Victoire
My Mother's Mother
Maryse Condé
- From
- the
- winner
- of
- the
- New
- Academy
- Prize
- in
- Literature
- (the
- alternative
- to
- the
- Nobel
- Prize)
- and
- critically
- acclaimed
- author
- of
- the
- classic
- historical
- novel
- Segu,
- Maryse
- Condé
- has
- pieced
- together
- the
- life
- of
- her
- maternal
- grandmother
- to
- create
- a
- moving
- and
- profound
- novel.Maryse
- Condé’s
- personal
- journey
- of
- discovery
- and
- revelation
- becomes
- ours
- as
- we
- learn
- of
- Victoire,
- her
- white-skinned
- mestiza
- grandmother
- who
- worked
- as
- a
- cook
- for
- the
- Walbergs,
- a
- family
- of
- white
- Creoles,
- in
- the
- French
- Antilles.Using
- her
- formidable
- skills
- as
- a
- storyteller,
- Condé
- describes
- her
- grandmother
- as
- having
- “Australian
- whiteness
- for
- the
- color
- of
- her
- skin...She
- jarred
- with
- my
- world
- of
- women
- in
- Italian
- straw
- bonnets
- and
- men
- necktied
- in
- three-piece
- linen
- suits,
- all
- of
- them
- a
- very
- black
- shade
- of
- black.
- She
- appeared
- to
- me
- doubly
- strange.”Victoire
- was
- spurred
- by
- Condé’s
- desire
- to
- learn
- of
- her
- family
- history,
- resolving
- to
- begin
- her
- quest
- by
- researching
- the
- life
- of
- her
- grandmother.
- While
- uncovering
- the
- circumstances
- of
- Victoire’s
- unique
- life
- story,
- Condé
- also
- comes
- to
- grips
- with
- a
- haunting
- question:
- How
- could
- her
- own
- mother,
- a
- black
- militant,
- have
- been
- raised
- in
- the
- Walberg’s
- home,
- a
- household
- of
- whites?Creating
- a
- work
- that
- takes
- you
- into
- a
- time
- and
- place
- populated
- with
- unforgettable
- characters
- that
- inspire
- and
- amaze,
- Condé’s
- blending
- of
- memoir
- and
- imagination,
- detective
- work
- and
- storytelling
- artistry,
- is
- a
- literary
- gem
- that
- you
- won’t
- soon forget.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
