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The Scent of Flowers at Night

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'Night is the land of reinvention, whispered prayers, erotic passions. Night is the place where utopias have the scent of the possible, where we no longer feel constrained by petty reality. Night is the country of dreams where we discover that, in the secrecy of our heart, we are host to a multitude of voices and an infinity of worlds...'

Over one night, alone in the Punta della Dogana Museum in Venice, Leila Slimani grapples with the self as it is revealed in solitude. In a place of old and new, she confronts her past and her present, through her life as a Moroccan woman, as a writer, and as a daughter. Surrounded by art, she explores what it means to behold and clasp beauty; enveloped by night, she confronts the meaning of life and death.

Translated from the French by Sam Taylor

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2021

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About the author

Leïla Slimani

59 books3,260 followers
Leïla Slimani is a French writer and journalist of Moroccan ancestry. In 2016 she was awarded the Prix Goncourt for her novel Chanson douce.

Slimani was born in Rabat, Morocco and studied later political science and media studies in Paris. After that she temporarily considered a career as an actress and began to work as a journalist for the magazine Jeune Afrique. In 2014 she published her first novel Dans le jardin de l’ogre, which two years later was followed by the psychological thriller Chanson douce. The latter quickly turned into a bestseller with over 450,000 copies printed within a year even before the book was awarded the Prix Goncourt.

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5 stars
875 (27%)
4 stars
1,415 (43%)
3 stars
751 (23%)
2 stars
145 (4%)
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39 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
Profile Image for Roman Clodia.
2,734 reviews4,140 followers
September 25, 2023
Écrire a été pour moi une entreprise de réparation. Réparation intime, liée à l’injustice dont a été victime mon père. Je voulais réparer toutes les infamies : celles liées à ma famille mais aussi à mon peuple et à mon sexe. Réparation aussi de mon sentiment de n’appartenir à rien, de ne parler pour personne, de vivre dans un non-lieu. J’ai pu penser que l’écriture me procurerait une identité stable, qu’elle me permettrait en tout cas de m’inventer, de me définir hors du regard des autres. Mais j’ai compris que ce fantasme était une illusion. Être écrivain, pour moi, c’est au contraire se condamner à vivre en marge. Plus j’écris et plus je me sens excommuniée, étrangère. Je m’enferme des jours et des nuits pour tenter de dire ces sentiments de honte, de malaise, de solitude, qui me traversent. Je vis sur une île non pas pour fuir les autres mais pour les contempler et assouvir ainsi la passion que j’ai pour eux. Je ne sais pas si écrire m’a sauvé la vie. Je me méfie, en général, de ce genre de formulation. J’aurais survécu sans être écrivain. Mais je ne suis pas sûre que j’aurais été heureuse.


I have such a book-love for Slimani and this non-fictional exploration of her life and writing sealed the deal. Spending a night in an art gallery in Venice is the premise but it's not so much the art which acts as inspiration and catalyst for Slimani's meditations as the sense of being alone in such a public space, one designed for crowds and interaction.

Drawing connections between solitude and creativity, literature and politics, Slimani asserts her writing as compulsion and as political reparation. What is so striking is the vulnerability that she places on show: her journeying is internal and interior, questioning and revealing. From the episode of her father being imprisoned for fraud and his consequent death, to her feelings about gender, racial identity and colonialism, this feels sensitised and troubled. It's notable how many times the concept of fear is mentioned, and the tension between what is culturally imposed on her and what she might construe for herself.

With insights into her childhood in Morocco, this is especially productive read alongside her current trilogy (Le pays des autres/The Country of Others, and Regardez-nous danser/Watch Us Dance, with the final volume still to come), and is also instructive on Slimani's own dialogues with other writers and texts: Salman Rushdie, to whom the book is dedicated; Virginia Woolf; Marguerite Duras; Joyce Carol Oates' Blonde about Marilyn Monroe.

Fascinating, intimate, thoughtful - this is a revealing and essentially unfinished conversation between a writer and her readers.
Profile Image for luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus).
1,528 reviews5,199 followers
April 18, 2023
Adroit yet accessible The Scent of Flowers at Night is a short but thought-provoking read that manages to explore a wide range of topics with insight and emotional intelligence.

Leïla Slimani’s The Scent of Flowers at Night really resonated with me, in particular, when it came to the author's exploration of the intersection between creativity and solitude; while she does, like many other authors, mystify her profession and craft, I did not find her observations and conclusions far-fetched or obnoxious, especially since her view of authors and writing leads to some truly compelling discussions on belonging, aloneness, otherness, and privilege. She is particularly aware of the circumstances that led to her being able to ‘become’ a writer, and I appreciated how honest she was when reflecting on the role of her father’s death in her being able to pursue her writing. She demonstrates a perspective and critical mind, and her self-awareness allows her to consider ‘uncomfortable’ truths, about herself, her family, society, and history. I liked how Slimani's writing seemed in conversation with that of other writers, from considering the authors who shaped her to giving us glimpses into their lives.
While Slimani does write about art and museums, knowledge and beauty, the Punta della Dogana Museum remains a mere backdrop to her various acts of introspection. Slimani does acknowledge that as an author she doesn’t have much to contribute when it comes to writing about Venice but I did feel this was a bit of a cop-out given that she does have very little to say about Venice. Another small quibble is the comparison between Native Americans and the dwindling population of Venice, I mean, not only was it in really really really bad taste but it made little sense.

Slimani’s contemplations on solitude, creativity, identity, heritage, migration, and art, were captivating and I found myself inspired by her words. This type of reading will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith, and Elena Ferrante's nonfiction.
I found Slimani’s recollections of her past, her reflecting on her experiences as a Moroccan woman, first in Morocco and then in France, as a daughter to a Moroccan-French mother and a Moroccan father, and, most of all, as an author to be insightful. I will definitely be revisiting this.
Profile Image for David.
1,595 reviews
February 18, 2023
Une nuit blanche en avril 2019.

French Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani (Chanson douce) had been invited to view an exhibition of contemporary art in the Collection Pinault at La Punta della Dogana, Venice.

While viewing the work of American artist Roni Horn, French artist Philippe Parreno and Lebanese American poet and artist Etel Adnan, something triggers a flood of memories. Her life, her art, her culture. She opens up.

What does it mean to be an expatriate, a foreigner, a stranger in one’s new country? Old country? She never felt a stranger in France but going back to Morocco is another matter.
« Tu sais ce qu’il y a de mauvais dans ton cas? C’est que tu es un expatrié […] On ne t’avait jamais dit ça? Ceux qui ont quitté leur pays n’ont jamais rien écrit qui vaille la peine d’être imprimé », écrit Hemingway dans Le Soleil se lève aussi. P. 129

On writing, recalling those moments, the observer, to record what one sees,
« La littérature est un art de la rétention. On se retient comme dans les premiers moments de l’amour quand nous viennent à l’esprit des phrases banales, des déclarations enflammées que l’on se force à ne pas dire pour ne pas abîmer la beauté du moment ». p. 29

Writing as a battle,
« Garder courage, en sachant au préalable qu’on sera vaincu et aller au combat : c’est ça la littérature». p. 68
Roberto Bolaño

On the night,
« Je m’appelle la nuit. Tel est le sens de mon prénom, Leïla, en arab ». p. 71

On our ephemeral existence,
« Je pense à ce qu’écrit Roland Barthes dans son Journal de deuil: « Je vis les hirondelles voler dans le soir d’été. Je me dis […]quelle barbarie de ne pas croire aux âmes! Quelle imbécile vérité que le matérielisme! » p. 88

Colonialism and the race issue,
« L’homme ne se souvient pas de la enfant; pourtant, la main qui l’a frappé, de l’ombre qui l’a effrayé enfant; pourtant, la main et l’ombre demeurent avec lui, inséparables de lui pour toujours, une part de la passion qui le pousse chaque fois qu’il songe à prendre son envol », écrit James Baldwin dans Chroniques d’un enfant du pays ». p. 134

She reflects on her father, a banker who was convicted of fraud in Morocco and spent time in prison, only to get sick and die a few years later. A tough but honest reflection.
« J’ai toujours une certaine réticence, une distance, je ne me plonge jamais entièrement dans ces pensées-la, je ne m’autorise aucun abandon. » p. 123

She talks about Salman Rushdie. When she was eight, the fatwa was pronounced on him, and being raised a Muslim, she despised him. As she grew and found literature, her views changed, realizing they had similar paths, the outsider trying to fit in by telling stories of their worlds. For this she dedicates the book to him. No better praise.

A lot of deep thought spurred on by one nuit blanche. A beautiful read.

I love the title!

An update: today, 18 F 2023, I read that Slimani has moved to Lisboa after life was become too challenging in Paris. It appears that she was bullied on social media and racism was at the center of her decision to leave. Here is a link to the article.

La escritora Leila Slimani: “Lleva muchísimo tiempo descolonizar los cuerpos, las mentes, los lugares” - https://elpais.com/eps/2023-02-18/lei...
Profile Image for Elena.
941 reviews368 followers
March 12, 2022
"Schreiben heißt, sich Fesseln anlegen, doch aus diesen Fesseln selbst erwächst die Möglichkeit einer ungeheuren, schwindelerregenden Freiheit." - Leïla Slimani, "Der Duft der Blumen bei Nacht"

Es ist 2019, Leïla Slimani befindet sich mitten im Schreibprozess zu ihrem ersten historischen Roman "Das Land der Anderen". Sie hat sich abgeschottet, sich in die schriftstellerische Einsamkeit zurückgezogen. Einen Termin mit ihrer Lektorin nimmt sie aber dennoch wahr und diese macht sie auf ein besonderes Projekt aufmerksam: Autor*innen lassen sich eine Nacht im Museum einschließen und schreiben darüber. Sie ist sich zunächst unsicher, lässt sich dann aber vom Eingeschlossen- und Abgeschieden-Sein überzeugen.

Aus diesem Projekt entstanden ist "Der Duft der Blumen bei Nacht", ein essayistisches Buch, aus dem Französischen übersetzt von Amelie Thoma, in dem Leïla Slimani viele sehr persönliche Gedanken mit den Lesenden teilt. Sie erzählt von ihrem Verhältnis zum Schreiben, ihrer Herkunft, ihrer Kindheit in Rabat, Kolonialismus, ihrem Vater, aber auch der Kunst, die sie im Museum Punta Della Dogana in Venedig zu sehen bekommt. Dabei schlägt sie eine Brücke zwischen den Kunstgegenständen, den künstlerischen Installationen und ihren Überlegungen, sie streift sowohl gedanklich, als auch barfuß durch die Gänge.

Ich mochte sowohl diese Idee, eine Nacht eingeschlossen in einem Museum zu verbringen, als auch Leïla Slimanis entwaffnende Offenheit. "Der Duft der Blumen bei Nacht" ist fesselnd und hallt trotz seiner Kürze nach. Eine lesenswerte Unterbrechung des Schreibens von Leïla Slimani an ihrem autobiographischen Roman, die sich sehr gut auch als Einstieg in ihre literarischen Werke eignet.
94 reviews546 followers
July 16, 2024
Já ando há muito tempo para ler algo da Leila Slimani e acho que foi um erro ter começado por este livro que, só depois de começar descobri, é um ensaio.
"O perfume das flores à noite" foi uma encomenda de um museu em Veneza. A ideia era a autora pernoitar no museu e escrever algo que tivesse origem nessa experiência. Senti o tempo todo que as divagações eram apenas produto de não ter nada mais interessante para escrever, como quando eu era miúda no liceu e me dedicava à arte de "pôr palha" nas respostas do teste de história. Foi como se o livro inteiro fosse apenas o prefácio.
É um livro cheio de citações que, apesar de todas elas serem maravilhosas, parecem só servir para dar ao livro mais espessura. Não desisto da autora mas este não ficará na minha memória.
Profile Image for Cule.Jule.
91 reviews84 followers
May 5, 2022
4,5 von 5 Sterne

Ein lesenswerter Roman, in der die Autorin von einer ungewöhnlichen Nacht allein im Museum Punta della Dogana in Venedig erzählt. Was erlebt sie dort? Welche Gedanken erscheinen ihr? Wer ist sie überhaupt? Und warum schreibt sie eigentlich? Fragen, die die Autorin dem Leser beantwortet.

Ihre Offenheit hat mich ab der ersten Seite beeindruckt. Vor allem ihr Leben zwischen den Kulturen und den Bezug zum Schreiben. 156 Seiten, die aus dem Französischen von Amelie Thoma übersetzt wurden und sich wunderbar lesen.

Ich werde definitiv noch weitere Bücher von der Autorin lesen.
Profile Image for Alaíde Ventura.
Author 6 books1,524 followers
October 27, 2022
Este tipo de cosas dice: “Si quieres escribir una novela, la primera norma es saber decir no (...) No, no puedo cuidar de mi sobrino enfermo..." Y: “La escritura (es) renunciar a la felicidad, a las alegrías de la vida cotidiana. No intentar curarse ni consolarse, sino cultivar las propias penas... Dejar que se abran las cicatrices, remover los recuerdos”.

Pues, sí, pues, visto de cierta manera, pero también ese estereotipo del escritor atormentado viene sobrando en estos tiempos, se antoja hasta patriarcal, anquilosado. ¿A quién beneficia que las escritoras seamos desdichadas y que ejerzamos un oficio en total desvinculación social?

Más adelante, incluso dice: “La conversación es la enemiga de los escritores. Uno debería callarse, refugiarse en un silencio obstinado y profundo.” Híjole, eso sí que no.

Conforme avanza el libro, y conforme más se transparentan los privilegios de los que goza la autora, se va volviendo más ciega ante ellos. El tratamiento del tema es de una estrechez insoportable (que es un modo fino de decir que me aburrió tremendamente). Para la página 58 aparece por fin el padre, la verdadera historia, pero para ese entonces ya nos aventamos párrafos y párrafos de namedropping, citaciones excesivas, crítica artística varia, y de una intelectualidad que, aquí entre nos, más pareciera un intento por probar... ¿qué cosa?

(Ay, no, y el regodeo: “El pasado y el presente, lo antiguo y lo moderno, las cicatrices y la juventud”. Yaa, ya entendimos).

En resumen: No
Profile Image for Paula  Abreu Silva.
347 reviews96 followers
August 9, 2022
"Em que armadilha fui cair? Porque aceitei escrever este texto, se estou plenamente convencida de que a escrita deve responder a uma necessidade, a uma obsessão íntima, a uma urgência interior? De resto, quando os jornalistas me perguntam porque escolhi dado tema para o meu romance, vejo-me sempre em apuros para responder. Invento qualquer coisa, uma mentira credível. Se lhes dissesse que são os nossos temas que nos escolhem, e não o contrário, tomar-me-iam sem dúvida por uma pedante ou por uma louca. A verdade é que os romances se nos impõem, devoram-nos. São como um tumor que alastra por nós adentro, que assume o controlo de todo o nosso ser e do qual só nos podemos curar abandonando-nos a ele."

Página 45
Profile Image for Maren.
223 reviews6 followers
January 7, 2024
Hörbuch.
Fand die Zerissenheit der Autorin zwischen ihrer kulturellen Herkunft (Marokko) und dem Leben in Frankreich sehr gut geschildert.
Sie darf sich während einer Schreibblockade im venzianischen Museum Museo Punta Della Dogana einschließen lassen (beneidenswert, ich würde gern jede Nacht in einem anderen Museum verbringen, na gut, zumindest einmal pro Woche).
Statt an ihrem Roman zu schreiben, kommen in ihr schöne, aber auch schnerzhafte Erinnerungen hoch.
Sehr persönlich, tiefgründig.
Profile Image for Alma.
727 reviews
March 19, 2022
"A literatura não serve para restituir o real, serve para preencher vazios, lacunas. Exumamos e ao mesmo tempo criamos uma outra realidade. Não inventamos, imaginamos, damos corpo a uma visão que construímos de uma ponta a outra, com pedaços de recordações e de obsessões eternas."
Profile Image for Zuzulivres.
419 reviews110 followers
September 15, 2022
"Vychovávali ma ako domáceho miláčika. Nikdy som nešportovala. Neviem jazdiť na bickli a nemám vodičský preukaz. Ako dieťa som väčšinu času trávila doma. Učila som sa. Rabat neponúkal veľa možností trávenia voľného času, a tak sme sa so sestrami zabávali čítaním alebo pozeraním filmov. Zakázaným územím nebola len noc, ale aj vonkajšok. Dievčatá nemali čo robiť na uliciach, námestiach, v kaviarňach, na ktorých terasách, ako si pamätám, sedávali len muži. Dievča sa presúvalo len z bodu A do bodu B. Inak bolo tuláčkou, pijankou, dievčaťom, čo zišlo z cesty. Hrozilo veľa nebezpečenstiev: otehotnenie, zamilovanie sa, zhoršenie známok v škole pre nadmerné emócie. Rozprávali mi o sérii závratných pádov, jeden horší ako druhý. Dievčatá boli navždy Evinými dcérami."

"Volám sa noc. Toje význam môjho krstného mena Leila v arabčine. Ale pochybujem, že to stačí na vysvetlenie príťažlivosti, ktorú som veľmi skoro pocítila k nočnému životu. Cez deň sa každý správal podľa toho, čo sa od neho očakávalo, snažil sa udržať si fazónu, prezentovať sa ako cnostný, konformný a slušný človek. Ako dieťa som denné hodiny vnímala ako čas venovaný banálnym a bezvýznamným činnostiam. Predstavovali územie nudy a povinnosti. Potom prišla noc. Poslali nás spať, pričom som tušila, že kým spíme, na javisko prichádzajú iní herci. ľudia sa vyjadrovali inak, ženy boli krásne, mali vyčesané vlasy, odhaľovali žiarivú a voňavú pleť. Zdalo sa mi, že sú krehké, keď príliš pili, keď sa smiali, ale zároveň im nechýbala nepremožiteľná sila. Tieto premeny ma fascinovali. A keď som bola vo veku, keď som už mohla chodiť večer von, alebo dokonca ešte skôr, sa ma zmocnil hnev. Naliehavosť, hlad, ženúci ma užiť si noc. Nechcela som byť dobre vychovaným dievčatkom."

"Často sa ma ľudia pýtajú, čo dokáže literatúra. Je to ako pýtať sa lekára, čo dokáže liek. Čím sme ďalej, tým viac si uvedomujeme, akí sme bezmocní. Bezmocnosť nás posadne, pohltí. Píšeme naslepo, nechápeme a nič nie je vysvetliteľné."
Profile Image for Sofia.
949 reviews125 followers
October 2, 2022
Neste livro bastante intimista, Slimani revela-nos alguns dos seus pensamentos sobre a escrita e sobre identidade.
É um livro para ser saboreado lentamente, com momentos que me agradaram mais que outros (como é natural). Sob pena de poder prejudicar o prazer da leitura de alguém, guardarei para mim as partes que menos me interessaram.

"Virginia Woolf foi sem dúvida quem melhor compreendeu a que ponto a condição das mulheres as constrangia a viver numa tensão constante entre o interior e o exterior. É-lhes recusado, por um lado, o conforto e a intimidade de um quarto só seu, bem como, por outro, a vastidão do mundo lá fora, onde poderiam conviver com outros e viver aventuras."
Profile Image for Babette Ernst.
315 reviews67 followers
January 17, 2024
Als Leïla Slimani in einer Schreibkrise steckte, machte ihr die Verlegerin das ungewöhnliche Angebot, eine Nacht in einem Museum in Venedig zu verbringen. Warum gerade Venedig? Wahrscheinlich gibt es nicht viele Museen, in denen eine Nacht verbracht werden kann. (Ich habe viele Jahre mit meiner Tochter Pläne gemacht, wie wir uns heimlich in der Bibliothek einschließen lassen könnten 😉)

Aus diesem Versuch entstand dieses Büchlein, in dem die Autorin ihre Beobachtungen und alle Gedanken in dieser Nacht einfließen lässt. Vermutlich in einer Nachbearbeitung hat sie an passenden Stellen andere Werke zitiert oder schlaue Vergleiche eingefügt. Ihre Gedanken kreisen z. B. um das Schreiben als schmerzhaften Prozess, um das heutige Venedig voller Touristen und die damit zusammenhängenden Probleme, um Museen und Kunst, bildende Kunst versus Literatur, und ganz viel um das eigene Auswachsen in Marokko und wie es die Autorin geprägt hat. Das Museum, in dem sie übernachtet, ist eine ehemalige Zollstation im Hafen, ein Zwischenbereich zwischen den Schiffen z. B. aus dem arabischen Raum und dem europäischen Festland, d. h. ein Ort, der Slimanis Lebensgefühl zwischen Europa und Afrika verkörpert.

Alles, was mit dem Leben zwischen Marokko und Frankreich zusammenhing, habe ich besonders gern gelesen. Insgesamt wurden mir aber zu viele Themen gestreift, deren Zusammenhang darin bestand, in dieser speziellen Nacht gedacht worden zu sein. Der Text ist nicht flach, die Überlegungen sind teilweise überraschend und des Nachdenkens wert, aber trotzdem werde ich sie bald vergessen haben. Die Sprache ist ausgefeilt, der Stil gefiel mir gut. Ich sollte es noch mit einem Roman der Autorin versuchen. Dieses Buch aus wenigen, spärlich bedruckten Seiten, nahezu ohne Handlung, war zu wenig für eine bessere Bewertung, macht aber durchaus neugierig auf andere Bücher von Slimani.
Profile Image for Laura.
7,066 reviews596 followers
May 13, 2022
It's hard to describe this book since it is a mixture of autobiography, art and literary criticism. But I really like it and I am planning to explore more books by this author.


3* The Perfect Nanny
4* O perfume das flores à noite
TR In the Country of Others (Le pays des autres, #1)
TR Regardez-nous danser (Le pays des autres, #2)
Profile Image for Daniela Velgosová.
100 reviews23 followers
June 27, 2022
Intímna spoveď o procese písania. Čo znamená byť autorkou a čo všetko ovplyvňuje jej tvorbu. Krásne a úprimne.
Profile Image for Maria Yankulova.
910 reviews423 followers
December 17, 2023
Вече знам, че каквото и да напише Лейла Слимани ще ме вълнува и предизвиква като читател. Най-новата и книга на български е изключително любопитна. Нехудожествена литература, смесица между размислите на авторката за писането и спомени от детството и. Погледа и върху емигрантството, разказ за баща и, който е изпратен в затвора, картина на Мароко от ранните и години. Има вплетени много препратки към различни литературни произведения и автори и за мен беше истинско удоволствие да усетя творческия процес на Лейла Слимани, както и да получа солидно обяснение защо засяга определени теми в книгите си и начина, по който избира да ги поднесе на читателя.

“Писането е дисциплина. То е доброволен отказ от щастието и радостите на ежедневието… За да пишете трябва да отказвате себе си на другите, да им отказвате присъствието си, нежността си, да разчоравате приятелите си и децата… Да пишеш означава да откриеш свободата, да измисляш себе си в света.”

“Писането е борба за неподвижност и съсредоточеност. Една физическа битка, в която човек непрекъснато трябва да сдържа желанието си да живее и да бъде щастлив.”

“Писането представлява непрестанно изживяване на провал, непреодолимо неудовлетворение, невъзможност. И въпреки това продължаваме. И пишем”
Profile Image for Eva Lavrikova.
861 reviews133 followers
August 16, 2022
Veľmi hutná, intenzívna esej o samote, (u)zavretosti, slobode, inakosti, noci, otcovi, povinnosti, písaní, šťastí, obave a mnohom, mnohom inom. Skrz-naskrz predchnutá intertextualitou, citátmi, priznanými inšpiráciami mnohých ďalších z literárnych i mimoliterárnych svetov.
A múzeum v Benátkach? Len scéna z papundeklu. Podstatné sa odohráva inde - v myšlienkovom svete autorky.

"Keď píšeme, berieme na vedomie slabosti a chyby iných. Chápeme, že sme sami, ale že sme rovnakí.
Na veľkých spisovateľoch ma dojíma ich ohľaduplnosť k druhým. V knihách, ktoré ma očarili, majú autori toľko empatie, že aj tie najbanálnejšie životy, najvšednejšie pocity v sebe nesú kúzlo. Zdá sa, že z našich úbohých životov vzíde niečo veľké. Dali mi nádej alebo ilúziu, že si môžeme porozumieť, že si môžeme odpustiť alebo sa navzájom neodsudzovať. Že nie sme odsúdení na chlad a nekonečnú samotu."
Profile Image for miss.mesmerized mesmerized.
1,405 reviews41 followers
January 21, 2021
Quand l‘écrivaine Leïla Slimani est offerte une nuit blanche au sein de la Punta della Dogana (Pointe de la Douane), musée au cœur de Venise, elle accepte comme son roman actuel ne veut pas avancer. Mais, non seulement la possibilité de se trouver seul avec des chef-d’œuvre d‘art la séduit, mais l‘idée d‘être enfermée. Pour elle, c‘est dans les petites pièces renfermées que l‘inspiration vienne. Loin du monde avec soi-même, les personnages lui parlent et l‘histoire naît. Les heures avec des sculptures et des tableaux lui entraînent avant tout à une réflexion de son travail comme écrivaine, de l‘art en général et de sa propre histoire entre deux cultures.

« Les musées continuent de m‘apparaître comme des lieux écrasants, des forteresses dédiées à l‘art, à la beauté, au génie et où je me sens toute petite. »

Le roman de Leïla Slimani est avant tout la documentation de son flux de conscience pendant cette nuit qui coule d‘un sujet à l‘autre. D‘abord, elle se trouve face à des œuvres d‘art extraordinaires, mais elle se sent inférieure comme elle n‘a jamais développé une attitude détendue envers eux. Elle avait toujours l‘idée qu‘il fallait sentir quelque chose de singulier et de voir le génie du créateur immédiatement.

« Je suis sans doute bête. Ou bien c‘est l‘escalope milanaise qui me pèse sur l‘estomac et m‘empêche de faire le moindre effort de réflexion. »

Mais, la peinture comme la littérature est plutôt une interaction entre l‘œuvre et la personne qui le regarde ou lit et qui s‘ouvre pour avoir un échange. Ainsi, tout interprétation est correcte. La littérature comme une partie intégrale de sa vie mène nécessairement à son enfance, ses parents et son enfance entre le Maroc et la France.

« Mes parents voulaient que nous soyons des femmes libres, indépendantes, capables d‘exprimer des choix et des opinions. »

Le livre n‘est ni roman ni essai mais une réflexion continue, Slimani nous laisse participer à sa nuit au musée et ainsi partage aussi son processus créatif. J’ai bien aimé suivre ses pensées très personnelles qui montrent aussi un côté vulnérable de l’écrivaine.
Profile Image for Ana Castro.
318 reviews132 followers
August 1, 2022
«  Écrire c’est découvrir la liberté de s’inventer soi-même et d’inventer le monde « .

Este e outros pensamentos sobre a escrita e o que é preciso para alguém ser um escritor.

E outros em que me revejo completamente:
“Souvent je me suis demandé à quoi aurait ressemblé ma vie si je n’avais pas eu peur ».

É um livro cheio de pensamentos tanto da autora como de outros escritores.
Uma mistura de pensamentos.
Uma introspecção durante uma noite fechada num museu .
Um livro bonito .
Profile Image for Catarina Gomes.
Author 6 books126 followers
August 28, 2022
Um convite para passar a noite num museu, que a autora aceita a contragosto porque lhe interrompe o afastamento de que precisa para criar, acaba por resultar num belo texto confessional onde nos fala da sua escrita e vida. «A literatura preza as cicatrizes, os vestígios do acidente, as desgraças incompreensíveis, as dores injustas.»
Profile Image for Ana.
81 reviews75 followers
April 6, 2024
achei-o pretensioso. desconexo, oscila entre uma biografia sentimental da autora e o objetivo de escrever algo sobre a noite que passou no museu. acaba por ser uma miscelânea de citações de outros autores e tentativas de aforismos que nem sempre saem bem.
Profile Image for Nuno.
86 reviews29 followers
August 15, 2023
Um livro mais pessoal da escritora. Uma noite passada no museu foi o espaço criativo para falar sobre o seu passado em Rabat, sobre o seu pai e o tempo em que esteve preso. Um livro sobre liberdade de escolha, sobre escritores e o acto de escrever. Pensamentos soltos na forma desalinhada e desrruptiva de um sonho dormido numa cama num lugar a que não se pertence.
Profile Image for Dora Silva.
227 reviews82 followers
January 1, 2023
Primeiro livro de 2023,um ensaio que narra uma reflexão da própria autora, quero ler mais desta escritora.
Profile Image for Aaron.
140 reviews3 followers
May 13, 2024
A great, slim little book that's part memoir and part exploration of the writing process. Lots of good stuff about Slimani's approach to writing and what she gets out of it. As a fellow traveler whose main source of the sublime is derived from literature (and music), her explorations of why and how literature nourishes her were lovely and moving.

In addition to writing, she expounds on her experience as a woman, expatriate, and general outsider throughout her life. These features partially make up why she found refuge in books.

She's also honest and funny. I haven't read any of her fiction but this book is prompting me to request some of it from the library ASAP.
Profile Image for Eduarda Luso.
36 reviews
December 29, 2022
Um livro que me prendeu logo na primeira página! Escrita simples, mas muito bonita… sincera!
Foi uma ótima companhia por umas horas!
Há encontros com livros, outros escritores e peças de arte!
Só não dou 5 * por lhe faltar um pouco mais de aventura!
Profile Image for Telma Castro.
126 reviews6 followers
August 14, 2022
"O que não dizemos pertence-nos para sempre. Escrever é jogar com o silêncio, é dizer, de maneira indireta segredos que na vida real seriam indizíveis."

Quando parti para esta leitura tenho de confessar que só o fiz porque se tratava de uma obra da minha escritora preferida da actualidade.
Li a sinopse e não morri de entusiasmo, mas mesmo assim decidi dar-lhe uma oportunidade. E em boa hora o fiz. Voltar a Slimani é sempre um prazer, quer seja num romance, quer seja num discurso tão intimista e pessoal como este.
Acredito que quando nos estreámos na leitura de um escritor é como se conhecessemos uma nova pessoa. Seja uma obra autobiográfica ou não, na sua escrita o autor deixa muito mais que as palavras que conseguimos ler. Deixa um bocadinho de si, do seu âmago "em bruto", dos seus pensamentos mais escondidos. Deixa a nu sentimentos que muitas vezes oculta, mas que a sua escrita não consegue camuflar.
Leila foi a cicerone nesta visita ao museu de arte contemporânea situado no edifício Punta della Dogana, em Veneza.
Reclusa e descalça deambula pelo silêncio do  museu, revisitando memórias da sua infância, da sua juventude, das suas origens.
"Despe-se" para o leitor e revela a sua essência multicultural enquanto mulher e enquanto cidadã do mundo, num exercício introspectivo que se debruça numa solidão libertadora.
Através da escrita alcança a liberdade que tanto preza, deixa cair a máscara social e solta as suas alucinações mais primitivas. Assim como, lembranças que nos sequestram da realidade fazendo-nos uma radiografia aos nossos pensamentos mais íntimos.
Leila Slimani mais uma vez mostrou o talento inato para escrever, conseguiu brilhar em 144 páginas de forma magnânima, com muita franqueza e sabedoria. Este livro é Leila Slimani em estado puro.
Recomendo muito que conheçam esta autora. Já li todos os seus livros publicados em Portugal e quero continuar a fazê-lo.
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