Brothers In Exile: Three African-American Writers in Paris

To celebrate Black History Month this year, the American Library has mounted an exhibit that features the three most important African-American expatriate writers of the post-World War II era in Paris: Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Chester Himes.

Triptych from American Library in Paris Web site
Photo credits: Richard Wright, Rue Jacob, Paris, 1949 | Portraits | Todd Webb; Chester Himes, portrait by Carl Van Vechten, 28 Jun 1955; James Baldwin, image from www.autostraddle.com
The name for the exhibit was inspired by the play Brothers in Exile, written by contemporary writer and long-time Paris resident, Jake Lamar. On the evening of February 17, the Library hosted Lamar for a reading from the play and an interview of him conducted by the exhibit's curator, Naida Culshaw.

Jake read to a full house, reincarnating in English what had been presented in French to another packed house at the Théâtre du Rond Point almost a year ago to the day.

Jake Lamar reads from Brothers in Exile
© Discover Paris!
His interview with Naida explored his inspiration for writing the play and the creative process behind it.

Answering an interview question
© Discover Paris!
The display case in which the exhibit is presented consists of nine compartments, seven of which focus on Wright, Baldwin, and Himes. One of them highlights the play, Brothers in Exile. Another contains photos and information about four female writers: Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Terry McMillan.

Chester Himes: Brothers in Exile exhibit
© Discover Paris!

Brothers in Exile: Brothers in Exile exhibit
© Discover Paris!

Women authors: Brothers in Exile exhibit
© Discover Paris!
When asked why she selected "Brothers in Exile" as the topic for this year's Black History Month exhibit, Naida responded:

After curating several exhibits focused on historical experiences of African Americans inside the United States – such as their roles in the civil war, the legendary Negro baseball league, and the many stories of blacks in the Wild West – I was looking for a topic where being both an expat and an African American played a role.

Around that time I became aware of a reading at the American University of Paris featuring Jake Lamar which mentioned his play. It only took reviewing the synopsis of the play to confirm this was the next topic! I contacted Jake and he was open to the idea, so we went from there.

During the interview, Jake was pleased to announce that the radio station France Culture will produce Brothers in Exile as part of its Fiction / Théâtre et Companie series. Laurence Courtois, the literary advisor for Théâtre et Companie, will direct the audio production.

Laurence Courtois and Jake Lamar
© Discover Paris!
The Brothers in Exile exhibit runs through March 22, 2015. The day before it closes, Jake will moderate a literary discussion at the library called "Writers and their Heroes," at which participants will take a close look at protagonists in four seminal novels by Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison and Chester Himes. Space is limited, RSVP required.

For information about past Black History Month events at the American Library, click on the links below.

Black History Month at the American Library
Black History Month 2014 at the American Library

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Black History Month Celebrated at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence

The U. S. State Department in Paris has hosted several events in celebration of Black History Month in Paris over the years. This year, Ambassador Jane D. Hartley opened the Ambassador's residence for a screening of the Claude Ribbe documentary on the first African-American military pilot, Eugene Bullard.

Bullard (1895-1961) was an American expatriate whose life in Paris spanned World War I, the interwar years, and the early part of World War II. He was a boxer, vaudeville performer, drummer, and entrepreneur. He owned and operated night clubs, and even owned an athletic club. As a member of the Foreign Legion, he was wounded in battle at Verdun during World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a bronze star for heroism. He then became the first ever African-American fighter pilot—training with the French and joining the Lafayette Escadrille, an American flying corps under French command. Despite valorous service, Dr. Edmund Gros of the American Hospital arranged to have him permanently grounded because of Gros’ own race prejudice.

Eugene Bullard and his monkey, Jimmy
The screening was attended largely by U. S. and French military personnel—including the Military Governor of Paris, Hervé Charpentier—as the State Department wanted to make Bullard's story known to the men and women in American and French uniform who are stationed in and around Paris.

Screening attendees at the Ambassador's residence
© Discover Paris!

Commander John Q. Quartey, USN and Chief Warrant Officer Four David Smeigh, USA
© Discover Paris!
Colonel Brendan B. McAloon, the attaché de defense for the U.S. Army, was responsible for organizing the evening. He worked closely with Ambassador Hartley and her team.

Ambassador Jane D. Hartley and Colonel Brendan B. McAloon
© Discover Paris!
Eugene Bullard is a 52-minute TV documentary directed by Claude Ribbe. It was produced by Ortheal, a film and television production studio in Paris, with the participation of the French National Public Television (France 3). Prior to the screening, Ribbe gave a brief introduction of the documentary and his motivation for creating it.

Claude Ribbe, director of Eugene Bullard
© Discover Paris!
Afterward, the Ambassador’s residence resounded with conversations about how touched the attendees were by Bullard's story. Bullard's history was particularly compelling for Michelle M. McAloon, a military pilot who retired from the U.S. Army as a captain and went on to achieve the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Lieutenant Colonel Michelle M. McAloon, USAR, ret. and
Colonel Brendan B. McAloon, USA
© Discover Paris!
Eugene Bullard was released for French television in 2013. An English-language version will be released this year and a feature film is currently in production. Ribbe's hope is that the full-length film will be ready for release in time for the 2017 commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War I and the creation of the Lafayette Escadrille flying corps.

Watch a trailer for the English-language documentary here: Eugene Bullard

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Postérité: A Review

I am a huge fan of Jake Lamar’s writing. I’ve read his memoir and all of his novels and I attended the reading for his stage play Brothers in Exile.

Jake's most recent book, Postérité (Rivages, 2014), is the only work of his that I’ve read in French. In fact, this is the first book by Jake that has been released in French prior to being published in English.

Postérité represents additional firsts for Jake as well. It is his first novel that cannot be categorized as a thriller. It is his first novel that does not revolve around a black character or examine race relations. It delves deeply into the subject of modern/contemporary art and the tragedy of the Rotterdam Blitz of World War II.

Postérité is the story of two protagonists – a Dutch abstract expressionist painter, Femke Versloot, and an American art history professor, Toby White, who wants to write a book about her. White can be viewed as an intellectual “stalker” of sorts. He desperately wants to expose the “life behind the art” of the enigmatic painter in a scholarly publication, which he believes will open the doors to a prestigious appointment at a major American university. In the hope of getting close to his subject, he begins an intimate relationship with Versloot’s granddaughter (who also happens to be his student).

During the course of the story, we learn that Versloot is a contemporary of Jackson Pollack and countryman Willem de Kooning and that her art does not receive the same level of recognition and accolades as the works of these male colleagues until very late in her life. As Jake “pulls back the curtain” on her world, we discover an artist who is completely obsessed with her work and whose personal life is shrouded in mystery.

Jake signing a copy of Postérité
© Discover Paris!
In his inimitable way, Jake weaves back and forth between past and present, giving us tantalizing glances into events that have molded Femke Versloot into the artist that White pursues. He introduces us to Joop, the younger brother whom Versloot abandoned in Rotterdam at the end of the war. As his story unfolds, the reader almost wills him to expose the secrets that his sister has kept buried for over 50 years. Jake presents the men in Versloot’s life, her daughter, her granddaughter, and friends and acquaintances who provide glimpses the psyche of this impenetrable character. And he includes several twists in the plot that are reminiscent of the thrillers that he’s published in the past.

Versloot’s art takes on the role of a character in the book as well:

“a painting that seemed to seethe, from corner to corner, with molten red and brown”

“September 1949, a churning whirlpool in viscous mud tones”

“ this unsettling tableau, with its purplish epicenter surrounded by expanding greenish-bluish rings that seem to seep through the canvas. Ultra fine blue tentacles snaking through the rings . . .”

Jake’s description of the paintings renders them vivid in the mind’s eye and gives them a soul and a purpose independent of the person who created them. Not only can you see them, you can FEEL them.

For Francophone readers, I highly recommend this well-woven tale of intrigue.

For Anglophone readers, look for a follow-up post on this blog when the original (English-language) version of the book (entitled Posthumous) is published.

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Art and Food Pairing™: La Galerie Africaine and Chez Fifi - Miss-Yolo

Aude Minart and La Galerie Africaine have kicked off 2015 with an intimate and powerful exhibition of African art called A Nous L'Afrique. It is being shown at Mu Gallery in Paris' 9th arrondissement. Tom and I attended a reception for the show a few days ago.

A Nous l'Afrique flier (left) and Aude Minart (right)
© Discover Paris!

Mu Gallery
© Discover Paris!
This corner of the 9th was known as Black Montmartre in the early to mid-20th century, and the gallery is only a block away from the former location of Florence Embry Jones' famous nightspot, Chez Florence.

The exhibition features works by one of Aude's preferred painters, Senegal's Camara Gueye.

l'Oiseau rouge
Camara Gueye
2004 media
© Discover Paris!

La jeune fille en rouge
Camara Gueye
2008 media
© Discover Paris!
Exquisite traditional and contemporary sculptures, artisanal fabrics and masks, and fine crafts are also part of the show.

A Nous l'Afrique - paintings and sculptures
© Discover Paris!

A Nous l'Afrique - masks and fabric
© Discover Paris!

A Nous l'Afrique - crafts and fabrics
© Discover Paris!
A Nous l'Afrique closes on January 31, 2015. If you're in Paris, it's worth taking the time to see it!

Mu Gallery
53, rue Blanche
75009 Paris
Metro: Place de Clichy (Lines 2 and 13), Blanche (Line 2)
Hours: Monday through Saturday from 12 noon to 8 PM

About a 10-minute walk from Mu Gallery is an African restaurant called Chez Fifi-Miss-Yolo. It used to operate under the name Au Braisé d'Or, but is now under new management.

After a lovely time at the gallery, Tom and I walked over to the restaurant for dinner. The sign with the new name has yet to be installed on the façade.

The dining room at Chez Fifi is large and modestly decorated. A red carpet extends from the doorway to guide you to tables located next to the front window, along the right wall, and at the rear of the restaurant. Maize-colored walls are accentuated with brown molding and African-themed appliqués. Large tables covered with brightly pattered cloths are flanked by brown vinyl benches. Curtains are made from the same cloth that covers the tables.

Dining room at Chez Fifi-Miss-Yolo
© Discover Paris!
There was a problem in the kitchen that evening and several dishes listed on the menu were not available. But we were both happy with the dish we selected, which was a Congolese preparation called Ngolo-liboké. Catfish is one of the very few fishes that I eat and I'm pleased to report that this home-style rendition of it was excellent!

Our server was careful to explain that we could have the fish cooked one of two ways - braised or cooked in banana leaves (liboké). We chose the braised version and were served an entire fish with the head still attached. The flesh was tender, meaty, slightly smoky, and incredibly flavorful. A simple lettuce and tomato salad dressed in thick vinaigrette was served on the plate as well. There was no other garnish.

As accompaniments, Tom ordered kwanga (manioc) and I ordered aloko (fried plantains). A generous portion of each was served in a separate dish alongside. The plantains were firm and slightly sweet, while the manioc was spongy and slightly sour.

Braised catfish, kwanga (left), and aloko (right)
© Discover Paris!
The waitress placed the obligatory condiments - lemon juice (reconstituted), Maggi seasoning sauce, and home-made pepper sauce - on the table, but the fish was so well seasoned that we didn't need to use any of them.

Condiments
© Discover Paris!
I had hoped to order bissap (hibiscus juice) or ginger juice as a beverage, but neither was listed on the menu. So I ordered a lightly carbonated, fruit-flavored Cameroonian soft drink called D'jino instead. Tom ordered a Guinness Extra Fort stout, a brew that is dark and strong (7.5% alcohol).

D'jino and Guinness
© Discover Paris!
Even without ordering a first course, the fish, salad, and sides were too much to finish!

Our servers were quite accommodating and took all the time we needed to explain what was offered on the menu. Just as we were noting that our meal was taking longer than anticipated to arrive at the table, one of the servers came out and apologized for the inconvenience. She said that it would not be too much longer before we'd be served, and our food was delivered to us less than ten minutes later.

Chez Fifi-Miss-Yolo is in a lively area of Paris, just north of Place de Clichy. It is by no means upscale, but it is clean and the food will remind you of what you'd get from your mother's or grandmother's kitchen. We plan to try this restaurant again to see how things unfold here.

Chez Fifi-Miss-Yolo
3, rue Capron
75018 Paris
Metro: Place de Clichy (Lines 2 and 13)
Hours: Every day from 12 noon to 2 AM

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