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Passage of Tears
Djibouti, a hot, impoverished little country on the Horn of Africa, is a place of great strategic importance, for off its coast lies a crucial passage for the world’s oil. In this novel by Abdourahman A. Waberi, Djibril, a young Djiboutian voluntarily exiled in Montreal, returns to his native land to prepare a report for an American economic intelligence firm. Meanwhile, a shadowy, threatening figure imprisoned in an island cell seems to know Djibril’s every move. He takes dictation from his preaching cellmate known as his “Venerable Master,” but as the words are put on the page, a completely different text appears—the life of Walter Benjamin, Djibril’s favorite author.
Passage of Tears cleverly mixes many genres and forms of writing—spy novel, political thriller, diary (replete with childhood memories), travel notebook, legends, parables, incantations, and prayers. Djibril’s reminiscences provide a sense of Djibouti’s past and its people, while a satire of Muslim fundamentalism is unwittingly delivered through the other Djiboutian voice. Waberi’s inventive parody is a lesson in tolerance, while his poetic observations reveal his love and concern for his homeland.
Praise for the French Edition
“Disguised as a political thriller, Passage of Tears is above all a great novel of childhood, murderous identities, and exile.”— Le Monde des Livres
“A gripping book, burning with urgency and tension.”— Télérama.
Passage of Tears cleverly mixes many genres and forms of writing—spy novel, political thriller, diary (replete with childhood memories), travel notebook, legends, parables, incantations, and prayers. Djibril’s reminiscences provide a sense of Djibouti’s past and its people, while a satire of Muslim fundamentalism is unwittingly delivered through the other Djiboutian voice. Waberi’s inventive parody is a lesson in tolerance, while his poetic observations reveal his love and concern for his homeland.
Praise for the French Edition
“Disguised as a political thriller, Passage of Tears is above all a great novel of childhood, murderous identities, and exile.”— Le Monde des Livres
“A gripping book, burning with urgency and tension.”— Télérama.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 5, 2024
3,5 ⭐
Jibril (o Djibril o Yibril) cuenta su retorno, por razones laborales, a Yibuti, su país natal.
En forma alternada asistimos también al relato de un prisionero, escriba de su Maestro del Islam, que nos presenta su perspectiva desde el yihadismo, como un permanente contrapunto a la historia de Jibril.
Y en algún momento se agrega también las palabras resucitadas de un escriba, dirigidas en señal de admiración y respeto, a su amigo Ben.
Yibril trabaja para empresas multinacionales americanas, y sus eventuales pruritos éticos quedan sepultados por la generosa remuneración que recibe por sus servicios.
“Confieso que es (todo) muy práctico en Norteamérica, … dejan(do) atrás cualquier obstáculo que pudiera entorpecer la buena marcha de los negocios. Se trituran, se abrevian y simplifican los apellidos impronunciables y señas de identidad. Hay que olvidarse de todo lo antiguo, de todo lo extranjero. El pasado ha muerto, ¡viva el futuro!”.
Pero, también, como una inteligencia artificial, van aprendiendo de sus errores, de las causas de sus fracasos. Por esta razón, Yibril es contratado por una consultora, para estudiar las condiciones y riesgos locales antes de decidir una serie de inversiones y negocios.
“Los americanos han estado trabajando afanosamente durante los últimos años para resarcirse de su profundo desconocimiento del resto del mundo”.
Es un retorno doloroso a una patria (o tal vez al recuerdos de unos padres) que no lo trataron bien; sólo rescata la amistad con David, y los seis años que llegó a compartir con su abuelo.
Patria, padres: una analogía pertinente y bien presentada.
Y para eso debe dejar atrás el agradable hogar que ha construido con Denise en Montreal; Denise, quien le ha abierto los ojos, y a quien debe la oportunidad de esta segunda vida.
“Fue Denise quien me introdujo en los arcanos de la vida de Walter Benjamin” … "Yo hice mío ‘El ángel de la historia’, tal como nos lo restituye el filósofo judío alemán”, dice en referencia al cuadro Angelus Novus, que su autor, Paul Klee obsequió a su amigo Benjamin. “En él se puede apreciar a un ángel que mira fijamente, los ojos como platos…Su rostro vuelve hacia el pasado…(dónde) ve una única catástrofe. Desearía poder demorarse, reunir de nuevo lo desmembrado. Pero una tempestad lo empuja irremisiblemente hacia el futuro. Esta tempestad es lo que nosotros llamamos progreso”.
Mientras tanto, en paralelo, escuchamos los argumentos de un prisionero yihhadista prisionero, un fanático, en cuya mente, al igual que en la de los empleadores de Yibril, no hay lugar para la duda.
“¡Qué diseño tan diabólico! Nuestra poblaciones se pudren en el desierto de todas las lamentaciones, víctimas de eternas humillaciones, de eternas traiciones, de eternas miserias. ¿No merecemos algo mejor? Sí, sin duda; algo mucho mejor. ¿No ha llegado ya el momento de explicar al pueblo la amarga verdad de nuestro presente, mucho más amarga que la de nuestro pasado? Los que respondan afirmativamente empezarán a abrir los ojos. Levantarán la cabeza, rechazarán ayudas supuestamente generosas. Abandonarán su condición de auxiliados y se sumarán a nuestras filas.”
¿Es qué hay algún hilo conductor, algún vínculo, entre Yibril y el yihadista?
Yibril lleva a cabo su labor, por momentos desgarrado entre su nueva vida y su pasado; entre los vientos indetenibles del progreso y el impulso de detenerse para recomponer lo desmembrado. El camino de la búsqueda de la verdad que debe encontrar no puede plasmarse en un único plan, en un método o un camino previamente trazados; es un camino sinuoso, de prueba y error, en el que la intuición define muchas veces los resultados.
No muy distinto a las formas que eligió su admirado Walter Benjamin en su búsqueda por la verdad; Banjamin, en su búsqueda, pasó por el misticismo judío, el romanticismo alemán y el materialismo dialéctico. No hay un camino fijo y seguro para seguir, ni una verdad revelada que pueda ser predicada desde una Cátedra.
“Dicen que la verdad emerge progresivamente, como burbujas de oxígeno subiendo lentamente desde el receptáculo de la conciencia.” Pero para ello hay que buscarla, estar atento a sus señales.
Una historia cuidadosamente construida, y que incluye la aparición de dilemas y perspectivas del pensamiento, que contribuyen a enriquecer la comprensión de las conductas de los personajes, y el desarrollo de la trama. No tengo mayor formación filosófica, por lo cual algunos tramos me resultaron difíciles de seguir; pero a medida que la obra avanzaba, se me fue haciendo más comprensible, y pude experimentar como “la verdad que emerge progresivamente, como burbujas de oxígeno…”.
¿Es fácilmente explicable? ¿Se puede consolidar una conclusión que permita sintetizar las diversas perspectivas? No en mi caso. Tal vez quede más camino para recorrer. Y tal vez esa fuera la intención del autor con esta obra.
A diferencia de la opinión mayoritaria de Goodreads, creo que se trata de una obra de gran valor. No es sencilla: requiere atención, mucha apertura, esfuerzo; y a cambio no nos da respuestas, sino que nos presenta más dudas, aunque eso sí, también nos ofrece más posibilidad de crecimiento. Todo dicho, en mi opinión, vale la pena.
Abdourahman Waberi (Yibuti, 1965) realizó sus estudios superiores en Francia y reside actualmente en Québec, Canadá. Yibuti es un pequeño país que se en el oeste de África, a pocos kilómetros de Yemen (Asia), en un punto estratégico: la entrada al Mar Rojo y el acceso al Canal de Suez.
PD: En el epígrafe del libro (al igual que en uno de los cuentos de Hisham Bustani que he venido leyendo en forma simultánea) cita a Mahmoud Darwish (también transliterado como Darwich o Darwix), que parece ser el mayor poeta árabe contemporáneo; su más reciente libro en prosa es En presencia de la ausencia (2006); para tener en cuenta.
Jibril (o Djibril o Yibril) cuenta su retorno, por razones laborales, a Yibuti, su país natal.
En forma alternada asistimos también al relato de un prisionero, escriba de su Maestro del Islam, que nos presenta su perspectiva desde el yihadismo, como un permanente contrapunto a la historia de Jibril.
Y en algún momento se agrega también las palabras resucitadas de un escriba, dirigidas en señal de admiración y respeto, a su amigo Ben.
Yibril trabaja para empresas multinacionales americanas, y sus eventuales pruritos éticos quedan sepultados por la generosa remuneración que recibe por sus servicios.
“Confieso que es (todo) muy práctico en Norteamérica, … dejan(do) atrás cualquier obstáculo que pudiera entorpecer la buena marcha de los negocios. Se trituran, se abrevian y simplifican los apellidos impronunciables y señas de identidad. Hay que olvidarse de todo lo antiguo, de todo lo extranjero. El pasado ha muerto, ¡viva el futuro!”.
Pero, también, como una inteligencia artificial, van aprendiendo de sus errores, de las causas de sus fracasos. Por esta razón, Yibril es contratado por una consultora, para estudiar las condiciones y riesgos locales antes de decidir una serie de inversiones y negocios.
“Los americanos han estado trabajando afanosamente durante los últimos años para resarcirse de su profundo desconocimiento del resto del mundo”.
Es un retorno doloroso a una patria (o tal vez al recuerdos de unos padres) que no lo trataron bien; sólo rescata la amistad con David, y los seis años que llegó a compartir con su abuelo.
Patria, padres: una analogía pertinente y bien presentada.
Y para eso debe dejar atrás el agradable hogar que ha construido con Denise en Montreal; Denise, quien le ha abierto los ojos, y a quien debe la oportunidad de esta segunda vida.
“Fue Denise quien me introdujo en los arcanos de la vida de Walter Benjamin” … "Yo hice mío ‘El ángel de la historia’, tal como nos lo restituye el filósofo judío alemán”, dice en referencia al cuadro Angelus Novus, que su autor, Paul Klee obsequió a su amigo Benjamin. “En él se puede apreciar a un ángel que mira fijamente, los ojos como platos…Su rostro vuelve hacia el pasado…(dónde) ve una única catástrofe. Desearía poder demorarse, reunir de nuevo lo desmembrado. Pero una tempestad lo empuja irremisiblemente hacia el futuro. Esta tempestad es lo que nosotros llamamos progreso”.
Mientras tanto, en paralelo, escuchamos los argumentos de un prisionero yihhadista prisionero, un fanático, en cuya mente, al igual que en la de los empleadores de Yibril, no hay lugar para la duda.
“¡Qué diseño tan diabólico! Nuestra poblaciones se pudren en el desierto de todas las lamentaciones, víctimas de eternas humillaciones, de eternas traiciones, de eternas miserias. ¿No merecemos algo mejor? Sí, sin duda; algo mucho mejor. ¿No ha llegado ya el momento de explicar al pueblo la amarga verdad de nuestro presente, mucho más amarga que la de nuestro pasado? Los que respondan afirmativamente empezarán a abrir los ojos. Levantarán la cabeza, rechazarán ayudas supuestamente generosas. Abandonarán su condición de auxiliados y se sumarán a nuestras filas.”
¿Es qué hay algún hilo conductor, algún vínculo, entre Yibril y el yihadista?
Yibril lleva a cabo su labor, por momentos desgarrado entre su nueva vida y su pasado; entre los vientos indetenibles del progreso y el impulso de detenerse para recomponer lo desmembrado. El camino de la búsqueda de la verdad que debe encontrar no puede plasmarse en un único plan, en un método o un camino previamente trazados; es un camino sinuoso, de prueba y error, en el que la intuición define muchas veces los resultados.
No muy distinto a las formas que eligió su admirado Walter Benjamin en su búsqueda por la verdad; Banjamin, en su búsqueda, pasó por el misticismo judío, el romanticismo alemán y el materialismo dialéctico. No hay un camino fijo y seguro para seguir, ni una verdad revelada que pueda ser predicada desde una Cátedra.
“Dicen que la verdad emerge progresivamente, como burbujas de oxígeno subiendo lentamente desde el receptáculo de la conciencia.” Pero para ello hay que buscarla, estar atento a sus señales.
Una historia cuidadosamente construida, y que incluye la aparición de dilemas y perspectivas del pensamiento, que contribuyen a enriquecer la comprensión de las conductas de los personajes, y el desarrollo de la trama. No tengo mayor formación filosófica, por lo cual algunos tramos me resultaron difíciles de seguir; pero a medida que la obra avanzaba, se me fue haciendo más comprensible, y pude experimentar como “la verdad que emerge progresivamente, como burbujas de oxígeno…”.
¿Es fácilmente explicable? ¿Se puede consolidar una conclusión que permita sintetizar las diversas perspectivas? No en mi caso. Tal vez quede más camino para recorrer. Y tal vez esa fuera la intención del autor con esta obra.
A diferencia de la opinión mayoritaria de Goodreads, creo que se trata de una obra de gran valor. No es sencilla: requiere atención, mucha apertura, esfuerzo; y a cambio no nos da respuestas, sino que nos presenta más dudas, aunque eso sí, también nos ofrece más posibilidad de crecimiento. Todo dicho, en mi opinión, vale la pena.
Abdourahman Waberi (Yibuti, 1965) realizó sus estudios superiores en Francia y reside actualmente en Québec, Canadá. Yibuti es un pequeño país que se en el oeste de África, a pocos kilómetros de Yemen (Asia), en un punto estratégico: la entrada al Mar Rojo y el acceso al Canal de Suez.
PD: En el epígrafe del libro (al igual que en uno de los cuentos de Hisham Bustani que he venido leyendo en forma simultánea) cita a Mahmoud Darwish (también transliterado como Darwich o Darwix), que parece ser el mayor poeta árabe contemporáneo; su más reciente libro en prosa es En presencia de la ausencia (2006); para tener en cuenta.
March 31, 2022
Around the World Reading Challenge: DJIBOUTI
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2.5 rounded up
A little underwhelming. The concept is quite interesting, and there's some lovely writing, but something about the story felt a bit vague and opaque and distant. The ~mystery~ was obvious from the beginning--so obvious I actually thought it was a red herring and was anticipating something more exciting, which really made the reveal quite bland. There's some odd sections about Walter Benjamin that didn't land at all with me, which might be because I know absolutely nothing about him and it left me mostly perplexed. The ending was interesting, and I'm still mulling it over--I can't decide if I like it or feel it would have been stronger if left more open. Not my favorite, but a quick read and interesting enough.
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2.5 rounded up
A little underwhelming. The concept is quite interesting, and there's some lovely writing, but something about the story felt a bit vague and opaque and distant. The ~mystery~ was obvious from the beginning--so obvious I actually thought it was a red herring and was anticipating something more exciting, which really made the reveal quite bland. There's some odd sections about Walter Benjamin that didn't land at all with me, which might be because I know absolutely nothing about him and it left me mostly perplexed. The ending was interesting, and I'm still mulling it over--I can't decide if I like it or feel it would have been stronger if left more open. Not my favorite, but a quick read and interesting enough.
February 13, 2017
I didn't love this book but didn't hate it. It left me...up in the air? I'm a little confused by this book. While beautiful (albeit dark) in some ways, it's a bit of a labyrinth. In a way it is a book about contrasts -- between family members, friends, strangers; religions, philosophies. It is also a book about personal evolutions and the variables that send us down differing life paths and how that affects us. Yet, it is also about the connections in the undercurrents of life. If that all sounds a little vague and mysterious, that is the way the book is written.
This is the second book I have read by Waberi and I think I rated it the same. While the language is beautiful, it is dark and mysterious. I have a third book of his waiting to be read in preparation for a potential trip to Djibouti, but am wondering if I really want to read it now. I'm also wondering if the darkness and tone of his books is what awaits me in Djibouti...
This is the second book I have read by Waberi and I think I rated it the same. While the language is beautiful, it is dark and mysterious. I have a third book of his waiting to be read in preparation for a potential trip to Djibouti, but am wondering if I really want to read it now. I'm also wondering if the darkness and tone of his books is what awaits me in Djibouti...
January 17, 2023
"Los jóvenes de aquí son excelentes cazadores de niebla" "La guerra no espera, todo el mundo lo sabe"
Una novela que esta escrita en forma epistolar. Va narrando los sucesos en un cuaderno.
Nos cuenta de un inmigrante que regresa a sus país natal, Yibuti, por trabajo. Ya que tiene que buscar información para EEUU. Por eso vamos viendo como el protagonista va recorriendo el lugar, mientras trata de ser discreto.
A mí la historia me resulto aburrida. No veía el momento de que terminará. Incluso siendo corta.
El nudo de la historia, el enemigo que lo persigue, se lo pasa hablando más de Ala que cualquier otra cosa.
Me resultó una novela olvidable. No se las recomiendo.
Una novela que esta escrita en forma epistolar. Va narrando los sucesos en un cuaderno.
Nos cuenta de un inmigrante que regresa a sus país natal, Yibuti, por trabajo. Ya que tiene que buscar información para EEUU. Por eso vamos viendo como el protagonista va recorriendo el lugar, mientras trata de ser discreto.
A mí la historia me resulto aburrida. No veía el momento de que terminará. Incluso siendo corta.
El nudo de la historia, el enemigo que lo persigue, se lo pasa hablando más de Ala que cualquier otra cosa.
Me resultó una novela olvidable. No se las recomiendo.
July 17, 2020
I wanted to like this, and didn't very much. An unfortunate mix of the far too obvious ('Adorno Locations') and the pointlessly opaque. Also, if you're going to namecheck Teddy, you need to be much more dialectical with your presentation of modern/anti-modern. In short, this was a much better, much less irritating version of Teju Cole. Make of that what you will.
February 24, 2016
I found this overall to be disappointing.
I thought, at a minimum, that I'd get a decent picture of Djibouti - it's pretty uncommon to come across a book set in Djibouti by a Djibouti-born author. But I never actually felt like I was reading about a place. It was as if the book could be set anywhere, with Djiboutian signposts and city names scotch taped to the walls. It just never felt real. So, one of the main reasons I read this book didn't really go anywhere, but maybe I just was looking for the wrong thing.
Unfortunately, even taking those expectations out of the picture I still found this to be fairly underwhelming. It's a mystery of sorts, but it's not very mysterious, and the (I guess big) reveal towards the end is fairly obvious, and ultimately unimpactful. The book itself reads a lot like The Reluctant Fundamentalist crossed a bit with Apex Hides the Hurt, but is neither as readable nor as entertaining as either.
The sections about Walter Benjamin really stand out though, and bumped this from a two star read to a three star, albeit a low three. And overall the writing itself is good, just the story and setting left much to be desired.
Oh well. Onwards.
I thought, at a minimum, that I'd get a decent picture of Djibouti - it's pretty uncommon to come across a book set in Djibouti by a Djibouti-born author. But I never actually felt like I was reading about a place. It was as if the book could be set anywhere, with Djiboutian signposts and city names scotch taped to the walls. It just never felt real. So, one of the main reasons I read this book didn't really go anywhere, but maybe I just was looking for the wrong thing.
Unfortunately, even taking those expectations out of the picture I still found this to be fairly underwhelming. It's a mystery of sorts, but it's not very mysterious, and the (I guess big) reveal towards the end is fairly obvious, and ultimately unimpactful. The book itself reads a lot like The Reluctant Fundamentalist crossed a bit with Apex Hides the Hurt, but is neither as readable nor as entertaining as either.
The sections about Walter Benjamin really stand out though, and bumped this from a two star read to a three star, albeit a low three. And overall the writing itself is good, just the story and setting left much to be desired.
Oh well. Onwards.
June 7, 2012
I was expecting too much from this book and it did not meet expectations. Nonetheless, there aren't many books by novelists from Djibouti floating around so no regrets. I have a second novel by Waberi on the shelf, so he'll get another chance in the not-too-distant future.
May 8, 2018
In my quest to read at least one book from every country in the world, I picked up this slim novel by a Djiboutian expatriate author. I'm glad is was slim, because its mix of obvious post-colonialism and hyper-intellectualism totally failed to move or connect with me in any way.
The story (not that there really is one) is about expat Djibril, who managed to do well in school, emigrate to Canada, and works in risk assessment (basically economic espionage) for a bland Western corporation (Adorno Location Services) that might be front for the CIA or something like that. He's been sent back to his native Djibouti to report on the political conditions there, and his thoughts are recorded in diary entries.
Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, comes the voice of his twin brother, Djamal. He didn't excel at school, drifted into the orbit of Islamic fundamentalist recruiters, and now sits in a jail cell where he tends to the ailing leader of his particular group and receives reports of his brother's arrival and movements. His writing is a fanatic's screed of visceral hatred for his brother and what will happen to him. But the paper he's writing on is apparently pages from a book or letters to Walter Benjamin, which he then starts to ingest. I have to confess that with only glancing familiarity with Benjamin, I was hard-pressed to connect his life with the thin narrative here.
By the end, the book's path felt like a rather obvious metaphor for the effects of colonialism, globalization, and reactionary forces, with the brothers representing the two extremes of a country struggling to find its own identity. There's plenty of regret and anger between the two voices, but I didn't get much depth from any of it.
The story (not that there really is one) is about expat Djibril, who managed to do well in school, emigrate to Canada, and works in risk assessment (basically economic espionage) for a bland Western corporation (Adorno Location Services) that might be front for the CIA or something like that. He's been sent back to his native Djibouti to report on the political conditions there, and his thoughts are recorded in diary entries.
Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, comes the voice of his twin brother, Djamal. He didn't excel at school, drifted into the orbit of Islamic fundamentalist recruiters, and now sits in a jail cell where he tends to the ailing leader of his particular group and receives reports of his brother's arrival and movements. His writing is a fanatic's screed of visceral hatred for his brother and what will happen to him. But the paper he's writing on is apparently pages from a book or letters to Walter Benjamin, which he then starts to ingest. I have to confess that with only glancing familiarity with Benjamin, I was hard-pressed to connect his life with the thin narrative here.
By the end, the book's path felt like a rather obvious metaphor for the effects of colonialism, globalization, and reactionary forces, with the brothers representing the two extremes of a country struggling to find its own identity. There's plenty of regret and anger between the two voices, but I didn't get much depth from any of it.
November 30, 2023
Okay, wenn man die Teufelsinseln auf dem Satelliten-Bild anguckt, dann sieht man zwei halbe Medizinbälle im Wasser. Der größere hat, etwas seitlich vom Zentrum, eine Delle. Das ist ein Vulkan-Krater. Sonst sind sie glatt und vegetationslos, außer in einem Spalt, einem Haarriss, der größeren Insel, wo ein wenig Unkraut wächst, dank der Feuchtigkeit des Nebels, den Djibouti in der Nacht ausschwitzt. Häuser haften nicht auf dieser Medizinball-Oberfläche, sie fallen sofort ins Wasser. Und schon gar keine Hochsicherheits-Gefängnisse.
Mir ist auch neu, dass Djibouti jemals irgendwelche nennenswerten Terroristen hervorgebracht hätte. Nun gut, vielleicht sind es ja stilistische Terroristen, so wie die ALS Adorno Location Scouting, wobei ich in schallendes Gelächter ausbrach, als ich das las... das ist genial!
Walter Benjamin, der Jude, der nicht nach Israel wollte, passt sehr gut ins Bild.
Und wenn sich wer beschwert, nicht genug Beschreibung über Djibouti zu erfahren, dem muss ich sagen: Aber genau so ist Djibouti! Djibouti besteht nur aus losen Enden. Du kannst es nicht mal fotografieren. Du machst ein paar schöne Bilder von der Moschee Al Hamoudi, und dann? Es ist heiß, es ist flach, es ist anstrengend und alles rinnt durch deine Finger wie heißer Sand. Und wie soll man das erst beschreiben? Also, das ist Waberi gut gelungen.
Sich in die Itihad Al Islamiya hineinzuversetzen, finde ich, ist ihm nicht so gut gelungen, dafür gibt's einen Stern Abzug.
Und der deutsche Titel "Tor der Tränen", arabisch Bab Al Mandeb, bezeichnet die Meerenge zum Roten Meer zwischen Djibouti und dem Yemen. Das ist da, wo jetzt die Ansaar die israelischen Schiffe aufreiben. Das Buch ist deshalb, auch wenn es schon älter ist, jetzt wieder brandaktuell.
Mir ist auch neu, dass Djibouti jemals irgendwelche nennenswerten Terroristen hervorgebracht hätte. Nun gut, vielleicht sind es ja stilistische Terroristen, so wie die ALS Adorno Location Scouting, wobei ich in schallendes Gelächter ausbrach, als ich das las... das ist genial!
Walter Benjamin, der Jude, der nicht nach Israel wollte, passt sehr gut ins Bild.
Und wenn sich wer beschwert, nicht genug Beschreibung über Djibouti zu erfahren, dem muss ich sagen: Aber genau so ist Djibouti! Djibouti besteht nur aus losen Enden. Du kannst es nicht mal fotografieren. Du machst ein paar schöne Bilder von der Moschee Al Hamoudi, und dann? Es ist heiß, es ist flach, es ist anstrengend und alles rinnt durch deine Finger wie heißer Sand. Und wie soll man das erst beschreiben? Also, das ist Waberi gut gelungen.
Sich in die Itihad Al Islamiya hineinzuversetzen, finde ich, ist ihm nicht so gut gelungen, dafür gibt's einen Stern Abzug.
Und der deutsche Titel "Tor der Tränen", arabisch Bab Al Mandeb, bezeichnet die Meerenge zum Roten Meer zwischen Djibouti und dem Yemen. Das ist da, wo jetzt die Ansaar die israelischen Schiffe aufreiben. Das Buch ist deshalb, auch wenn es schon älter ist, jetzt wieder brandaktuell.
November 6, 2022
Very much in agreement with all the other reviews here - glad to have found a novel by a Djibouti-born author readily available, a couple of interesting bits eg references to Djibouti’s [historical] relations with France and the story of the Bab el Mandeb but overall the writing is really on the harder side to follow. A lot of the content does not really have a plot, the voices are quite manic and completely agree that the Walter Benjamin sections are completely u explained how they are supposed to fit into the plot and also quite disjointed.
June 11, 2023
Roman intéressant sur deux frères jumeaux séparés depuis leur adolescence qui ont pris des trajectoires de vie opposés, mais ce sont tous les deux aliénés de leurs origines. Pour moi, le livre restait, par son style, trop détaché des vraies vies et émotions des protagonistes.
May 11, 2022
"Two worlds that confront each other and tear each other apart before they find a semblance of balance. One world forever longed for, and another forever lost."
—p72
—p72
September 26, 2023
Desafío "Leyendo a través de África 2023": Djibouti (créditos a Lee (Books With Lee)).
December 15, 2023
Around-the-world #180: Djibouti 🇩🇯.
Nothing interesting happens in this novel for 94% of the time. Fortunately it was fairly short.
Nothing interesting happens in this novel for 94% of the time. Fortunately it was fairly short.
July 11, 2021
Read an excerpt as part of my project to read a short story from every country in the world. (Maddeningly difficult to find short stories from some countries and even more challenging to find translated story titles listed on Goodreads, so this is the first to be reflected in a review here.) The first person, when it works, is very interesting and witty, when it doesn't though, it's slow and expositional. Being an excerpt rather than a stand alone story is probably part of this issue. Would consider reading the whole book (despite not being much of one for spy novels.) 2.5 rounded up.
March 30, 2021
I’m not sure what to make of this book to be perfectly honest. It’s a whole mixture of genres and I’m not sure that works a lot of the time. There are elements of a spy novel, of epistolary novel with Djibril’s notes on his findings in Djibouti, and of political thriller and crime fiction.
Djibril has returned to his home country about fifteen years after he left and made a life for himself in Canada. He’s had little to no contact with his family in all that time. Now back in Djibouti, he’s researching the political landscape for his firm as it’s an area of strategic importance for the transportation of the world’s oil supply.
There are little insights into what Djibouti and its people are like, however at the same time it feels like it could be any impoverished country. Djibril reflects on what the country was like when he was growing up and what he’s seeing now, but it’s written by and for someone who already knows the place. I’m not saying every book that’s set in a different country to my own needs to give a lot of descriptions or back story, but having gone into Passage of Tears knowing nothing about of Djibouti, it feels a shame that I have learnt nothing about the country – or at least nothing that has stuck with me.
I think it’s Passage of Tears’ writing style that I struggled with. The chapters alternate between Djbril’s point of view where his thoughts often jump back and forth between what he’s looking into now for his company, and his childhood memories, and an unnamed person who is imprisoned and appears to be talking to the reader, or Djibril. As the story progresses you can piece together who the imprisoned person is likely to be, but he too starts to go onto different tangents and it’s hard to focus in on the present narrative and what is supposed to be happening in this meandering plot. Extracts of writing about Walter Benjamin appear in the imprisoned man’s section and Walter Benjamin is a name I recognised but didn’t know who he was so that was a bit confusing as well, especially when towards the end of the book, half of each chapter seemed to be about him, not what’s currently happening in Djibouti.
I think they’re themes in Passage of Tears, but they often seemed muddled due to the characters voices not being strong. Themes of the effects of post-colonialism, terrorism and globalisation are there but the only one that really stood out is how America has historically meddled in so many countries history’s and politics that it’s no wonder there’s reactionary action from extremist groups.
Overall for such a reasonably short book (just over 200 pages), Passage of Tears was a drag to read a lot of the time and didn’t have characters that were easy to engage with.
Djibril has returned to his home country about fifteen years after he left and made a life for himself in Canada. He’s had little to no contact with his family in all that time. Now back in Djibouti, he’s researching the political landscape for his firm as it’s an area of strategic importance for the transportation of the world’s oil supply.
There are little insights into what Djibouti and its people are like, however at the same time it feels like it could be any impoverished country. Djibril reflects on what the country was like when he was growing up and what he’s seeing now, but it’s written by and for someone who already knows the place. I’m not saying every book that’s set in a different country to my own needs to give a lot of descriptions or back story, but having gone into Passage of Tears knowing nothing about of Djibouti, it feels a shame that I have learnt nothing about the country – or at least nothing that has stuck with me.
I think it’s Passage of Tears’ writing style that I struggled with. The chapters alternate between Djbril’s point of view where his thoughts often jump back and forth between what he’s looking into now for his company, and his childhood memories, and an unnamed person who is imprisoned and appears to be talking to the reader, or Djibril. As the story progresses you can piece together who the imprisoned person is likely to be, but he too starts to go onto different tangents and it’s hard to focus in on the present narrative and what is supposed to be happening in this meandering plot. Extracts of writing about Walter Benjamin appear in the imprisoned man’s section and Walter Benjamin is a name I recognised but didn’t know who he was so that was a bit confusing as well, especially when towards the end of the book, half of each chapter seemed to be about him, not what’s currently happening in Djibouti.
I think they’re themes in Passage of Tears, but they often seemed muddled due to the characters voices not being strong. Themes of the effects of post-colonialism, terrorism and globalisation are there but the only one that really stood out is how America has historically meddled in so many countries history’s and politics that it’s no wonder there’s reactionary action from extremist groups.
Overall for such a reasonably short book (just over 200 pages), Passage of Tears was a drag to read a lot of the time and didn’t have characters that were easy to engage with.
March 22, 2015
Bab el-Mandel - la puerta de las lágrimas - es el estrecho que separa la Península Arábiga de África y que conecta el mar Rojo con el Golfo de Aden, en el Océano Índico. Se dice que el nombre viene de una leyenda árabe sobre el gran terremoto que separó África y Asia. Djibouti, un país muy pequeño pero de un valor geopolítico inmenso, para el control de esa angosta puerta de mar.
Esta novela me ha hecho pasar por muchos sitios que conocí, en este país misterioso, caliente y acogedor. Llena de poesía y de filosofía, es una narración que presenta la realidad de las confrontaciones y los intereses, desde lo interno de un Djibutiano que dejó su país y que debe volver a reencontrarse con su historia propia.
Esta novela me ha hecho pasar por muchos sitios que conocí, en este país misterioso, caliente y acogedor. Llena de poesía y de filosofía, es una narración que presenta la realidad de las confrontaciones y los intereses, desde lo interno de un Djibutiano que dejó su país y que debe volver a reencontrarse con su historia propia.
December 20, 2015
I read the book as I was coming back to Djibouti for the first time almost 20 years after having lived there for two years. The book offered me a striking parallel. Djibril, born and raised in Djibouti, made his life in Canada and the US. After a long absence, he comes back to his childhood country for an intelligence mission. He gradually leaves his mission’s tracks and is confronted with echoes and wounds from his childhood.
Like him, I was returning briefly to one of my youth’s cherished places. I was remembering the promised opportunities, measuring the journey accomplished, the choices made and the passages crossed. Not easy to look back without shedding some tears.
http://www.travelreadings.org/2015/12...
Like him, I was returning briefly to one of my youth’s cherished places. I was remembering the promised opportunities, measuring the journey accomplished, the choices made and the passages crossed. Not easy to look back without shedding some tears.
http://www.travelreadings.org/2015/12...
January 1, 2015
I just plain didn't like this book. I can't really say why - but I started skipping whole passages, and realized that if I didn't care at all about how it ended by page 150,I never would - so why bother finishing?
April 11, 2012
A high 3. Brief, transporting, mysterious but with a predictable twist. The ending was perfect.
October 14, 2012
Technically brilliant, with only a few clunkers likely attributable to the translation. Not sure what the Angel of History would make of it, though.
January 17, 2021
Appreciated finding a book set in Djibouti by a Djiboutian author and available in English! I found the story gripping, and the writing enchanting.
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