São Paulo – Publishing house Tabla will launch a new novel in Brazil. The company that specializes in books by Middle Eastern authors is bringing a novel by Abdourahman Waberi, who was born in Djibouti. Why Do You Dance When You Walk? is set in Waberi’s home country and tells the story of the childhood of the main character, who would later move to Paris, France.
The book was originally written in French. Djibouti is an African francophone country. Located along the Red Sea, the country borders Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea. The book was translated by poet and sociologist José Almino, who has just joined the team of translators of Tabla.
The book starts with a question made by a daughter to her father, “Why do you dance when you walk?” This leads the main character to recall his life in his home country, where a disease marked his life story.
The landscapes in the book go through the moving desert of Djibouti, the Red Sea, the houses made of aluminum sheets in his neighborhood, the family surrounding him, and the nomadic peoples in the region. You can read a sample of the book on the website of the publishing house.
To mark the launch of the book, Tabla has schedule two events. On December 17 at 5 pm, the author will give an interview to Paula Carvalho of literary magazine Quatro Cinco Um on the Tabla’s YouTube channel. The conversation will live streamed in English.
On December 20 at 7 pm, the publishing house hosts a live stream on Djibouti on Instagram with Aycha Sleiman, one of the coordinators of the content page Desoriente-se, and Alexandre dos Santos, professor of International Relations of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.
Quick facts
Book ‘Por que você dança quando anda?’ [Why Do You Dance When You Walk?]
Publishing house Tabla
RBRL 53
Available on: https://editoratabla.com.br/
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
