La vie sans fards

In this very moving narrative, Maryse Condé recounts her youth, that of a passionate, very young mother, a youth influenced by Africa, and the birth of a woman and a writer.

“My life unvarnished was born of a double ambition. Firstly, I’ve always asked myself why every attempt to speak of one’s self resulted in a batch of half-truths. It would appear that human beings are so desirous of portraying an existence different than reality that they embellish it despite themselves. My life unvarnished should be considered an attempt to speak the truth, to discard the temptations of myth and flattering idealizations. It is also an attempt to describe the birth of the vocation of a writer. Is writing in fact a job? Why invent lives, why invent characters who have no direct relationship to reality? This is perhaps the most universal of all my books. I use the word universal purposely although I know it highly displeases some. Above all, it is the story of a woman’s search for happiness and the ideal companion while she deals with the difficulties of life. She is confronted with that crucial choice, still valid today, of either becoming a mother or choosing to exist only for herself.”  Maryse Condé 

Is it possible to be honest when describing one’s life? Maryse Condé takes on the challenge in this passionate book. – MARIE CLAIRE