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about the authors & works
Faïza Guène
Faïza Guène (born in Bobigny, France, 1985) derives her strong
originality as a writer as a product of mixed cultures: both parents
are from Algeria, and she grew up in Pantin, a suburb of Paris.
Questions of cultural identity pervade her two most famous
novels,
Kiffe kiffe demain (Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow,
published at age
19) and
Du rêve pour les oufs (Dreams from the Endz).
Mourad, the main character of
Men Don’t Cry
, is born in Nice to
Algerian parents, and has a strong desire to forge his own destiny.
He must defy strong familial pressure in sticking to tradition; his
biggest fear is becoming a fat old man with gray hair living off of
his mother for his entire life. One sister lives life
à la française
,
free-thinking and away from her roots, while his other sister
follows their family’s traditions strictly. Thus the ground is set for
this novel’s fertile exploration.
Translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone.