A Man With No Title

by Le Clerc, Xavier

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published 01/10/2024 by Saqi Books in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 128 pages

Mohand-Said Ait-Taleb is an enigma. Living in France but ravaged by memories of the war in Algeria, he has withdrawn into his own world, away from his wife and children. When his son Xavier discovers articles by Albert Camus describing the appalling conditions his father grew up in, he starts to piece together the story of his life. Xavier retraces the steps of this dignified, illiterate and strong-willed man: from Kabylia - where starving children, like Mohand-Said, fought with dogs for scraps - to the metal factory in Normandy, where his father would spend the rest of his days, consumed with providing for his family. It is there that Xavier discovers his love of books. When he breaks with conservative family traditions and confesses his attraction to men, Xavier will find which doors slam closed and which will open. A Man With No Title is a beautiful and moving tribute to a father, to the immigrants condemned to undertake the hardest work for meagre reward, and to the power of literature to transcend class.