Disturbance

Surviving Charlie Hebdo

By: Philippe Lancon, Steven Rendall (Translator)

Write A Review

Hardcover | 12 November 2019

At a Glance

Hardcover
448 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 3.81

Hardcover

$51.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $13.00 with

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

Paris, January 7, 2015.

Two terrorists who claim allegiance to ISIS attack the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The event causes untold pain to the victims and their families, prompts a global solidarity movement, and ignites a fierce debate over press freedoms and the role of satire today.

Philippe Lançon, a journalist, author, and a weekly contributor to Charlie Hebdo is gravely wounded in the attack. This intense life experience upends his relationship to the world, to writing, to reading, to love and to friendship. As he attempts to reconstruct his life on the page, Lançon rereads Proust, Thomas Mann, Kafka, and others in search of guidance. It is a year before he can return to writing, a year in which he learns to work through his experiences and their aftermath.

Disturbance is not an essay on terrorism nor is it a witness’s account of Charlie Hebdo. The attack and what followed are part of Lançon’s narrative, which, instead, touches upon the universal. It is an honest, intimate account of a man seeking to put his life back together after it has been torn apart.

About the Author

Philippe Lancon is a French journalist and writer born in 1963. Steven Rendall has translated more than fifty books from French and German, two of which have won major translation prizes. He is professor emeritus of Romance Languages at the University of Oregon and editor emeritus of Comparative Literature. He currently lives in France.

Industry Reviews

Praise for Disturbance

"A frank, relentless, gripping memoir that illustrates both man's inhumanity to man and how quiet resolution can reclaim and restore." --Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Clear-eyed, endlessly curious, and never sentimental." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Unrelenting, mesmerizing, and beautifully written, Disturbance is transformative." --ForeWord Reviews

"[Disturbance] is not mere reportage or political journalism but a real work of literature: a journey into individual suffering." --Literary Review

"An undeniable, absolute masterpiece." --Le Figaro Magazine

"Highly recommended for all audiences." --Library Journal (Starred Review)

"[Disturbance] is a fascinating and often sobering read, one that offers insight into human fragility as well as resilience." --World Literature Today

"Brilliantly conceived and adeptly executed...There isn't a single misstep in the book." --Ron Slate, On The Seawall

"A magnificent tribute." --The Spectator

"[Disturbance] is an argument in favour of the intellectual life, of ideas as beautiful abstractions, weaponised only as satire, never as terror."--The Guardian

"It is a remarkable account of recovery, the nature of reconstruction, and, in a way, the philosophy of return from the edge of death." --The Lancet

"A great work of literature." --Le Journal du Dimanche

"An extraordinary book." --Elle

"An intense account." --Les Inrockuptiles

"Incredible sensitivity and humanity." --Lepoint.fr

"Remarkable." --Le Monde des Livres

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.