It´s a fascinating question to ask about the fate of authors and their books. What occurrence brought some into the limelights one day, to be almost completely forgotten for hundreds of years to come? Lefcadio Hearn used to be a famous travel writer, a companion of the likes of Poe, Mark Twain and RL Stevenson. Nowadays though he is heardly known, outside of Japan - who always celebrates the gaijins enamorated in their culture and in the state of Louisiana, where he lived.
Vietnam-born, US-educated Monique Truong brought his memory back to life as told by women that crossed paths with him. I´ve read the book in the German translation from English by Claudia Wenner,
Three women are sharing their stories, they are becoming stories of his story. Spread on three continents, they are the silent voices from Hearn´s life and love story. Never been famous, nevertheless they were the reasons why he took the pathways in his personal and professional life.
Women are forgotten when we are sharing a big story of a big person. The wives are accidentally mentioned, as per the Wikipedia format, for instance, but they may be important if they supported their men financially. Sometimes but not necessarily the reason why they are once in a while present into the story.
The three women featured in Truong´s book do give voice to the voiceless, and I am grateful for this new literary line in women literature. The amplitude and details of the three monologues do bring the story onto a different path, seeking light and clarity, while putting together the pieces of a life puzzle that cannot be completed and fully understood without them. A literary point that wish is more often used in case of many more nonfiction takes.
Rating: 4 stars
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