Books & Translations
This book, with texts in English and French, was written to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Franco-American Cultural Fund which fosters the art of cinema and its creation on both sides of the Atlantic. Interviews by Olivia Snaije with Costa-Gavras, Serge Toubiana, Bertrand Tavernier, Howard Rodman and others are included.
What Howard Rodman had to say:
“The first French film I saw was La Guerre est finie by Alain Resnais, starring Yves Montand and written by Jorge Semprun who was in exile from fascist Spain. The narrative wasn’t entirely linear and it made me think, looking back on it, about the way the language of cinema is richer and far more varied than what I had been exposed to on my diet of Hollywood movies. At that time I had started to read avant-garde literature and this movie hit me in the wonderful way that these books were hitting me. And the people in it were oddly, more like the people I knew in real life, than the characters who populated the films of my own country. I walked out of the theater seeing the world slightly differently than when I walked in.”
Keep Your Eye on the Wall brings together seven award-winning artist-photographers and four essayists, all responding to the Israeli separation Wall in images or words. The photographers present unique perspectives, whether it is documenting the journey of labourers across the concrete separation barrier, or exploring the layers and textures of a wall in Gaza. Co-edited by Olivia Snaije and Mitchell Albert. Keep Your Eye on the Wall is also available in French. The photographs from this book were exhibited at the Rencontres d’Arles, in Paris, in Ramallah and in Kuwait.
what raja shehadeh wrote:
“Looking at these photographs, I found myself admiring the courage of the photographers and their success in working out the place of the Wall within the rest of the physical and human Palestinian landscape, evoking its meaning and impact. I must admit that when the Wall was being built, I could not even look at it, let alone write about it—such was the extent of the trepidation it aroused in me…”
The Ethnic Paris Cookbook explores Paris’s cosmopolitan cuisine via its colonial past, with essays about immigration, neighborhoods, ethnic markets and shops, and contains over 100 recipes inspired by Parisian chefs and gourmands. Written by Olivia Snaije, recipes by Charlotte Puckette.
about rougui dia:
When Rougui Dia took over the reins in the kitchen of the restaurant belonging to the venerable Petrossian caviar empire, the press was agog. A woman! And with an African background no less! Thirty years old, calm and reserved, Rougui Dia grew up in the suburbs of Paris, born to Senegalese parents, and a mother who loved to cook. Her parents regularly got up at 5am and drove to Rungis, the gargantuan Parisian wholesale market taking whichever of the seven children who wanted to go with them….Petrossian’s menu has gently evolved to include certain African touches, such as scorpion fish with plantains, prawn ravioli with a dash of coconut, wild Iranian shrimp with a crunch, curry-flavored exterior, and her signature dessert, tarte fine aux mangues.
Parisian Cats is a feline journey through Paris featuring 20 cats in public places where Parisians hang out, from bookshops to cafés. Written by Olivia Snaije, photography by Nadia Benchallal. Parisian Cats was translated into French, German, Japanese and Korean. The book was also the inspiration for a calendar published by teNeues.
It took 20 years for Franco-Lebanese artist and author Lamia Ziadé to be able to write a graphic memoir about her childhood growing up in Lebanon during the civil war. Bye Bye Babylon is both a rollicking and heartbreaking account of of the madness of war with lots of black humor. Translation by Olivia Snaije from French into English.
The Little Eskimo wants to know if he’ll be a great hunter when he grows up and also what’s on the other side of the Great Ice Lake. By Davide Cali, illustrations by Maurizio Quarello. Translation by Olivia Snaije from French to English.
Pilou, a tabby with a proud white chest, spends his days in a vintage doll shop near the Luxembourg Gardens. He is particularly passionate about tiny 19th century leather booties, which, when he can get hold of them, he loves to fling about on the Escher-style black, white and gray tiled floor. His preferred throne is a Napoleon III chair for children, perched on a small table from the same era…
“In 1975 I was seven years old and loved the Bazookas my mother bought for Walid and me at Spinney’s in the Ramlet al-Baida neighborhood. Spinney’s, an ultramodern supermarket, had opened in Beirut several years earlier. It is a monument to the best of what the Western world can offer with many firsts for Lebanon: trolleys, escalators (or maybe the first were in the Byblos department store, I’m not sure). It’s a real paradise that is about to go up in smoke like everything else.”
“The Little Eskimo wants to know what's on the other side of the great frozen lake, and he wants to know if he'll be a great hunter when he grows up. He starts out on a quest to find the answers but none of the arctic animals can help him. Finally, a whale takes the brave little boy to the one creature who knows all and the Little Eskimo discovers his two questions are very much connected…”