I ni tilé everyone !

Hm, okay, this book is not the one I advertised in the last message, in which I announced that I would read Leaves of the Banian Tree, by Albert Wendt. And I did start reading it ! I was really enthusiastic about discovering my first Oceanian book for this one book | one country challenge. BUT. I had to take it back to the library where it belongs before leaving the town, and I didn’t have the time to finish it. Don’t worry, I will find it again (I’ll be back book) and I will reach the end that time. Until then, I offer you to wait with this short review of a short book, Mines de cristal by Oxmo Puccino.

If it does not allow us to discover a new continent, Mines de cristal brings us some novelty anyway : it is neither a novel nor a collection of short stories… but a collection of song lyrics. Indeed, Oxmo Puccino is initially a rapper, and this very small (and short) book gathers some of his texts.

So, what did I think about it ? Well, let’s be direct : I did not like this read. Far from questioning the rhythm and the strength of the author’s words, I have not appreciated it. I did finish the book (because I do not like to stop a read without reaching the end if I can do otherwise, and because this one was very brief), but I have not been enthralled by the melody of Oxmo Puccino’s texts – even when I tried to listen to some of them sung. I think that the main “problem” I had is that I really like rhymed pieces more than prose poetry – and the fact that these were not rhymed kind of took me aback and left me aside. However, I could only note the intensity of the phrasing and of the subjects : Puccino’s texts tell stories of daily lives, sometimes sad, and clearly disenchanted. It is striking, but I had the impression that the collection was getting a bit repetitive : I got a little weary of this read, not succeeding to commit myself to the texts (except for one or two who stood upon the rest). A disappointment it is, but the book was nonetheless interesting to discover, mainly for its stylistic originality !

> The next review will be about Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

> PUCCINO, Oxmo – Mines de cristal, Au diable vauvert.
> written listening to “Pour l’Afrique et pour toi, Mali” .