• La Civiltà Cattolica
  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Contact us
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate

No products in the cart.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate

No products in the cart.

No Result
View All Result
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
No Result
View All Result
     
Home 2103

Water Bearers by Atiq Rahimi

Diego Mattei, SJbyDiego Mattei, SJ
March 12, 2021
in 2103, Book Review
0
water bearers
1
SHARES
14
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Atiq Rahimi’s latest work, Les porteurs d’eau, which we expect to appear in English under the title The Water Bearers or The Water Carriers, is a refined and powerful novel that sets two Afghan stories side by side. One takes place in Kabul, the other in exile between Paris and Amsterdam.

The two protagonists, Tom – or Tamim – and Yussef, linked by subtle differences and deep similarities, are both lovesick. The fate of the gigantic statues of the Buddha in the Bamiyan Valley, which the Taliban destroyed on March 11, 2001, looms over everything. In fact, the two stories coincide with that event, which deeply shocked the world.

Tom fled his homeland when he was only 20 years old, and now, at 45, after many years of marriage and a young daughter, he decides to run away, to join Nuria, whom he met by chance and who has become first a lover and then a reason to escape from his life as an uprooted exile. Without being fully aware of it, he wishes to return to his origins, which he rejected when he arrived in France as a young man.

Yussef, on the other hand, lives in Kabul. His job is to bring water to those who need it. As months of drought that have hit the city hard drag on, he has become ever more important. He alone knows the secret of how to descend into the depths of the mountain caves and draw the water that everyone lacks. According to the Islamic law of levirate, he is obliged to take care of his sister-in-law, Shirin, whom his brother, fleeing abroad, has abandoned. Yussef is secretly in love with her and is struggling with himself and his beliefs.

The themes of origins and identity are interwoven throughout the novel, along with those of memory, remembrance, “doubles,” dreams and delirium.

The novel opens with a vivid description of Magritte’s painting, The Forbidden Reproduction. A print hangs in Tom’s house and it is in some ways an icon of the novel.

The “doubling” effect is accentuated by the choice to write, almost always, in the second person singular, so addressing the principal character as “you.” This achieves a particular effect that begs the question: Who is speaking? Is it the inner voice of the two characters? Is it the one who lives in Paris, or in Kabul?

Previous Post

The European Union – China Agreement

Next Post

The Christians of Iraq

Diego Mattei, SJ

Diego Mattei, SJ

Related Posts

‘A Divine Plot’
Biography

‘A Divine Plot’

byPope Francisand2 others
February 2, 2023
1522: Martin Luther’s New Testament in German
2210

1522: Martin Luther’s New Testament in German

byGiancarlo Pani SJ
September 22, 2022
john w o
2209

A Historian’s Craft: The experience of John W. O’Malley

byFesto Mkenda, SJ
September 7, 2022
god touches man painting
2207

God, the Artist and the Creative Spirit

byGeorg Maria Roers, SJ
June 30, 2022
Theology of the Final Battle and Stephen King
2206

Theology of the Final Battle and Stephen King

byKlaus Mertes, SJ
May 31, 2022
Next Post
Iraqi Christians Children, Easter Sunday, Batnaya, Northern Iraq, 2017. Chaldean Catholics celebrate the first Easter Sunday in their church in more than two years. In 2014, ISIS had overrun the Christian town and displaced all of its people for more than two years. Note the destroyed and bullet-scarred former altar in the background. Photo: Stephen M. Rasch via Angelus Newse

The Christians of Iraq

Premium Content

Meditations for Lute

Meditations for Lute

June 24, 2022
The Spirituality of Dying

The Spirituality of Dying

June 4, 2021
ken-loach-i-daniel-blake

I, Daniel Blake: A film by Ken Loach

August 14, 2017

Browse by Category

Subscription Offers

BEATUS POPULUS CUIUS DOMINUS DEUS EIUS

The most respected digital Catholic journal from Rome. A must-read on all the present issues alive in the Church. Discover top Church scholars interpreting the history, politics, culture, science and art in the light of the Christian faith.

Categories

  Editions
  Church Thought
  Authors
  Church 
 
  Culture
  Perspective Series
  Politics & Socitey

 

About Us

   Contact Us
   La Civiltà Cattolica  
   China Forum
   Feedback
   Terms & Conditions
   Privacy Policy
    Email : [email protected]
My IP Address : 54.36.148.164
Facebook Twitter Instagram

© Union of Catholic Asian News 2022 | All Rights Reserved.
Except for any fair dealing permitted under the Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Faith
    • Mission
    • People
    • Pope Francis
    • Spirituality
  • Church Thought
    • Doctrine
    • Scripture
    • Theology
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Editions
  • Authors
  • Donate
SUBSCRIBE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?
Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Login
  • Sign Up
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

laciviltacattolica.com uses cookies and similar technologies to optimize the user experience,  analyze site traffic and communicate with subscribers. To read more about how we use cookies and how you can control them click on settings, or click Accept to start browsing our site.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.