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丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱丨噩乇賷
"賰賱賲丕 丕亘鬲毓丿 丕賱亘丕氐 卮賲丕賱賸丕貙 賰賱賲丕 夭丕丿鬲 乇鬲丕亘丞 丕賱賲亘丕賳賷貙 賵丕賱卮賵丕乇毓貙 賵丕賱賳丕爻. 賲鬲丕噩乇 乇禺賷氐丞 鬲亘賷毓 丕賱賲賱丕亘爻貙 賵丕賱兀孬丕孬貙 賵兀丿賵丕鬲 丕賱賲胤亘禺: 鈥欂簇辟堌� 賲購賷爻賻賾乇丞貙 丕賱丿賮毓 毓賱賶 毓卮乇丞 卮賴賵乇!鈥� 鬲夭丿丕丿 毓鬲賲丞 丕賱賲賯丕賴賷貙 鬲氐賷乇 丕賱卮賵丕乇毓 兀囟賷賯 賵兀賰孬乇 氐禺亘賸丕貙 賵賷卮睾賱 丕賱兀乇氐賮丞 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賵丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱兀胤賮丕賱. 賵賯賮 乇噩丕賱 毓丕胤賱賵賳 毓賳 丕賱毓賲賱貙 亘賱丕 卮賷亍 賷賮毓賱賵賳賴貙 賵賱丕 賲賰丕賳 賷匕賴亘賵賳 廿賱賷賴貙 賮賷 賲噩賲賵毓丕鬲 賲鬲噩賴賽賾賲丞貙 賱丕 噩丿賵賶 賲賳賴丕貙 毓賱賶 賳賵丕氐賷 丕賱卮賵丕乇毓. 丿賵賻賾鬲 丕賱賲賵爻賷賯賶 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賲賯丕賴賷 丕賱賲馗賱賲丞貙 兀賵 賲賳 丕賱賳賵丕賮匕 丕賱賲賮鬲賵丨丞 賱賮賳丕丿賯 賰卅賷亘丞. 孬賲 賮噩兀丞貙 氐丕乇鬲 丕賱卮乇胤丞 賮賷 賰賱 賲賰丕賳貙 鬲乇丕賯亘 丕賱卮賵丕乇毓貙 丕賱毓賷賵賳 鬲鬲賳賯賱 亘賵賯丕丨丞 賲賳 賵噩賴 廿賱賶 賵噩賴貙 丕賱乇卮丕卮丕鬲 鬲鬲丿賱賶 賲賳 兀賰鬲丕賮賴賲.
廿賳賴丕 賲孬賱 賴丕乇賱賲貙 賮賰賻賾乇 爻賲賷丕賳貙 爻賵賶 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 乇噩丕賱 卮乇胤丞 兀賯賱 賮賷 賴丕乇賱賲貙 賱賰賳 乇亘賲丕 賷丨丿孬 賴匕丕 兀賷囟賸丕 匕丕鬲 賷賵賲. 賲孬賱 賴丕乇賱賲 賵賲孬賱 賰賱 賲毓丕夭賱 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 賰丕賳 賱賱乇噩丕賱 丕賱匕賷賳 乇丌賴賲 毓亘乇 賳丕賮匕丞 丕賱亘丕氐 亘卮乇丞 兀賰孬乇 亘賷丕囟賸丕貙 賵卮毓乇賸丕 兀賯賱 鬲噩毓賷丿賸丕貙 賱賰賳賴賲 賰丕賳賵丕貙 賮賷 賳賻賵丕丨賺 兀禺乇賶貙 賲孬賱 丕賱夭賳賵噩 賮賷 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞. 賱賯丿 丕鬲禺匕賵丕 賳賮爻 丕賱兀賵囟丕毓: 鈥欂з勜操娰嗏€� 毓賱賶 丕賱賳賵丕氐賷貙 賲爻鬲毓丿賽賾賷賳 賵賲乇毓賵亘賷賳 賲賳 鈥欂з勝傎勝傗€� 丕賱匕賷 賷賲賰賳 丿丕卅賲賸丕 兀賳 賷丨丿孬貙 丕賱毓賷賵賳 賲鬲噩賴賲丞 賵賲乇鬲丕亘丞貙 賷乇鬲丿賵賳 亘賳丕胤賷賱 亘爻毓乇 賲賵丨賻賾丿貙 賵賯賲氐丕賳 夭丕賴賷丞貙 賵兀丨匕賷丞 囟賷賯丞 賲丿亘賻賾亘丞."
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鬲丨賰賷 "丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱丨噩乇賷" 賯氐丞 爻賲賷丕賳 亘乇丕賵賳貙 賵賴賵 氐丨賮賷 兀賮乇賷賯賷 兀賲乇賷賰賷 卮丕亘 賮賯丿 毓賷賳賸丕 賮賷 丨丕丿孬 毓賳氐乇賷 兀孬賳丕亍 賲乇丕賴賯鬲賴. 賷賳鬲賯賱 爻賲賷丕賳 廿賱賶 亘丕乇賷爻貙 賲賳囟賲賸丕 廿賱賶 "噩賷賱 囟丕卅毓 噩丿賷丿" 賲賳 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷賷賳 丕賱爻賵丿 丕賱匕賷賳 睾丕丿乇賵丕 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞貙 亘爻亘亘 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷貙 賵丕爻鬲賯乇賵丕 賮賷 亘丕乇賷爻 賵睾賷乇賴丕 賲賳 賲丿賳 兀賵乇賵亘丕. 毓賱賶 禺賱賮賷丞 丨乇亘 丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 丕賱噩夭丕卅乇貙 鬲購賯丿賽賾賲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 乇丨賱丞 爻賲賷丕賳 賲賳 亘乇丕亍丞 丕賱賱賯丕亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲毓 賲丿賷賳丞 賱丕 賷鬲毓乇囟 賮賷賴丕 賱賱鬲賲賷賷夭 亘爻亘亘 賱賵賳 亘卮乇鬲賴貙 廿賱賶 廿丿乇丕賰 兀賳 賵噩賴 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賷鬲禺匕 賴賷卅丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕氐賲丞 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞. 賱賳丨賵 孬賱丕孬丞 毓賯賵丿貙 賵賮賷 馗賱 鬲毓鬲賷賲 乇爻賲賷貙 賰丕賳鬲 "丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱丨噩乇賷" 賴賷 丕賱卮賴丕丿丞 丕賱賲賳卮賵乇丞 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 毓賱賶 賲匕亘丨丞 亘丕乇賷爻 丕賱鬲賷 丕乇鬲賰亘鬲賴丕 丕賱卮乇胤丞 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 囟丿 賲鬲馗丕賴乇賷賳/丕鬲 噩夭丕卅乇賷賷賳/丕鬲 賮賷 17 兀賰鬲賵亘乇 1961.
廿賳賴丕 賲孬賱 賴丕乇賱賲貙 賮賰賻賾乇 爻賲賷丕賳貙 爻賵賶 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 乇噩丕賱 卮乇胤丞 兀賯賱 賮賷 賴丕乇賱賲貙 賱賰賳 乇亘賲丕 賷丨丿孬 賴匕丕 兀賷囟賸丕 匕丕鬲 賷賵賲. 賲孬賱 賴丕乇賱賲 賵賲孬賱 賰賱 賲毓丕夭賱 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 賰丕賳 賱賱乇噩丕賱 丕賱匕賷賳 乇丌賴賲 毓亘乇 賳丕賮匕丞 丕賱亘丕氐 亘卮乇丞 兀賰孬乇 亘賷丕囟賸丕貙 賵卮毓乇賸丕 兀賯賱 鬲噩毓賷丿賸丕貙 賱賰賳賴賲 賰丕賳賵丕貙 賮賷 賳賻賵丕丨賺 兀禺乇賶貙 賲孬賱 丕賱夭賳賵噩 賮賷 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞. 賱賯丿 丕鬲禺匕賵丕 賳賮爻 丕賱兀賵囟丕毓: 鈥欂з勜操娰嗏€� 毓賱賶 丕賱賳賵丕氐賷貙 賲爻鬲毓丿賽賾賷賳 賵賲乇毓賵亘賷賳 賲賳 鈥欂з勝傎勝傗€� 丕賱匕賷 賷賲賰賳 丿丕卅賲賸丕 兀賳 賷丨丿孬貙 丕賱毓賷賵賳 賲鬲噩賴賲丞 賵賲乇鬲丕亘丞貙 賷乇鬲丿賵賳 亘賳丕胤賷賱 亘爻毓乇 賲賵丨賻賾丿貙 賵賯賲氐丕賳 夭丕賴賷丞貙 賵兀丨匕賷丞 囟賷賯丞 賲丿亘賻賾亘丞."
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鬲丨賰賷 "丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱丨噩乇賷" 賯氐丞 爻賲賷丕賳 亘乇丕賵賳貙 賵賴賵 氐丨賮賷 兀賮乇賷賯賷 兀賲乇賷賰賷 卮丕亘 賮賯丿 毓賷賳賸丕 賮賷 丨丕丿孬 毓賳氐乇賷 兀孬賳丕亍 賲乇丕賴賯鬲賴. 賷賳鬲賯賱 爻賲賷丕賳 廿賱賶 亘丕乇賷爻貙 賲賳囟賲賸丕 廿賱賶 "噩賷賱 囟丕卅毓 噩丿賷丿" 賲賳 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷賷賳 丕賱爻賵丿 丕賱匕賷賳 睾丕丿乇賵丕 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞貙 亘爻亘亘 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷貙 賵丕爻鬲賯乇賵丕 賮賷 亘丕乇賷爻 賵睾賷乇賴丕 賲賳 賲丿賳 兀賵乇賵亘丕. 毓賱賶 禺賱賮賷丞 丨乇亘 丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 丕賱噩夭丕卅乇貙 鬲購賯丿賽賾賲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 乇丨賱丞 爻賲賷丕賳 賲賳 亘乇丕亍丞 丕賱賱賯丕亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲毓 賲丿賷賳丞 賱丕 賷鬲毓乇囟 賮賷賴丕 賱賱鬲賲賷賷夭 亘爻亘亘 賱賵賳 亘卮乇鬲賴貙 廿賱賶 廿丿乇丕賰 兀賳 賵噩賴 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賷鬲禺匕 賴賷卅丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕氐賲丞 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞. 賱賳丨賵 孬賱丕孬丞 毓賯賵丿貙 賵賮賷 馗賱 鬲毓鬲賷賲 乇爻賲賷貙 賰丕賳鬲 "丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱丨噩乇賷" 賴賷 丕賱卮賴丕丿丞 丕賱賲賳卮賵乇丞 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 毓賱賶 賲匕亘丨丞 亘丕乇賷爻 丕賱鬲賷 丕乇鬲賰亘鬲賴丕 丕賱卮乇胤丞 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 囟丿 賲鬲馗丕賴乇賷賳/丕鬲 噩夭丕卅乇賷賷賳/丕鬲 賮賷 17 兀賰鬲賵亘乇 1961.
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
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About the author
William Gardner Smith
12听books25听followersWilliam Gardner Smith was an American journalist, novelist, and editor. Smith is linked to the black social protest novel tradition of the 1940s and the 1950s, a movement that became synonymous with writers such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Willard Motley, and Ann Petry. His third book, South Street, is considered to be one of the first black militant protest novels. Smith's last published novel, The Stone Face, in its account of the Paris massacre of 1961, "stand[s] as one of the few representations of the event available all the way up until the early 1990s".
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December 15, 2021This is a fast-paced novel, surprisingly so because not a lot happens. It's the story of Simeon Brown, an African-American man (from my neck of the woods) who moves to France in the 1960s. He is treated without racism there, though he remains on edge about it. Instead he finds the French treating Algerians as African-Americans were treated in America.
The flashbacks to the hatred he faced in America are extreme. Simeon wears an eye patch to cover the absent eye, carved out in a racist attack. The "Stone Face" of the title is the face of hatred on his attacker. And later the cops who beat him. And the shouting faces screaming at the young girls walking a gauntlet to integration. It's a face he's painting, in the abstract, on a canvas in his room. But it's also the face of Frenchmen, coldly transferring their hatred to the Algerians among them. It is the time of the Algerian War and the shift in Simeon's focus shows one stone face to be like any other.
A reader will necessarily have to confront his own thinking about race as he reads this book. An old school liberal, taught to be color-blind, I do not applaud the recent efforts (mostly educational ones) that seem to divide us even further. That said, I know that there are things I do not understand. There is a slice of dialogue between Simeon and his Polish girlfriend that I think speaks to that:
She frowned, looking toward the street. "I don't understand it. I read some things about it, you know, what happens there with the race problem. But I don't understand it. Is it really so terrible, still?"
"You mean, do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the Jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And, we want to breath air, we don't want to think about the race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for the seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time."
The Polish girlfriend, by the way, is a fascinating character, and I suspect perhaps a key to understanding this work. She too has eye issues, although hers are genetic. A looming operation may help, or render her blind. She will act in her own self-interest, but kindly. And she offers this, what she sees: Why ruin things by defining them?
Maybe the author wanted this to be eye-opening.
Anyway, this caused ruminations, if not solutions, and I'm the better for it. But that's not why I read it. I read it as a softening-up for the next one: .
The flashbacks to the hatred he faced in America are extreme. Simeon wears an eye patch to cover the absent eye, carved out in a racist attack. The "Stone Face" of the title is the face of hatred on his attacker. And later the cops who beat him. And the shouting faces screaming at the young girls walking a gauntlet to integration. It's a face he's painting, in the abstract, on a canvas in his room. But it's also the face of Frenchmen, coldly transferring their hatred to the Algerians among them. It is the time of the Algerian War and the shift in Simeon's focus shows one stone face to be like any other.
A reader will necessarily have to confront his own thinking about race as he reads this book. An old school liberal, taught to be color-blind, I do not applaud the recent efforts (mostly educational ones) that seem to divide us even further. That said, I know that there are things I do not understand. There is a slice of dialogue between Simeon and his Polish girlfriend that I think speaks to that:
She frowned, looking toward the street. "I don't understand it. I read some things about it, you know, what happens there with the race problem. But I don't understand it. Is it really so terrible, still?"
"You mean, do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the Jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And, we want to breath air, we don't want to think about the race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for the seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time."
The Polish girlfriend, by the way, is a fascinating character, and I suspect perhaps a key to understanding this work. She too has eye issues, although hers are genetic. A looming operation may help, or render her blind. She will act in her own self-interest, but kindly. And she offers this, what she sees: Why ruin things by defining them?
Maybe the author wanted this to be eye-opening.
Anyway, this caused ruminations, if not solutions, and I'm the better for it. But that's not why I read it. I read it as a softening-up for the next one: .
November 28, 2015
Read for English 4850: Literature in Context
I can't believe that this book is out of print. It was a good read-very enlightening. I mainly enjoyed learning about The Algerian War that took place between France and Algeria during the late 1950s to early 1960s. The brutality that the Algerians faced at the hand of the French was outrageous. I had no idea.
The story is from the POV of an African American man that moves to France to escape the racism that he has faced in the states. At first France appears to be an almost utopian society. Simeon, the main character, is treated as an equal in France. He meets other refugees from the states and feels at home in France. That is until he learns about the struggle for freedom that the Algerians are facing. The ending of the book was brutal. Every country has its black spot in history and this was certainly France's.
I can't believe that this book is out of print. It was a good read-very enlightening. I mainly enjoyed learning about The Algerian War that took place between France and Algeria during the late 1950s to early 1960s. The brutality that the Algerians faced at the hand of the French was outrageous. I had no idea.
The story is from the POV of an African American man that moves to France to escape the racism that he has faced in the states. At first France appears to be an almost utopian society. Simeon, the main character, is treated as an equal in France. He meets other refugees from the states and feels at home in France. That is until he learns about the struggle for freedom that the Algerians are facing. The ending of the book was brutal. Every country has its black spot in history and this was certainly France's.
December 15, 2015
A book I discovered through researching the 1961 police massacre of Algerians, I wasn't really expecting much. I figured it would be a neat little protest book, but that was really unfair of me: Smith does a really great job balancing and jostling all the very many victimhoods of the 20th century. All the racial hatreds, of Arabs, of Blacks, of Jews are shown in concert and conflicting in a way that's much more elegant than I'm making it sound.
So what you have is this beautiful fragment of life in the 1960s, particularly life in Paris for Black Americans. The book does a great job describing the willfull blindness of expatriates and the ways in which minorities are set off each other.
As a character-driven plot, The Stone Face isn't that great. There's not a ton of growth outside the main character, the well-named Simeon. There's not a ton of delicacy: all the men are manly men and all the women are beautiful.
What it does have is great scenery and an interesting message, displayed engagingly. It's more agitprop than novel. But man, it's really really good agitprop.
So what you have is this beautiful fragment of life in the 1960s, particularly life in Paris for Black Americans. The book does a great job describing the willfull blindness of expatriates and the ways in which minorities are set off each other.
As a character-driven plot, The Stone Face isn't that great. There's not a ton of growth outside the main character, the well-named Simeon. There's not a ton of delicacy: all the men are manly men and all the women are beautiful.
What it does have is great scenery and an interesting message, displayed engagingly. It's more agitprop than novel. But man, it's really really good agitprop.
July 25, 2021
The Stone Face is a flawed novel, one which would have moved me if I had read it thirty years ago, as a novel examining the milieu of black expats in the Paris of the early 1960s, the role of the exile--yet one padded by the influence of hard currency, it is a narrative exploration of racism, the treatment of Algerians in France, one torn by the infallible calculus of relativism, so it isn't a surprise that we have a Holocaust survivor, and a few disguised portraits of the Parisian African-American community including Chester Himes.
The novel is episodic and extreme. There isn't just a flashback to poverty and brutality, but that the protagonist loses an eye. He doesn't just empathize with the daily struggle of the Algerians, indeed he hears of their being genitally mutilated and personally witnesses their being beaten to death. It is a frustrated fiction but one in earnest. The novel has a restlessness, but a confident one.
The novel is episodic and extreme. There isn't just a flashback to poverty and brutality, but that the protagonist loses an eye. He doesn't just empathize with the daily struggle of the Algerians, indeed he hears of their being genitally mutilated and personally witnesses their being beaten to death. It is a frustrated fiction but one in earnest. The novel has a restlessness, but a confident one.
December 19, 2022
螠蠈位喂蟼 蟿蔚位蔚委蠅蟽伪 苇谓伪 蟽蟺慰蠀未伪委慰, 蟽畏渭伪谓蟿喂魏蠈, 尾喂尾位委慰. 螖蔚谓 蔚委蠂蔚 蟿委蟺慰蟿伪 魏伪喂谓慰蠉蟻纬喂慰, 萎蟿伪谓 维位位蠅蟽蟿蔚 蟺伪位喂蠈, 蟿慰蠀 '63. 螘委蠂蔚, 蠈渭蠅蟼, 蟽畏渭伪蟽委伪.
February 13, 2025
螕蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰 蟺蟻喂谓 伪蟺蠈 60 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 伪蠀蟿蠈 谓伪 蟺蟻慰未委未蔚蟿伪喂 蟺慰蠀胃蔚谓维 蟽蟿慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 蟿慰蠀, 慰 Smith 蟺蔚蟻喂魏蠀魏位蠋谓蔚喂 蟿慰 胃苇渭伪 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭蠈蟼 魏伪喂 渭伪蟼 蟿慰 蟺伪蟻慰蠀蟽喂维味蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蠈位蔚蟼 蟿喂蟼 蟺位蔚蠀蟻苇蟼. 螌位慰喂 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蔚委谓伪喂 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽蟿苇蟼 渭蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓.
螣 位蔚蠀魏蠈蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 渭伪蠉蟻慰, 慰 螕维位位慰蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠈, 慰 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠈蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 螘尾蟻伪委慰 魏伪喂 蟺维蔚喂 位苇纬慰谓蟿伪蟼.
螣 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 蠉蟺慰蠀位伪 蠁蠀蟿蔚渭苇谓慰蟼 渭苇蟽伪 渭伪蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟽蔚 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 蔚喂位喂魏蟻委谓蔚喂伪蟼 魏维蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟿慰谓 尉蔚蟿蟻蠀蟺蠋蟽慰蠀渭蔚 魏喂 蔚渭蔚委蟼.
韦慰位渭畏蟻蠈 尾喂尾位委慰 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 未蠀蟽魏慰位畏, 蟺喂慰 未蠉蟽魏慰位畏, 蔚蟺慰蠂萎 纬喂 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 胃苇渭伪, 伪魏慰蠀渭蟺维蔚喂 蟿慰 胃苇渭伪 蟿蠅谓 渭伪蠉蟻蠅谓 蟽蟿喂蟼 螚螤螒 魏伪喂 蟿蠅谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠋谓 蟽蟿畏 螕伪位位委伪 蠁蟿维谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蟿畏 蟽蠁伪纬萎 200 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺蠅谓 蟽蟿畏 未喂伪未萎位蠅蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 1961 蟽蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂.
螁纬谓蠅蟽蟿慰, 渭伪 未喂伪渭伪谓蟿维魏喂.
螣 位蔚蠀魏蠈蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 渭伪蠉蟻慰, 慰 螕维位位慰蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠈, 慰 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠈蟼 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 螘尾蟻伪委慰 魏伪喂 蟺维蔚喂 位苇纬慰谓蟿伪蟼.
螣 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 蠉蟺慰蠀位伪 蠁蠀蟿蔚渭苇谓慰蟼 渭苇蟽伪 渭伪蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟽蔚 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 蔚喂位喂魏蟻委谓蔚喂伪蟼 魏维蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟿慰谓 尉蔚蟿蟻蠀蟺蠋蟽慰蠀渭蔚 魏喂 蔚渭蔚委蟼.
韦慰位渭畏蟻蠈 尾喂尾位委慰 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 未蠀蟽魏慰位畏, 蟺喂慰 未蠉蟽魏慰位畏, 蔚蟺慰蠂萎 纬喂 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 胃苇渭伪, 伪魏慰蠀渭蟺维蔚喂 蟿慰 胃苇渭伪 蟿蠅谓 渭伪蠉蟻蠅谓 蟽蟿喂蟼 螚螤螒 魏伪喂 蟿蠅谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠋谓 蟽蟿畏 螕伪位位委伪 蠁蟿维谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蟿畏 蟽蠁伪纬萎 200 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺蠅谓 蟽蟿畏 未喂伪未萎位蠅蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 1961 蟽蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂.
螁纬谓蠅蟽蟿慰, 渭伪 未喂伪渭伪谓蟿维魏喂.
May 30, 2022
This book should have never gone out of print.
Smith's work counters the view of France as free of racism and examines the racism in the US at the same time.
Look, if you like James Baldwin, check this book out.
Smith's work counters the view of France as free of racism and examines the racism in the US at the same time.
Look, if you like James Baldwin, check this book out.
May 1, 2025
Taken sequentially, this novel鈥檚 causal inevitability of root; diaspora; liberation; enchantment; willful ignorance; suspicion; confirmation; disillusionment; _____; and _____ (redacted so as to spoil naught for you) is handled with an uncanny subtlety and no small grace toward its subject matter. My very amateur tip for pros & adjuncts: getting overly concerned about the more overt and 鈥榮ymbolisme no plus 茅vident鈥� (still not coding for you, 欧宝娱乐) is part of this book鈥檚 game; should you find yourself incredulous while unpacking, say, 鈥榯he eyes of Poland,鈥� you鈥檝e fallen for William Gardner Smith鈥檚 first and easiest snare. While it鈥檚 just my reading, the novel鈥檚 symbol/metaphor-drunk obviousness is a parodic, though not unloving, homage of French Symboliste works from around the turn of the 20th-Century. So, should you find yourself thinking 鈥樷€擱eally? Wha-?! THAT fucking blatant?!?鈥�,鈥� then, well, no; don鈥檛 let yourself get bogged down in them. Trust me: choosing between the legitimate and the feint in The Stone Face is a rare specimen of literary interpretation you get to undertake on/in the comfiness of your favorite reading chair/couch/bed/driver鈥檚 seat/barstool/et. al. There are no wrong answers here, only poisonous roots.
My advice? Bring cigarettes. But that鈥檚 my advice for any situation so鈥rain of tobacco and all that.
My advice? Bring cigarettes. But that鈥檚 my advice for any situation so鈥rain of tobacco and all that.
May 4, 2016
This is one of my favorite books that I've read. Set in Paris during the Algerian War, its the story of an African American man who expatriates to France to escape the harsh racism of the United States. While he initially feels at ease with his decision, he begins to see how the French are treating the Algerians in Paris, and he begins to feel guilt about being there while African Americans are suffering in the United States.
Having spent the past Fall in Paris, I related a lot to Simeon and the way he felt about being in a place that was so distant from the things he would have been experiencing in the U.S., and I think that its something that any member of an oppressed group who spends time in a place away from that oppression can relate to this.
Also, if you've ever been to Paris, then this book is a great trip down memory lane. The details of the city are so vivid that I was taken right back to the Latin Quarter every time I opened this book.
Having spent the past Fall in Paris, I related a lot to Simeon and the way he felt about being in a place that was so distant from the things he would have been experiencing in the U.S., and I think that its something that any member of an oppressed group who spends time in a place away from that oppression can relate to this.
Also, if you've ever been to Paris, then this book is a great trip down memory lane. The details of the city are so vivid that I was taken right back to the Latin Quarter every time I opened this book.
January 8, 2022
Appeals: contemplative, anti-racist, critical of white supremacist culture, anti-status-quo, brutal, brooding, realistic
This 1963 novel, about a Black American expat in Paris, was never published in French because it depicts the brutality of the French towards the Algerians. According to the introduction by Adam Shatz, it also is one of the few novels to capture the massacre of Algerians on October 17, 1961 when men, woman, and children took to the streets in protest of a curfew.
In the introduction, Shatz said "Smith's perspective--a radical humanism both passionate and wise, sensitive to difference but committed to universalism, anti-racist but averse to tribalism, disenchanted yet rebelliously hopeful--feels in dangerously short supply these days. It's time for his books to be repatriated to the one country where he found a lasting home: the republic of letters."
At the center of the novel is a painting and image Simeon Brown returns to--the cold, stone face of the kinds of white men who attacked him and took an eye, the kind of banal evil he grew up around and sees everywhere, even in the more accepting world of expat Paris.
Smith's main character Simeon Brown undergoes a transformation of moral consciousness. In finding more acceptance in Paris among the expats, where interracial relationships are normalized, he is slow to see how racism and bias shows up there, too, and how easy it is to look away. He encounters anti-Semitism and a dismissal of the oppression of Algerians and Muslims from his fellow countrymen. This book challenges all kinds of status quo and posits a humanist approach to the interconnectedness of oppression and moral responsibility, and shows how you may have to leave the comforts of complacency and community in order to stand up for and with others.
Simeon learns that Europeans, many of whom are more accepting of interracial relationships, don't understand American racism:
"You mean, do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the Jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And, we want to breathe air, we don't want to think about this race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time." (76-77)
"It's sad, the poor Southerner was probably a nice guy. He might not even have been a racist. But any member of the privileged group in a racist society is considered guilty. Every white South African is guilty. Every Frenchmen is guilty in the eyes of the Algerians. Every white American is guilty. The guilt can end only when racism ends." (120)
"Had his attack on the policeman been a deliberate act of courage, or the result of momentary fury and hallucination. That didn't matter; what mattered was that he had struck at the face.
The pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portguguese butcher in Angola, and yes, the black faces of Lumumba's murderers--they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feared or suffered from, or fought against this face was his brother." (200)
This 1963 novel, about a Black American expat in Paris, was never published in French because it depicts the brutality of the French towards the Algerians. According to the introduction by Adam Shatz, it also is one of the few novels to capture the massacre of Algerians on October 17, 1961 when men, woman, and children took to the streets in protest of a curfew.
In the introduction, Shatz said "Smith's perspective--a radical humanism both passionate and wise, sensitive to difference but committed to universalism, anti-racist but averse to tribalism, disenchanted yet rebelliously hopeful--feels in dangerously short supply these days. It's time for his books to be repatriated to the one country where he found a lasting home: the republic of letters."
At the center of the novel is a painting and image Simeon Brown returns to--the cold, stone face of the kinds of white men who attacked him and took an eye, the kind of banal evil he grew up around and sees everywhere, even in the more accepting world of expat Paris.
Smith's main character Simeon Brown undergoes a transformation of moral consciousness. In finding more acceptance in Paris among the expats, where interracial relationships are normalized, he is slow to see how racism and bias shows up there, too, and how easy it is to look away. He encounters anti-Semitism and a dismissal of the oppression of Algerians and Muslims from his fellow countrymen. This book challenges all kinds of status quo and posits a humanist approach to the interconnectedness of oppression and moral responsibility, and shows how you may have to leave the comforts of complacency and community in order to stand up for and with others.
Simeon learns that Europeans, many of whom are more accepting of interracial relationships, don't understand American racism:
"You mean, do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the Jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And, we want to breathe air, we don't want to think about this race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time." (76-77)
"It's sad, the poor Southerner was probably a nice guy. He might not even have been a racist. But any member of the privileged group in a racist society is considered guilty. Every white South African is guilty. Every Frenchmen is guilty in the eyes of the Algerians. Every white American is guilty. The guilt can end only when racism ends." (120)
"Had his attack on the policeman been a deliberate act of courage, or the result of momentary fury and hallucination. That didn't matter; what mattered was that he had struck at the face.
The pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portguguese butcher in Angola, and yes, the black faces of Lumumba's murderers--they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feared or suffered from, or fought against this face was his brother." (200)
February 28, 2025
I don鈥檛 usually write reviews after finishing a book, but this book deserves one. The Stone Face is a significant work that remains relevant for its timeless themes and insightful commentary on race and identity.
It follows a Black man dealing with his identity and the harsh realities of racism. The story dives deep into his emotional journey, showing the struggles of trying to fit into a world that doesn鈥檛 understand him. It鈥檚 a bit heavy but definitely thought-provoking and gives a powerful look at personal and social challenges.
It follows a Black man dealing with his identity and the harsh realities of racism. The story dives deep into his emotional journey, showing the struggles of trying to fit into a world that doesn鈥檛 understand him. It鈥檚 a bit heavy but definitely thought-provoking and gives a powerful look at personal and social challenges.
February 25, 2022
// Libert茅, 茅galit茅, fraternit茅 ... Ou non? // Black expat life in France, circa 1960
鈥� THE STONE FACE by William Gardner Smith, 1963, reissued by NYRB @nyrbooks in 2021.
Quite an immersive story, this one.
In this loose autobiographical novel, Smith constructs his fictional alter ego, Simeon Brown, a young Black artist and writer from Philadelphia who relocates to Paris in 1960 after a series of violent racially motivated assaults. In one of these incidents, Simeon loses his right eye.
In Paris, he joins a vibrant community of expatriates from Europe, the Caribbean, and the US - and is amazed by the way he is received with open arms in France. He starts a relationship with a Polish Holocaust survivor, befriends other artists and musicians, and enjoys the night life.
This welcoming and friendly French spirit is not extended to everyone, however; Simeon does not go long before he witnesses police brutality and rampant racism towards France's Arab / Muslim population, primarily Algerians. He befriends an Algerian medical student and hears hauntingly familiar stories of brutal racism that he has encountered in the US, now perpetuated by the same country that has welcomed him so warmly.
"He could not help thinking about race in Paris or anywhere. How can you help thinking about the thing that dominates your life?" (pg 116)
A fascinating short novel of perspective and social consciousness, also capturing a specific time of decolonization.
Continually grateful for NYRB reprinting materials long out of print and bringing them to the fore. This would be a great book to study in university or a book club, as it is sure to spark discussion.
鈥� THE STONE FACE by William Gardner Smith, 1963, reissued by NYRB @nyrbooks in 2021.
Quite an immersive story, this one.
In this loose autobiographical novel, Smith constructs his fictional alter ego, Simeon Brown, a young Black artist and writer from Philadelphia who relocates to Paris in 1960 after a series of violent racially motivated assaults. In one of these incidents, Simeon loses his right eye.
In Paris, he joins a vibrant community of expatriates from Europe, the Caribbean, and the US - and is amazed by the way he is received with open arms in France. He starts a relationship with a Polish Holocaust survivor, befriends other artists and musicians, and enjoys the night life.
This welcoming and friendly French spirit is not extended to everyone, however; Simeon does not go long before he witnesses police brutality and rampant racism towards France's Arab / Muslim population, primarily Algerians. He befriends an Algerian medical student and hears hauntingly familiar stories of brutal racism that he has encountered in the US, now perpetuated by the same country that has welcomed him so warmly.
"He could not help thinking about race in Paris or anywhere. How can you help thinking about the thing that dominates your life?" (pg 116)
A fascinating short novel of perspective and social consciousness, also capturing a specific time of decolonization.
Continually grateful for NYRB reprinting materials long out of print and bringing them to the fore. This would be a great book to study in university or a book club, as it is sure to spark discussion.
July 13, 2021
A year ago, I joined the New York Review Books Classics book club - each month, I get a new book that has been chosen from a carefully curated collection. This one was out of print for a long time before NYRB Classics chose it, and wow -- what a book. I seem to say this so often that it loses impact, but this was an incredible book. I learned a lot from it, and I won't be forgetting it for a long, long time.
January 20, 2022
La fin du livre 茅tait vraiment poignante, le d茅but moins mais quand m锚me un bon roman sur la guerre d鈥橝lg茅rie, le racisme et les probl猫mes socio-politiques
October 10, 2024
鈥滱long the Seine, police lifted unconscious Algerians from the ground and tossed them into the river.
Meanwhile, most of the city slept or went its carefree way. Laughing women and men danced the touiste or the cha-cha-cha to candlelight in the Club Priv茅 at Saint-Germain-des-Pr茅s, danced at the Epi-Club, danced at Chez Regine, danced in the ballrooms and cabarets.鈥�
Adam Shatz, in the introduction of the NYRB edition, points out that The Stone Face was the very first novel to broach the topic of the October 17, 1961 massacre of Algerians by French police 鈥� William Gardner Smith鈥檚 publisher wouldn鈥檛 publish the novel in French because of this fact. The entire book sort of leads up to the massacre 鈥� you know it鈥檚 coming, and you know what Simeon is going to do. This novel isn鈥檛 an unpredictable or shocking one, but it still manages to be so impressive.
Simeon realizes quickly that Paris is flawed 鈥� the Algerians, a people he had never known, are treated as he had been treated in the United States. Walking through Arab neighborhoods, he鈥檚 reminded of Harlem 鈥� if Harlem had an even greater police presence. His Black expat friends try their best to ignore the Algerian problem, not wanting to jeopardize their comfort or security; they treat the Algerians just as the white Frenchmen do. Over the course of the story, Simeon wrestles with his discovery that Parisian society is altogether backwards in much the same way as American society. Though he had once felt shackled by his inability to do anything for his people back home, he finally comes to realize that he can fight the same fight in Paris alongside the Algerians.
I鈥檓 better off having read this book, and am really grateful that I came across it.
鈥漈he pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portuguese butcher in Angola, and yes the black faces of Lumumba鈥檚 murderers 鈥� they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feared, or suffered from, or fought against this face was his brother.鈥�
Meanwhile, most of the city slept or went its carefree way. Laughing women and men danced the touiste or the cha-cha-cha to candlelight in the Club Priv茅 at Saint-Germain-des-Pr茅s, danced at the Epi-Club, danced at Chez Regine, danced in the ballrooms and cabarets.鈥�
Adam Shatz, in the introduction of the NYRB edition, points out that The Stone Face was the very first novel to broach the topic of the October 17, 1961 massacre of Algerians by French police 鈥� William Gardner Smith鈥檚 publisher wouldn鈥檛 publish the novel in French because of this fact. The entire book sort of leads up to the massacre 鈥� you know it鈥檚 coming, and you know what Simeon is going to do. This novel isn鈥檛 an unpredictable or shocking one, but it still manages to be so impressive.
Simeon realizes quickly that Paris is flawed 鈥� the Algerians, a people he had never known, are treated as he had been treated in the United States. Walking through Arab neighborhoods, he鈥檚 reminded of Harlem 鈥� if Harlem had an even greater police presence. His Black expat friends try their best to ignore the Algerian problem, not wanting to jeopardize their comfort or security; they treat the Algerians just as the white Frenchmen do. Over the course of the story, Simeon wrestles with his discovery that Parisian society is altogether backwards in much the same way as American society. Though he had once felt shackled by his inability to do anything for his people back home, he finally comes to realize that he can fight the same fight in Paris alongside the Algerians.
I鈥檓 better off having read this book, and am really grateful that I came across it.
鈥漈he pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portuguese butcher in Angola, and yes the black faces of Lumumba鈥檚 murderers 鈥� they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feared, or suffered from, or fought against this face was his brother.鈥�
May 19, 2025
I imagine that Smith found these words pouring out with an unremitting hand and mind eager for release. I find it difficult not to write a review of such honesty. In a similar mold to James Baldwin and Richard Wright, William Gardner Smith was an expatriate in Paris, where black intellectuals escaped the stone face's depravity and momentarily enjoyed the repose of whiteness. The French-Algerian War in the 1950s/60s presented a perplexing question for black American expatriates in Paris. How long until the illusion fades and solidarity emerges? Set in the 1960s, The Stone Face follows Simeon Brown, a young black journalist from Philadelphia, as he can no longer stop himself from destruction. Simeon first faces "the stone face" as a young boy and loses an eye for it. Up until his exile to Paris, he finds himself haunted by the stone face's appearance in encounters with men rotting from the cost of its hatred. While at a bar with a young white co-worker, Simeon faces the stone face again and becomes terrified of his compulsion to kill the face's most recent bearer. He escapes to the comforts of Paris and the soothing embrace of Tournon cafes with their colorful fellow black expatriates. As he is faced with the brutal repression of Algerians and the indifference of his compatriots, the injustice prods and thrusts against the line of his conscience before emerging as a forceful release in the form of international solidarity. I come away from this novel with a renewed wonder for fiction and admiration for the moral clarity of student activists across time.
October 6, 2021
The Stone Face is a novel about racism. The stone face is racism itself and it's the face of individual racists who're portrayed in the novel. As you might expect, it's an ugly story, but it's compellingly told, a novel of discovering the world rather than the self.
Simeon Brown is a Black man in Philadelphia. He's a victim of America's particular brand of racism.
Victim, too, of the violence bred by such racism, he loses an eye in a rather casual attack on the city's streets. Perhaps aware of the anxiety-free lives led by such expatriate Blacks as James Wright and James Baldwin, he goes to live in Paris. There he finds acceptance as the man he is. He's often even considered white. And his relationship with the white woman Maria--who also suffers damaged vision--is okay within French society and especially welcomed in his circle of friends, who're mostly Algerian. But he can't escape racism. It's the time of the Algerian war for independence, and France's bigotry directed against its Algerian population has risen to the level of persecution. Another complication for Simeon is his growing awareness of the intolerance his Arab friends feel for Maria, a Jewish survivor of WWII's camps. Eventually he realizes he can't even escape American racism. He agonizes over the news from home of the Arkansas school integration crisis and of lunch counter sit-ins across the South. How he comes to terms with all this and learns how to confront racism is the arc of the novel. It's an ugly subject told through events which are sometimes predictable, but William Gardner Smith has written it with flashes of moral insight and beauty.
Simeon Brown is a Black man in Philadelphia. He's a victim of America's particular brand of racism.
Victim, too, of the violence bred by such racism, he loses an eye in a rather casual attack on the city's streets. Perhaps aware of the anxiety-free lives led by such expatriate Blacks as James Wright and James Baldwin, he goes to live in Paris. There he finds acceptance as the man he is. He's often even considered white. And his relationship with the white woman Maria--who also suffers damaged vision--is okay within French society and especially welcomed in his circle of friends, who're mostly Algerian. But he can't escape racism. It's the time of the Algerian war for independence, and France's bigotry directed against its Algerian population has risen to the level of persecution. Another complication for Simeon is his growing awareness of the intolerance his Arab friends feel for Maria, a Jewish survivor of WWII's camps. Eventually he realizes he can't even escape American racism. He agonizes over the news from home of the Arkansas school integration crisis and of lunch counter sit-ins across the South. How he comes to terms with all this and learns how to confront racism is the arc of the novel. It's an ugly subject told through events which are sometimes predictable, but William Gardner Smith has written it with flashes of moral insight and beauty.
October 18, 2023
Never read a novel that describes the concept of race so clearly and in such an encapsulating way. The plot is fairly minimal, but the setting is superb, as is witnessing the slow development of Simeon's consciousness throughout the book. My only complaint is how reductive many of the women characters are - they only seemed to be mentioned in relation to their affairs with male characters, or to disclose horrific acts of sexual violence. Even the only woman character who plays a main role in the novel - Maria, a Polish-Jewish holocaust survivor - is seemingly defined by her fickleness and lack of depth, and her speech is presented on the pages in crude broken English that isn't attributed to any of the other characters.
Nonetheless, despite these criticisms, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. May we live in a world where wherever the stone face rears its face, its smashed into a million piece.
Nonetheless, despite these criticisms, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. May we live in a world where wherever the stone face rears its face, its smashed into a million piece.
January 8, 2025
the stone face of discord and destruction
this is a whole portion of history i was never taught about. the constant parallel between america and paris and their respective forms of racism and prejudice was so interesting to read. every character had their own way of living in a world of prejudice, and the book doesn鈥檛 really say one way is wrong or right- it simply observes it happening. i especially thought the dynamic between maria and simeon was fascinating, with their respective backgrounds and paths.
this is a whole portion of history i was never taught about. the constant parallel between america and paris and their respective forms of racism and prejudice was so interesting to read. every character had their own way of living in a world of prejudice, and the book doesn鈥檛 really say one way is wrong or right- it simply observes it happening. i especially thought the dynamic between maria and simeon was fascinating, with their respective backgrounds and paths.
April 12, 2025
If I was calling the shots this would be required reading. I went into it wanting to learn more about France's treatment of Algerians, but this book has a lot to say about the guilt of privilege and the convenience of being able to step away from other people's harsh realities. At what point does our own inaction become complicity? And how can we justify cherry picking between which victims are socially acceptable to feel sorry for? To stand up for?
March 22, 2022
Bouleversant
July 5, 2017
This is one of those books that is so impressive that even after you have forgotten the title and author (which happens from time to time), the story itself and how moving it was will creep up on you as you are reading another book (or collection of short stories) set in the same region, and you stop reading said collection (Camus' Exile and Kingdom) and begin searching for the novel your brain is playing scenes from.
I read The Stone Face my senior year of undergrad, and it was one of my favorite novels of that semester. The story revolves around the Paris massacre of 1961 and is told through the eyes of a Black American in Paris who sees how Algerians are treated similarly in Paris as Black Americans are treated in America during this time. Similar to Baldwin, this novel gives the feel of what is to be a Black expat in France during this time and the existential questions that come along with abandoning one's country during a time of racial turmoil to live an easier life abroad, while simultaneously seeing people of a similar skin tone experience a racism that is unique to the region. The Baldwin short story "This morning, this evening, so soon" deals with this subject matter as well, but Smith's novel fleshes out the French/Algerian conflict in more depth.
I'm sorry to see that it is out of print because I think this is a book that should be more widely read for historical context. I hope I can get my hands on a physical copy, because a book this powerful should be reread.
I read The Stone Face my senior year of undergrad, and it was one of my favorite novels of that semester. The story revolves around the Paris massacre of 1961 and is told through the eyes of a Black American in Paris who sees how Algerians are treated similarly in Paris as Black Americans are treated in America during this time. Similar to Baldwin, this novel gives the feel of what is to be a Black expat in France during this time and the existential questions that come along with abandoning one's country during a time of racial turmoil to live an easier life abroad, while simultaneously seeing people of a similar skin tone experience a racism that is unique to the region. The Baldwin short story "This morning, this evening, so soon" deals with this subject matter as well, but Smith's novel fleshes out the French/Algerian conflict in more depth.
I'm sorry to see that it is out of print because I think this is a book that should be more widely read for historical context. I hope I can get my hands on a physical copy, because a book this powerful should be reread.
October 18, 2021
I found this short novel succeeded most as a fascinating glimpse into the lives of African-American expatriates in Paris of the early 1960s and their reckoning with various forms of racism. We follow Simeon, who has left America due to a brutal racist attack for Paris where he meets a cast of expats, and grapples with his inability to fully enjoy his freedom from oppression as he observes the oppression of Algerians at the hands of the French government. The issues he and his new friends discuss are ones that are still part of the national conversation and their thoughts on the origins of racism, anti-Semitism, and why France was so welcoming made for some compelling reading. As a novel, this was less successful-- none of the characters really came to life, especially the Algerians, and the relationships were described very superficially. Still, I was glad to have read this for the expat discussions and the historical relevance.
August 16, 2021
"The Stone Face is an anti-racist novel about identity, but also a subtle and humane critique of a politics that is based narrowly on identity" (x).
"To read Last of the Conquerors today is to grasp that it is out of such 'fantasy worlds' that freedom is ultimately born" (xii).
"Smith's perspective--a radical humanism both passionate and wise, sensitive to difference but committed to universalism, anti-racist but averse to tribalism, disenchanted yet rebelliously hopeful--feels in dangerously short supply these days" (xxv).
"'I'm impatient. I didn't like the big and little humiliations of being a black man there.'
She frowned, looking toward the street. 'I don't understand it. I read some things about it, you know, what happens there with the race problem. But I don't understand it. Is it really so terrible, still?'
'You mean do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And we want to breathe air, we don't want to think about this race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for the seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time" (76).
"One of the Brazilians had explained it to Simeon that in South America when an Indian or a Negro became rich or became a general, he was officially considered white. It was crazy. The world was a pyramid, and at the apex were the great rich peoples--the Northern Europeans, the English and recently the Americans. They imposed their sliding scale on the rest of the world. Here, the black man was inferior; there the Arab, there the Jew, there the Asiatic--according to where you were. And the people who became rich and great through historical accident were those who ruled. For that particular time" (93).
"Maria said, 'No reason to be sorry. You said what you thought.'" (121).
"Listen, what sense can life have to the average white American with money? What kind of goal can he have? To make more money? Hold on to what he has? That's not much of a goal. But even making money can be some kind of a goal for a poor bugger with a sick wife and nine kids" (139).
"Benson shook his head. 'I say everybody's sick. The whole country's got to be sick, because it's a sick situation. But the white people are worse than we are. They're the sickest of all'" (174).
"The pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portuguese butcher in Angola, and, yes, the black faces of Lumumba's murderers--they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feard, or suffered from, or fought against the face was his brother" (200).
"To read Last of the Conquerors today is to grasp that it is out of such 'fantasy worlds' that freedom is ultimately born" (xii).
"Smith's perspective--a radical humanism both passionate and wise, sensitive to difference but committed to universalism, anti-racist but averse to tribalism, disenchanted yet rebelliously hopeful--feels in dangerously short supply these days" (xxv).
"'I'm impatient. I didn't like the big and little humiliations of being a black man there.'
She frowned, looking toward the street. 'I don't understand it. I read some things about it, you know, what happens there with the race problem. But I don't understand it. Is it really so terrible, still?'
'You mean do they chase black men down the streets of Philadelphia and New York with lynch ropes? No. And in an ordinary day, nothing striking happens, people don't even notice you on the street. But a hundred tiny things happen--micro-particles, nobody can see them but us. And there's always the danger that something bigger will happen. The Beast in the jungle, you're always tense, waiting for it to spring. It's terrible, yes. And we want to breathe air, we don't want to think about this race business twenty-four hours a day. We don't want our noses pushed down in it for the seventy-odd years of our lives. But you have to keep thinking about it; they force you to think about it all the time" (76).
"One of the Brazilians had explained it to Simeon that in South America when an Indian or a Negro became rich or became a general, he was officially considered white. It was crazy. The world was a pyramid, and at the apex were the great rich peoples--the Northern Europeans, the English and recently the Americans. They imposed their sliding scale on the rest of the world. Here, the black man was inferior; there the Arab, there the Jew, there the Asiatic--according to where you were. And the people who became rich and great through historical accident were those who ruled. For that particular time" (93).
"Maria said, 'No reason to be sorry. You said what you thought.'" (121).
"Listen, what sense can life have to the average white American with money? What kind of goal can he have? To make more money? Hold on to what he has? That's not much of a goal. But even making money can be some kind of a goal for a poor bugger with a sick wife and nine kids" (139).
"Benson shook his head. 'I say everybody's sick. The whole country's got to be sick, because it's a sick situation. But the white people are worse than we are. They're the sickest of all'" (174).
"The pain in his eye had diminished somewhat, and before dropping off to sleep he thought: the face of the French cop, the face of Chris, of Mike, of the sailor, the face of the Nazi torturer at Buchenwald and Dachau, the face of the hysterical mob at Little Rock, the face of the Afrikaner bigot and the Portuguese butcher in Angola, and, yes, the black faces of Lumumba's murderers--they were all the same face. Wherever this face was found, it was his enemy; and whoever feard, or suffered from, or fought against the face was his brother" (200).
May 13, 2025
螤蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 螤苇蟿蟻伪 鈥� 螤伪蟻委蟽喂 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 螆位蔚慰蟼
螇 蟺蠋蟼 苇谓伪蟼 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓蠈蟼 渭伪蠉蟻慰蟼 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 蔚委未蔚 魏伪胃伪蟻蠈蟿蔚蟻伪 蟿慰 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭蠈 伪蟺蠈 渭伪魏蟻喂维
违蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 魏维蟺慰喂伪 尾喂尾位委伪 蟺慰蠀 未蔚谓 蠁蠅谓维味慰蠀谓路 伪谓蟿喂胃苇蟿蠅蟼, 渭喂位慰蠉谓 渭蔚 蠁蠅谓萎 萎蟽蠀蠂畏 魏伪喂 蟽蟿伪胃蔚蟻萎, 蟽伪谓 魏维蟺慰喂慰蟼 蟺慰蠀 苇渭伪胃蔚 伪蟺蠈 谓蠅蟻委蟼 蟺蠅蟼 畏 魏蟻伪蠀纬萎 蟽蔚 魏伪委蔚喂 蟺喂慰 纬蟻萎纬慰蟻伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蠁蠅蟿喂维. 韦慰 螤蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 螤苇蟿蟻伪 蟿慰蠀 William Gardner Smith 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 蟿苇蟿慰喂慰 尾喂尾位委慰: 渭喂魏蟻蠈, 蟺蠀魏谓蠈 魏伪喂 伪谓畏蟽蠀蠂畏蟿喂魏维 未喂伪蠀纬苇蟼, 渭蔚 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟺慰蠀 未蔚 纬蠀蟻委味蔚喂 伪位位慰蠉, 蠈蟿伪谓 蟿伪 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪 蟽魏慰蟿蔚喂谓喂维味慰蠀谓.
螕蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰 蟿慰 1963 伪蟺蠈 苇谓伪谓 螒蠁蟻慰伪渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓蠈 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪 蟺慰蠀 苇味畏蟽蔚 蔚尉蠈蟻喂蟽蟿慰蟼 蟽蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂, 蟿慰 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪 伪魏慰位慰蠀胃蔚委 蟿慰谓 螠维胃喂慰蠀, 苇谓伪谓 谓蔚伪蟻蠈 未畏渭慰蟽喂慰纬蟻维蠁慰 蟺慰蠀 蔚纬魏伪蟿伪位蔚委蟺蔚喂 蟿畏谓 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏萎 纬喂伪 谓伪 纬位喂蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 尾委伪 蟿慰蠀 蠁蠀位蔚蟿喂魏慰蠉 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭慰蠉. 危蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂 胃伪 尾蟻蔚喂 蟿畏谓 蔚位蔚蠀胃蔚蟻委伪 鈥� 伪位位维 蠈蠂喂 蟿畏谓 伪胃蠅蠈蟿畏蟿伪. 螒谓蟿委 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蟺伪蟻喂味喂维谓喂魏慰 蠈谓蔚喂蟻慰 渭蔚 魏蟻伪蟽委, 蟿蟽喂纬维蟻慰 魏伪喂 蠁喂位慰蟽慰蠁委伪 蟽蟿伪 蟺蔚味慰未蟻蠈渭喂伪, 尾蟻委蟽魏蔚喂 渭喂伪 螕伪位位委伪 蟺慰蠀 伪喂渭慰蟻蟻伪纬蔚委 蟺委蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 尾喂蟿蟻委谓伪, 渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蟺蠈位蔚渭慰 蟽蟿畏谓 螒位纬蔚蟻委伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 伪蠈蟻伪蟿畏 魏伪胃畏渭蔚蟻喂谓萎 魏伪蟿伪蟺委蔚蟽畏 蟿蠅谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠋谓 渭蔚蟿伪谓伪蟽蟿蠋谓.
螣 Smith, 渭蔚 渭喂伪 蟺蟻蠈味伪 魏伪胃伪蟻萎 魏伪喂 蔚位蔚纬蔚喂伪魏萎, 伪蟻谓蔚委蟿伪喂 蟿慰谓 未喂未伪魏蟿喂蟽渭蠈. 螖蔚谓 蠂蟻蔚喂维味蔚蟿伪喂. 螚 尾委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚魏蔚委: 蟽喂蠅蟺畏位萎, 蟺蟻慰慰未蔚蠀蟿喂魏萎, 未喂慰喂魏畏蟿喂魏维 慰蟻纬伪谓蠅渭苇谓畏. 螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽慰蠀 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻维蠄蔚喂 渭喂伪 蟽蠁伪纬萎路 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽慰蠀 蔚尉畏纬萎蟽蔚喂 蟺蠋蟼 蠁蟿维谓蔚喂蟼 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿萎谓 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 谓伪 蟿慰 魏伪蟿伪位维尾蔚喂蟼. 螝伪喂 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚尉委蟽慰蠀 蟽魏位畏蟻蠈.
螠苇蟽伪 伪蟺鈥� 蟿伪 渭维蟿喂伪 蟿慰蠀 螠维胃喂慰蠀, 尾位苇蟺慰蠀渭蔚 蟿畏谓 伪蟺慰纬慰萎蟿蔚蠀蟽畏 蔚谓蠈蟼 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 萎位蟺喂味蔚 谓伪 味萎蟽蔚喂 蔚魏蟿蠈蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪蟼 魏伪喂 魏伪蟿苇位畏尉蔚 谓伪 蟿畏谓 魏慰喂蟿维味蔚喂 魏伪蟿维渭伪蟿伪 鈥� 萎, 渭维位位慰谓, 谓伪 蟿畏 尾位苇蟺蔚喂 蠂伪蟻伪纬渭苇谓畏 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 谓蔚伪蟻慰蠉 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓慰蠉. 螘魏蔚委谓慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟿慰蠀 苇纬喂谓蔚 "蟺苇蟿蟻伪" 蠈蟿伪谓 魏伪蟿维位伪尾蔚 蟺蠅蟼 未蔚谓 苇蠂蔚喂 蟺喂伪 蟿委蟺慰蟿伪 谓伪 蠂维蟽蔚喂. 螘委谓伪喂 委蟽蠅蟼 畏 蟺喂慰 萎蟽蠀蠂畏 魏伪喂 蟽蠀纬蠂蟻蠈谓蠅蟼 畏 蟺喂慰 慰蟻纬喂蟽渭苇谓畏 蟽魏畏谓萎 蟿慰蠀 尾喂尾位委慰蠀路 魏喂 伪蠀蟿萎 畏 苇谓蟿伪蟽畏 蟿慰蟺慰胃蔚蟿蔚委 蟿慰谓 Smith 蟽蟿慰 蠉蠄慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 蟽蟺慰蠀未伪委蠅谓 畏胃喂魏蠋谓 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 20慰蠉 伪喂蠋谓伪.
螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蠉魏慰位慰 尾喂尾位委慰 鈥� 蠈蠂喂 纬喂伪蟿委 蔚委谓伪喂 未蠀蟽谓蠈畏蟿慰, 伪位位维 纬喂伪蟿委 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓蟿喂渭慰. 危慰蠀 未蔚委蠂谓蔚喂 蟿慰谓 魏蠈蟽渭慰 蠈蠂喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 胃伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 蔚委谓伪喂, 伪位位维 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 蠈蟿伪谓 蟿慰谓 魏慰喂蟿维尉蔚喂蟼 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 蠁委位蟿蟻伪. 螌蟺蠅蟼 蟿慰 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 蟺苇蟿蟻伪: 蟽蟿伪胃蔚蟻蠈, 伪谓苇魏蠁蟻伪蟽蟿慰, 伪谓蔚蟺伪谓蠈蟻胃蠅蟿慰.
韦慰 螤蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 螤苇蟿蟻伪 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 伪蟺位蠋蟼 苇谓伪 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏蠈 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪路 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 尾伪胃喂维 蟺慰位喂蟿喂魏萎 魏蟻伪蠀纬萎 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓畏 渭蔚 蟿畏 蟽喂纬慰蠀蟻喂维 蟿慰蠀 蟽喂蠅蟺畏位慰蠉 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 蟿伪 苇蠂蔚喂 未蔚喂 蠈位伪. 螝伪喂 蔚蟺蔚喂未萎 慰 Smith 未蔚谓 伪谓萎魏蔚喂 蟽蟿伪 纬谓蠅蟽蟿维 喂蔚蟻维 蟿苇蟻伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 渭伪蠉蟻畏蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼 鈥� 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 螠蟺蠈位谓蟿慰蠀喂谓, 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 巍维喂蟿 鈥� 畏 伪谓伪魏维位蠀蠄萎 蟿慰蠀 苇蠂蔚喂 魏维蟿喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蠂伪蟻维 (魏伪喂 蟿畏 谓蟿蟻慰蟺萎) 蟺慰蠀 谓喂蠋胃蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿伪谓 魏伪蟿伪位伪尾伪委谓蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 畏 螜蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟽慰蠀 苇魏蟻蠀尾蔚 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪 蔚蟺委 蟿慰蠉蟿慰蠀.
螇 蟺蠋蟼 苇谓伪蟼 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓蠈蟼 渭伪蠉蟻慰蟼 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 蔚委未蔚 魏伪胃伪蟻蠈蟿蔚蟻伪 蟿慰 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭蠈 伪蟺蠈 渭伪魏蟻喂维
违蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 魏维蟺慰喂伪 尾喂尾位委伪 蟺慰蠀 未蔚谓 蠁蠅谓维味慰蠀谓路 伪谓蟿喂胃苇蟿蠅蟼, 渭喂位慰蠉谓 渭蔚 蠁蠅谓萎 萎蟽蠀蠂畏 魏伪喂 蟽蟿伪胃蔚蟻萎, 蟽伪谓 魏维蟺慰喂慰蟼 蟺慰蠀 苇渭伪胃蔚 伪蟺蠈 谓蠅蟻委蟼 蟺蠅蟼 畏 魏蟻伪蠀纬萎 蟽蔚 魏伪委蔚喂 蟺喂慰 纬蟻萎纬慰蟻伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蠁蠅蟿喂维. 韦慰 螤蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 螤苇蟿蟻伪 蟿慰蠀 William Gardner Smith 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 蟿苇蟿慰喂慰 尾喂尾位委慰: 渭喂魏蟻蠈, 蟺蠀魏谓蠈 魏伪喂 伪谓畏蟽蠀蠂畏蟿喂魏维 未喂伪蠀纬苇蟼, 渭蔚 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟺慰蠀 未蔚 纬蠀蟻委味蔚喂 伪位位慰蠉, 蠈蟿伪谓 蟿伪 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪 蟽魏慰蟿蔚喂谓喂维味慰蠀谓.
螕蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰 蟿慰 1963 伪蟺蠈 苇谓伪谓 螒蠁蟻慰伪渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓蠈 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪 蟺慰蠀 苇味畏蟽蔚 蔚尉蠈蟻喂蟽蟿慰蟼 蟽蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂, 蟿慰 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪 伪魏慰位慰蠀胃蔚委 蟿慰谓 螠维胃喂慰蠀, 苇谓伪谓 谓蔚伪蟻蠈 未畏渭慰蟽喂慰纬蟻维蠁慰 蟺慰蠀 蔚纬魏伪蟿伪位蔚委蟺蔚喂 蟿畏谓 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏萎 纬喂伪 谓伪 纬位喂蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 尾委伪 蟿慰蠀 蠁蠀位蔚蟿喂魏慰蠉 蟻伪蟿蟽喂蟽渭慰蠉. 危蟿慰 螤伪蟻委蟽喂 胃伪 尾蟻蔚喂 蟿畏谓 蔚位蔚蠀胃蔚蟻委伪 鈥� 伪位位维 蠈蠂喂 蟿畏谓 伪胃蠅蠈蟿畏蟿伪. 螒谓蟿委 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蟺伪蟻喂味喂维谓喂魏慰 蠈谓蔚喂蟻慰 渭蔚 魏蟻伪蟽委, 蟿蟽喂纬维蟻慰 魏伪喂 蠁喂位慰蟽慰蠁委伪 蟽蟿伪 蟺蔚味慰未蟻蠈渭喂伪, 尾蟻委蟽魏蔚喂 渭喂伪 螕伪位位委伪 蟺慰蠀 伪喂渭慰蟻蟻伪纬蔚委 蟺委蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 尾喂蟿蟻委谓伪, 渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蟺蠈位蔚渭慰 蟽蟿畏谓 螒位纬蔚蟻委伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 伪蠈蟻伪蟿畏 魏伪胃畏渭蔚蟻喂谓萎 魏伪蟿伪蟺委蔚蟽畏 蟿蠅谓 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓蠋谓 渭蔚蟿伪谓伪蟽蟿蠋谓.
螣 Smith, 渭蔚 渭喂伪 蟺蟻蠈味伪 魏伪胃伪蟻萎 魏伪喂 蔚位蔚纬蔚喂伪魏萎, 伪蟻谓蔚委蟿伪喂 蟿慰谓 未喂未伪魏蟿喂蟽渭蠈. 螖蔚谓 蠂蟻蔚喂维味蔚蟿伪喂. 螚 尾委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚魏蔚委: 蟽喂蠅蟺畏位萎, 蟺蟻慰慰未蔚蠀蟿喂魏萎, 未喂慰喂魏畏蟿喂魏维 慰蟻纬伪谓蠅渭苇谓畏. 螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽慰蠀 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻维蠄蔚喂 渭喂伪 蟽蠁伪纬萎路 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽慰蠀 蔚尉畏纬萎蟽蔚喂 蟺蠋蟼 蠁蟿维谓蔚喂蟼 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿萎谓 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 谓伪 蟿慰 魏伪蟿伪位维尾蔚喂蟼. 螝伪喂 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚尉委蟽慰蠀 蟽魏位畏蟻蠈.
螠苇蟽伪 伪蟺鈥� 蟿伪 渭维蟿喂伪 蟿慰蠀 螠维胃喂慰蠀, 尾位苇蟺慰蠀渭蔚 蟿畏谓 伪蟺慰纬慰萎蟿蔚蠀蟽畏 蔚谓蠈蟼 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 萎位蟺喂味蔚 谓伪 味萎蟽蔚喂 蔚魏蟿蠈蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪蟼 魏伪喂 魏伪蟿苇位畏尉蔚 谓伪 蟿畏谓 魏慰喂蟿维味蔚喂 魏伪蟿维渭伪蟿伪 鈥� 萎, 渭维位位慰谓, 谓伪 蟿畏 尾位苇蟺蔚喂 蠂伪蟻伪纬渭苇谓畏 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 谓蔚伪蟻慰蠉 螒位纬蔚蟻喂谓慰蠉. 螘魏蔚委谓慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟿慰蠀 苇纬喂谓蔚 "蟺苇蟿蟻伪" 蠈蟿伪谓 魏伪蟿维位伪尾蔚 蟺蠅蟼 未蔚谓 苇蠂蔚喂 蟺喂伪 蟿委蟺慰蟿伪 谓伪 蠂维蟽蔚喂. 螘委谓伪喂 委蟽蠅蟼 畏 蟺喂慰 萎蟽蠀蠂畏 魏伪喂 蟽蠀纬蠂蟻蠈谓蠅蟼 畏 蟺喂慰 慰蟻纬喂蟽渭苇谓畏 蟽魏畏谓萎 蟿慰蠀 尾喂尾位委慰蠀路 魏喂 伪蠀蟿萎 畏 苇谓蟿伪蟽畏 蟿慰蟺慰胃蔚蟿蔚委 蟿慰谓 Smith 蟽蟿慰 蠉蠄慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 蟽蟺慰蠀未伪委蠅谓 畏胃喂魏蠋谓 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 20慰蠉 伪喂蠋谓伪.
螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蠉魏慰位慰 尾喂尾位委慰 鈥� 蠈蠂喂 纬喂伪蟿委 蔚委谓伪喂 未蠀蟽谓蠈畏蟿慰, 伪位位维 纬喂伪蟿委 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓蟿喂渭慰. 危慰蠀 未蔚委蠂谓蔚喂 蟿慰谓 魏蠈蟽渭慰 蠈蠂喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 胃伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 蔚委谓伪喂, 伪位位维 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 蠈蟿伪谓 蟿慰谓 魏慰喂蟿维尉蔚喂蟼 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 蠁委位蟿蟻伪. 螌蟺蠅蟼 蟿慰 尾位苇渭渭伪 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 蟺苇蟿蟻伪: 蟽蟿伪胃蔚蟻蠈, 伪谓苇魏蠁蟻伪蟽蟿慰, 伪谓蔚蟺伪谓蠈蟻胃蠅蟿慰.
韦慰 螤蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰 伪蟺蠈 螤苇蟿蟻伪 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 伪蟺位蠋蟼 苇谓伪 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏蠈 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪路 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 尾伪胃喂维 蟺慰位喂蟿喂魏萎 魏蟻伪蠀纬萎 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓畏 渭蔚 蟿畏 蟽喂纬慰蠀蟻喂维 蟿慰蠀 蟽喂蠅蟺畏位慰蠉 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 蟿伪 苇蠂蔚喂 未蔚喂 蠈位伪. 螝伪喂 蔚蟺蔚喂未萎 慰 Smith 未蔚谓 伪谓萎魏蔚喂 蟽蟿伪 纬谓蠅蟽蟿维 喂蔚蟻维 蟿苇蟻伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 渭伪蠉蟻畏蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼 鈥� 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 螠蟺蠈位谓蟿慰蠀喂谓, 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 巍维喂蟿 鈥� 畏 伪谓伪魏维位蠀蠄萎 蟿慰蠀 苇蠂蔚喂 魏维蟿喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蠂伪蟻维 (魏伪喂 蟿畏 谓蟿蟻慰蟺萎) 蟺慰蠀 谓喂蠋胃蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿伪谓 魏伪蟿伪位伪尾伪委谓蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 畏 螜蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟽慰蠀 苇魏蟻蠀尾蔚 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪 蔚蟺委 蟿慰蠉蟿慰蠀.
May 8, 2023
Ce livre montre tr猫s bien le contraste du racisme v茅cu par la population noire am茅ricaine 脿 la m锚me 茅poque que celui endur茅 par les Alg茅riens en France juste avant l鈥檌nd茅pendance de l鈥橝lg茅rie. Le r茅cit aborde parfaitement le malaise des racis茅s qui voient 芦听le racisme partout听禄, m锚me lorsqu鈥檌l n鈥檈st pas l脿, 脿 cause des exp茅riences violentes et traumatisantes r茅p茅titives qui forgent leur rapports avec les autres. De la m锚me fa莽on, les personnages blancs, m锚me avec une grande volont茅, n鈥檃rrivent pas toujours 脿 percevoir 芦听le mal听禄 dans les regards port茅s sur leurs amis puisqu鈥檌l n鈥檡 a pas eu de paroles haineuses explicites. Ils ont 茅galement le privil猫ge de mettre de c么t茅 ce qui est triste et macabre pour voir la vie sous un autre angle, sous celui qui n鈥檃 pas besoin de s鈥檃ttarder sur le racisme et la survie. Entre les personnages, les probl猫mes d鈥檌dentification et de compr茅hension de la situation de l鈥檃utre, qui subit autant que soi un racisme quelque part dans le monde, d茅montre la complexit茅 politique du racisme.
April 25, 2024
4.5
The thought it provoked: racism sucks :(
But in all seriousness, this book was fast-paced and gripping. Sometimes heavy-handed but I didn鈥檛 mind. Smith is able to write about complex social-cultural dynamics in a simple and effective way. Pretty graphic but I think he captured the violence perpetuated by an indifferent society so well, it appears that not much has really changed over the years. Cool examination of expat culture too!
Didn鈥檛 expect this book to make me want to pick up another Fanon during exams.
The thought it provoked: racism sucks :(
But in all seriousness, this book was fast-paced and gripping. Sometimes heavy-handed but I didn鈥檛 mind. Smith is able to write about complex social-cultural dynamics in a simple and effective way. Pretty graphic but I think he captured the violence perpetuated by an indifferent society so well, it appears that not much has really changed over the years. Cool examination of expat culture too!
Didn鈥檛 expect this book to make me want to pick up another Fanon during exams.
August 11, 2021
First published in the 1960's, this novel would have been relevant in the 1860's, 1920's, and today which is what makes it equally sad, and yet hopeful. It raises questions about racism, anti-semitism, homophobia, sexism, anti-atheisism, anti-immigration, and right-wing extremism while making it clear as to how complicated these issues are. In sum this is an extraordinary novel.
April 8, 2024
this is an enlightening meditation on race and radicalization. i enjoyed viewing the african-american perspective in a colonial france during the algerian war (which was fairly recent like 1950s). the ongoing parallel between the racism in america and the discrimination of the algerians in france was interesting to see play out.
only writing a review because there aren鈥檛 that many and now i feel like everyone should read this book to truly understand why we need to oppose colonization and occupation in today鈥檚 age. we will never see a just society unless we better understand perspective and other cultural, humanitarian struggles that we experience in our society, even to this day.
only writing a review because there aren鈥檛 that many and now i feel like everyone should read this book to truly understand why we need to oppose colonization and occupation in today鈥檚 age. we will never see a just society unless we better understand perspective and other cultural, humanitarian struggles that we experience in our society, even to this day.
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