TEHRAN – The Persian translation of the book “Small Country,” the debut novel by the Franco-Rwandan rapper, songwriter, and novelist, Gaël Faye, has been released in the Iranian book market.
Translated by Maryam Saberi, the book has been published by Cheshmeh Publication in 175 pages, ISNA reported.
Originally published in 2016, the book has since been translated into 36 languages.
“Small Country” opens with the 33-year-old narrator, Gabriel, reflecting on his life in France. Unable to let go of his past, Gabriel makes the decision to return to Burundi, the country of his childhood and the birthplace of the author, as the novel's main story begins.
Set in Burundi and Rwanda from 1993 onwards, the novel is subsequently narrated by ten-year-old Gaby, who lives with his French father and Rwandan mother in an impasse in a comfortable district of Bujumbura, Burundi.
Gabriel's sheltered upbringing leaves him oblivious to the increasing tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority (to which he, through his mother, belongs). As neighboring Rwanda faces the outbreak of civil war and genocide, which spill over into Burundi, the innocence of Gaby and his group of friends is brutally shattered.
The novel is based on Faye's own experiences growing up in Burundi during this period; the author has, however, stressed that it is not strictly autobiographical.…
