Do You Hear in the Mountains... and Other Stories

This new translation brings together two of Algerian author Maïssa Bey’s important works for the first time in English. "Do You Hear in the Mountains..." is a compelling piece of autofiction in which three destinies meet dramatically on a train moving through France. We meet an Algerian refugee, whom we recognize as Bey herself. She has escaped the civil war and cannot forget her father’s commitment to independence nor his death under the torture of the French soldiers. Sitting near her is a retired doctor whose military service in Algeria coincidentally took him to the same area at the time of that tragedy. Their neighbor is a girl who would like to understand this past that is so painful to discuss. The eleven diverse tales that follow, presented under the title "Under the Jasmin, at Night," exemplify some of Bey’s recurring themes—the Franco-Algerian colonial legacy and the feminine condition. Together, these works provide an unforgettable picture of a turbulent history that reaches across generations and continents.

CARAF: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French

Maissa Bey is a novelist, writer of short stories, poet, and essayist whose many honors include the Grand Prix de la Nouvelle de la Societe des Gens de Lettres and the Prix Marguerite-Audoux. Her novel Above All Don’t Look Back (Virginia) won the Prix Cybele. Erin Lamm has taught at Boston University, Emmanuel College, and Suffolk University. Alison Rice is Associate Professor of French at the University of Notre Dame.