary looking man: I have learned to blend in a long time ago. When it was a matter of survival…”
“Los Perdidos”, Giulia Larigaldie
Short-listed by Writer’s Forum
Commentary by judge Lorraine Mace from Writer’s Forum: You have a lovely style and I enjoyed reading your work very much indeed. I’m short-listing this story – congratulations!”