The novel «The Man Who Read Books» (published by Julliard) by Rachid Benzine emerges as a highlight in this literary season. In this compelling narrative, the Franco-Moroccan author weaves the tale of Nabil, a bookseller in Gaza born in 1948. With a Christian father and a Muslim mother, Nabil recounts the Nakba, the plight of refugees, his family's intricate tapestry, and the role of writing amidst turmoil, embedding his story within the broader Palestinian saga. Set in Gaza from 2014 to January 2025, Nabil uses books as a form of resistance, challenging dehumanization and impersonal narratives about Palestine. His meeting with a French photographer sparks a collective narrative, with Nabil himself as the storyteller. By sharing his personal history and the anguish of exile, he amplifies the collective memory of a region currently enduring genocide at the hands of Israel. Through this novel, Rachid Benzine revives the deliberately erased humanity of a people resisting colonization, not just in the aftermath of October 7, 2023, but for over seven decades. Beneath the surface of a story where personal experiences intersect with grand historical events, the Islamic scholar particularly rejects the sense of helplessness in wartime. He explores the power of literature to sustain empathy, both through this work and through Nabil's journey. Even before its release in bookstores last August, the book's anticipated success was evident, as it is set to be translated into fourteen languages. It stands as a powerful testament to literature's ability to offer an alternative narrative to the destructive and dehumanizing rhetoric of the times.
