Venice Requiem

by Khalid Lyamlahy, Ros Schwartz (Translator)

On the 22nd of January 2017, Pateh Sabally, a twenty-two-year-old Gambian refugee living in Italy since 2015, arrives in Venice from Milan. He leaves his backpack near the Scalzi Bridge, puts his train ticket and residence permit in a plastic pouch, and then plunges into the cold waters of the Grand Canal, amidst the gaze of onlookers and tourists. As he drowns, some insult him, while others shout "Africa". Outraged by this tragic death, the novel’s narrator, a young writer based in Paris, follows Pateh’s trail aiming to piece together and understand the sequence of events leading up to his death. Venice Requiem tells the story of a Venice where literature grapples with the pressing dramas of our time. Throughout the novel, the narrator quotes authors who lived in or wrote about Venice: Goldoni, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway, Lord Byron, Marcel Proust, and others. Through a dialogue with the writings and experiences of these authors, the novel explores the potential of literature to rescue humanity.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

Published February 5, 2026

Reviews

[Meï Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

En se jetant dans le Grand Canal de Venise le 22 janvier 2017, Pateh Sabally fait irruption dans un espace qui ne lui était pas destiné. Il brise d’un seul coup cette insouciance qui conforte nos pays, tout en révélant brutalement les conséquences de l’hypocrisie occidentale et la violence de son système administratif.

La vidéo de sa mort n’est que la preuve effroyable d’un manque d’empathie qui condamne des êtres humains sans cesse. Car se questionner sur pourquoi il s’est laissé mourir alors que des bouées de sauvetage lui étaient lancées, sans même penser à sauter pour le sauver, en dit long sur notre perception de ce que les migrants endurent chaque jour.

Ce n’était pas un caprice de sa part, loin de là.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the 22nd January 2017 a Gambian refugee called Patel Sabally threw himself off the Scalzi Bridge in Venice. The onlookers just yelled insults and no one helped him.

The narrator, a Parisian, decides to trace Pateh’s journey from the Gambian village of Dembanding, the boat he went on, his stop at Milan then his life in Venice. Not only does author Khalid Lyamlahy give us a history of Venice and Gambia but in the grand tradition of writers such as Luis Sagasti and Benjamin Labatut, goes beyond history and links Venice’s past with people such as Hemingway and Lord Byron.

The end result is that Europe can be pretty unforgiving when it comes to outsiders, especially migrants (Pateh was a legal one). One part that struck me in the novel are the comments made by people when Pateh’s drowning was announced online - truly we can be heartless when behind a keyboard,

Venice Requiem is a book that quietly shocks the reader. Its deceptively readable tone, much like Venice itself, gives way to the dirty history of this city. I can safely say that this is a book that will change the the reader. HIGHLY recommended.

Many thanks to HopeRoad for providing a copy of Venice Requiem

[Maria Stefania Ionel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traducere din limba franceză și note de Alexandra Ionel [proud sister]
Editura Casa Cărții de Știință, Cluj-Napoca, 2025

“De fiecare dată când încerc să fac ordine printre notițe, îmi sare în ochi un lucru evident: s-ar părea că nu există nicio formă de scriitură care să-ți poată prelua drama. Nici ficțiunea, nici povestirea. Nici confesiunea imaginară, nici biografia poetică sau romanțată. Acest memorial este asemeni lagunei, fâșii de uscat împresurate de apă și nesiguranță. Un vârtej de praf, o puzderie de fisuri, țăndări pe care nimic nu e în stare să le strângă laolaltă, poate doar gustul stăruitor al înfrângerii.” (p. 162)

[Heidi Kewin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moving & thought-provoking, but it drags a lot and feels really slow, ultimately not moving much from start to finish. The translation is good but there are a few grammatical mistakes so it doesn't feel like a serious read

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is published next week, February 5.
It is based on a true story of an African migrant who died in a canal in Venice, originally written in French. Very moving and thought provoking.