Papers

by Violaine Schwartz, Christine Gutman (Translator)

Assembled from testimonials and interviews with current and former asylum seekers in France, as well as hearing records, administrative letters, and newspaper articles, Papers is a quietly monumental work of documentary art, a harrowing and enlightening portrayal of the modern refugee experience. Gathered here are the voices of men and women from around the world, united by the urgent need to leave their native country, risk their lives to make it to Europe, and begin the often bewildering process of securing the papers that will affirm their right to stay. Related without melodrama or self-pity, these are stories about the absurdity of bureaucracy, the agony of waiting, the pain of leaving everything behind and the courage to do so anyway. They are a testament to the brutal indignities of war and corruption and exile, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of it all. A fearless, candid, compassionate book for our troubled global times.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[victoria marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

DICTATION
The passport is the noblest part of a human being period
Moreover comma a passport is not as easy to make as a human being period
A human being can be made anywhere comma in the most impulsive of ways and with no sound reason semicolon
A passport comma never period
Therefore comma we recognize the value of a good passport comma
Whereas a human being comma however good comma
Will not necessarily be recognized period

—By Bertolt Brecht spelled as it sounds

(page 39)

*

so incredibly powerful. if you were moved by Delecroix’s Small Boat, you absolutely NEED to read this. just speechless. so urgent & crucial to read.

[Keisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je l'ai placé dans non fiction! Un livre qui chamboule, qui éclaire, que j'ai lu par chapitres, fallait digérer.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

À travers de sa poésie et les témoignages des demandeurs d’asile, Schwartz illustre la vie d’un migrant en France. « Papiers » fait références aux documents demandés par l’administration française, ainsi que les papiers nécessaires dans la vie que les réfugies n’ont toujours pas – le passport, le visa. Or, Schwartz fait vivre les témoignages en employant la poésie comme un fil qui guide le lecteur. À lire à lire à lire

[Olga Zilberbourg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A many-voiced story from asylum applicants in France. Each story is more devastating then the next; and a heartbreaking portrait of the bureaucracy that fortifies the cultural and political status quo. This book also works as a challenge to the reader, an appeal to make room for others among ourselves.