The Pillar of Salt

The Pillar of Salt

When The Pillar of Salt was first published in 1953, it caused a scandal in Tunis. Acclaimed sociologist Albert Memmi, the son of poor Jewish parents who lived at the edge of the equally poor Jewish and Muslim quarters, wrote candidly about the life of Tunisiaâ€™s small Jewish community and the failings of the tiny local bourgeoisie, â€œwhich thought itself opulent but was only ridiculous.â€ Memmi was no less critical of his Muslim fellow citizens or of the various European colonialists in his vicinity. â€œThe Pillar of Salt reads like a general indictment,â€ Memmi writes in a new introduction to this 2013 eBook edition.

This is an unusual manâ€™s coming of age story and a document about a community that has now all but disappeared.

â€œThe grave torment of the truly homeless is the theme of Albert Memmi's mature, thoughtful book... His father an Italian Jew, his mother a Berber, Benillouche struggles on the tattered fringe of the Tunisian ghetto for the very air he breathes... Beneath this account of privation, there is a more deeply harrowing realization on the part of the protagonist that he belongs nowhere.â€ â€” New York Times

â€œIn the Celine-Sartre-Camus tradition of the contemporary French novel of despair, this autobiographical narrative has maturity, stylistic grace, and purpose... A thoughtful, perceptive work.â€ â€” Library Journal

â€œTold with clarity of vision, a passionate sense of justice, and a warm heart.â€ â€” New York Herald Tribune
Country USA
Manufacturer Plunkett Lake Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2013-05-31
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Plunkett Lake Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2013-05-31
Format	Kindle eBook

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