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KATIBA
Une katiba est un camp de combattants islamistes installé dans le Sahara c'est à la fois une cache et un relais, un lieu où l'on prie, où l'on négocie et tue. Repère invisible en avion ou par satellite, c'est là que les pièges se resserrent et que se décident les attaques. Le chef de la zone qui s'étend entre le Mali, l'Algérie et la Mauritanie, Kader Bel Kader, a décidé de court-circuiter les autres bandes de trafiquants qui sévissent, afin d'asseoir son influence auprès des chefs d'al-Qaida. Expédié en Mauritanie par l'agence de renseignements Providence (qui agissait déjà dans l'ombre, avec Le Parfum d'Adam), pour espionner les artisans de ces menaces terroristes, Dim trouve sur sa route une jeune femme, Jasmine. À la fois française et algérienne, connaissant de l'intérieur la diplomatie occidentale et les nouvelles lois de la guerre terroriste, elle marche à la frontière entre deux mondes ennemis, elle fascine et inquiète. Elle incarne à elle seule le proverbe sénégalais qui ouvre le roman et en tisse la trame principale : "Un chien a beau avoir quatre pattes, il ne peut suivre deux chemins à la fois." Un grand roman où se croisent et s'affrontent deux civilisations.
Paperback
First published April 4, 2010
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About the author
Jean-Christophe Rufin
88 books302 followersJean-Christophe Rufin is a French doctor and novelist. He is the president of Action Against Hunger and one of the founders of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without borders). He was Ambassador of France in Senegal from 2007 to June 2010.
Rufin was born in Bourges, Cher in 1952. An only child, he was raised by his grandparents, because his father had left the family and his mother worked in Paris. His grandfather, a doctor and member of the French Resistance during World War II, had been imprisoned for two years at Buchenwald.
In 1977, after medical school, Rufin went to Tunisia as a volunteer doctor. He led his first humanitarian mission in Eritrea,where he met Azeb, who became his second wife.
A graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Political Sciences) in 1986, he became advisor to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and published his first book, Le Piège humanitaire (The Humanitarian Trap), an essay on the political stakes of humanitarian action.
As a doctor, he has led numerous missions in eastern Africa and Latin America. He is former vice-president of Médecins Sans Frontières and former president of the non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger.
Rufin was born in Bourges, Cher in 1952. An only child, he was raised by his grandparents, because his father had left the family and his mother worked in Paris. His grandfather, a doctor and member of the French Resistance during World War II, had been imprisoned for two years at Buchenwald.
In 1977, after medical school, Rufin went to Tunisia as a volunteer doctor. He led his first humanitarian mission in Eritrea,where he met Azeb, who became his second wife.
A graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Political Sciences) in 1986, he became advisor to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and published his first book, Le Piège humanitaire (The Humanitarian Trap), an essay on the political stakes of humanitarian action.
As a doctor, he has led numerous missions in eastern Africa and Latin America. He is former vice-president of Médecins Sans Frontières and former president of the non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 22, 2015
Excellente lecture. Intrigue bien menée, lente du début et s'accélère avec le dénouement. Propose une connaissance éclairée, quasiment intime de la problématique islamiste au Sahel et Maghreb. Un agréable Ruffin.
October 23, 2011
J'aime beaucoup Rufin, parce qu'il combine le techno-thriller Américain avec une sensibilité très Européenne. A lire!
June 6, 2016
Cool. Has opened me up to the whole genre of spy and caper fiction that I never really paid attention to. Can millions and millions of readers be wrong?
October 16, 2016
Published in 2010, this political thriller is prescient as regards recent terrorist attacks in France, and the radicalisation of young Muslims. Author Jean-Christophe Rufin’s experience as a globe-trotting doctor, aid worker, diplomat and historian have made him a novelist interested in serious political and ethical issues, with the first-hand knowledge to weave dramas around them. Having enjoyed his book of short stories based on far-flung parts of the world, “Sept histoires qui viennent de loin”, I had high hopes of this political thriller named “Katiba” after the training camps for Islamist fighters in the remote desert areas of North Africa.
It was therefore disappointing to find that, after a dramatic opening chapter, the novel becomes quite clunky and disjointed. This is partly because the author has chosen to switch continually between different characters in various locations as a way of juggling several parallel story threads. At first Jasmine seems to be the key character, an enigmatic young woman whose half-Arab origins have not prevented her gaining a post in protocol at the Quai d’Orsay, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Is anyone quite what he or she (although there aren’t many females in this book) seems, be it the charismatic Kader, an effective trafficker in drugs, cigarettes and arms, or Archie, the suave Director of Providence, the US-based private intelligence agency contracted to sniff out suspected Islamic terrorist plots? The one person we know to be working “under cover” is Dimitri, the disarmingly naïve young medic deployed to a Mauritanian hospital to spy on a possible cell of radical fanatics among the doctors.
Rufin can be quite long-winded and pedestrian over the banal details of an event, although the description of how to assemble a suicide belt makes compulsively shocking reading. In an attempt to create a sense of tension, he leaves some key points unclear for long periods, which can be confusing. Yet, when he chooses to enlighten us, there is too much reliance on having one character explain the situation to others, a device which is obviously for the benefit of the reader, when it would be much better, although clearly more of a challenge for the author, to reveal what is really afoot through dramatic scenes.
Admittedly, the plot builds up to a final climax, there are striking descriptions of the barren Sahara, which proved very accurate when I googled photos of it, and some perceptive observations, not least the recurring reference to the Senegalese proverb that “ a dog may have four paws, but cannot follow two paths at the same time”. Yet overall, I found too many of the large cast of characters either stereotypes, or undeveloped. The complex, contrasting motivations of the key players were not explored in much depth, a missed opportunity.
It was therefore disappointing to find that, after a dramatic opening chapter, the novel becomes quite clunky and disjointed. This is partly because the author has chosen to switch continually between different characters in various locations as a way of juggling several parallel story threads. At first Jasmine seems to be the key character, an enigmatic young woman whose half-Arab origins have not prevented her gaining a post in protocol at the Quai d’Orsay, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Is anyone quite what he or she (although there aren’t many females in this book) seems, be it the charismatic Kader, an effective trafficker in drugs, cigarettes and arms, or Archie, the suave Director of Providence, the US-based private intelligence agency contracted to sniff out suspected Islamic terrorist plots? The one person we know to be working “under cover” is Dimitri, the disarmingly naïve young medic deployed to a Mauritanian hospital to spy on a possible cell of radical fanatics among the doctors.
Rufin can be quite long-winded and pedestrian over the banal details of an event, although the description of how to assemble a suicide belt makes compulsively shocking reading. In an attempt to create a sense of tension, he leaves some key points unclear for long periods, which can be confusing. Yet, when he chooses to enlighten us, there is too much reliance on having one character explain the situation to others, a device which is obviously for the benefit of the reader, when it would be much better, although clearly more of a challenge for the author, to reveal what is really afoot through dramatic scenes.
Admittedly, the plot builds up to a final climax, there are striking descriptions of the barren Sahara, which proved very accurate when I googled photos of it, and some perceptive observations, not least the recurring reference to the Senegalese proverb that “ a dog may have four paws, but cannot follow two paths at the same time”. Yet overall, I found too many of the large cast of characters either stereotypes, or undeveloped. The complex, contrasting motivations of the key players were not explored in much depth, a missed opportunity.
April 10, 2011
Excellent polar dans le contexte des problèmes liées à l'AQMI dans le Sahel et l'Afrique Occidentale.
Se lit tout seul, est très bien écrit. Recommendé à tous les amateurs de roman policier/d'espionage.
Se lit tout seul, est très bien écrit. Recommendé à tous les amateurs de roman policier/d'espionage.
September 24, 2012
Bonne histoire, toujours dans cette série policière à l'Américaine de Rufin...Thèmes intéressants tout en transparence dans cette histoire d'amour, de haine et de chocs des cultures (un thème central pour Rufin). A lire.
November 20, 2016
An English translation of Katiba is desperately needed because this book would be perfect for the Anglophone market as it is a synthesis of Lawrence Durrell’s “Justine” and John le Carré’s “Smiley’s People”. Jasmine the heroine has all the seduction, mystery, beauty and courage of Justine. Her very dimwitted lover appropriately named Dim is the mirror image of Darley the lovestricken protagonist in the Durrell novel. Their love unfolds in an espionage story that rigorously follows the John Le Carré formula.
Rufin has done all of this in order to give us his thoughts on AQMI (a.k.a. the Organization of al-Qa’ida in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb; a.k.a. Qaedat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Maghrib al-Islami. ) Rufin’s experience as French Ambassador to Senegal and years of work with international humanitarian organizations make him eminently qualified to comment on Islamic fundamentalism.
Lovers of literature will have to pardon this book for being a thriller while Thriller enthusiasts will have to forgive it for its literary quality. Nonetheless both groups of readers have every reason to enjoy this book which is among Rufin’s finest.
Rufin has done all of this in order to give us his thoughts on AQMI (a.k.a. the Organization of al-Qa’ida in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb; a.k.a. Qaedat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Maghrib al-Islami. ) Rufin’s experience as French Ambassador to Senegal and years of work with international humanitarian organizations make him eminently qualified to comment on Islamic fundamentalism.
Lovers of literature will have to pardon this book for being a thriller while Thriller enthusiasts will have to forgive it for its literary quality. Nonetheless both groups of readers have every reason to enjoy this book which is among Rufin’s finest.
September 8, 2010
Not as good as the first Rufin books. Very linear, simple story.
August 22, 2022
C'est un livre dans lequel j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à rentrer et à rester. Je ne suis pas parvenue à m'attacher aux personnages, qui étaient nombreux dans un certains nombre d'histoires (trop?). J'ai également eu du mal avec le rythme, trop d'aller et retour entre les différentes voix, en même temps lent au départ et très rapide à la fin. L'intrigue est intéressante et la fin plaisante. Mais ce livre ne fera pas partie de mes préférés.
November 16, 2021
Je voulais lire ce livre depuis longtemps. Heureusement, une exemplaire vient d'arriver a l'Alliance Française de Johannesbourg. C'est une histoire fictive qui se passe dans mon pré-carré professionnel. Bien écrit, faisable, et passionnant. Il fallait tourner chaque page pour connaitre la suite.
November 13, 2013
pas mal... pas mal - mais pas au niveau des extraordinaires livres historiques de M. Rufin. Ca se lit tout seul dans le metro, mais au contraire de l'Abyssin, ou Rouge Bresil, ou le Grand Coeur, Katiba ne restera pas dans les annales. Mais plaisant.
August 28, 2010
un bon polar géopolitique bien dans son temps
April 25, 2011
I read the whole book as an interesting entry into the world of traffickers. Interesting psychological interpretations. A bit confusing in parts as to which gangster is which.
September 20, 2011
Un très bon thriller avec des personnages captivants.
February 6, 2017
Certainement pas le meilleur roman de Rufin, mais on se laisse néanmoins entraîner avec plaisir par son style agréable dans une intrigue captivante.
July 25, 2016
C'est la première fois que je lis cet auteur et je me suis vraiment bien amusée. Un thriller bien campé avec des personnages intéressants et un excellent rythme.
June 3, 2012
très bien ficelé, le polar m'a autant plus que le Parfum d'Adam.
July 27, 2012
Good overall, interesting plot, and character development, and complicated politics and intrigue, but some bothersome "cultural" faux pas, made me rank it lower.
August 8, 2012
toujours nouveau, passionnant...
February 17, 2016
Possibly the second-worst book I have ever read.
July 5, 2020
Un très bon Rufin, dans les thèmes actuels le terrorisme islamique, qui se passe en Mauritanie, un pays que l'on connait peu.
Les personnages principaux Jasmine et Dimitri sont attachants. Le rythme est enlevé, avec beaucoup de rebondissement, l'intrigue est vraiment très habituellement conduite.
Mon fils a bien aimé aussi et c'est un challenge d'amener les jeunes ados à prendre plaisir à lire un roman actuel.
Je recommande cette lecture avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme.
Les personnages principaux Jasmine et Dimitri sont attachants. Le rythme est enlevé, avec beaucoup de rebondissement, l'intrigue est vraiment très habituellement conduite.
Mon fils a bien aimé aussi et c'est un challenge d'amener les jeunes ados à prendre plaisir à lire un roman actuel.
Je recommande cette lecture avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme.
September 8, 2022
Un polar haletant, très belle lecture.
Après Rouge Brésil, je redécouvre Jean-Christophe Rufin avec une plume différente, mais tout aussi sublime.
Le récit est pétri de descriptions détaillées, l'auteur réussit avec brio à nous plonger dans différents décors entre la multitude de lieux où se déroule l'histoire. Le personnage de Jasmine est attachant, jusqu'au bout, l'intrigue subit des rebondissements inattendus, pour notre plus grand plaisir !
Après Rouge Brésil, je redécouvre Jean-Christophe Rufin avec une plume différente, mais tout aussi sublime.
Le récit est pétri de descriptions détaillées, l'auteur réussit avec brio à nous plonger dans différents décors entre la multitude de lieux où se déroule l'histoire. Le personnage de Jasmine est attachant, jusqu'au bout, l'intrigue subit des rebondissements inattendus, pour notre plus grand plaisir !
August 2, 2019
J’ai retrouvé dans ce roman une juste et fine description de ces scènes dans le désert. Met bien en relief les enjeux entre les deux mondes Sahara/Occident et intrigue assez bien menée.
August 1, 2024
Le suspense est très bien mené tout le longue du roman, réservant pleins de tournures pour le parcours de ses attachants personnages.
December 26, 2019
Bien que Jean-Christophe Rufin s'en défende, il y a quand-même, dans ce roman, un petit côté j'ai-été-ambassadeur-à-Dakar-et-je-vous raconte-mes-expériences. Ensuite et surtout, le thème de la double appartenance à une culture fait de cet ouvrage un roman à thèse, d'où ces personnages pâlichons, auxquels on n'arrive pas à s'attacher. Le roman a été publié avant les attentats de Paris et de Nice, et si Rufin prévoit que la France serait ciblée, on remarque qu'il choisit le Quai d'Orsay comme lieu de l'attentat, au moment d'une réunion internationale - ce qui n'est jamais qu'une cible traditionnelle de thriller ou de roman d'espionnage.
November 7, 2015
Thaitin an leabhar seo liom den chuid is mó. Bhí plota ag baint leis a choinnigh imeachtaí ag gabháil gan stad, rud a choimeádann spéis an léitheora, ar ndóigh. An t-aon rud, b'fhéidir nach bhfuair muid dóthain léargais ar mheon an phríomhphearsa, Jasmine. Bheadh fonn orm leabhar eile de chuid an údair seo a léamh.
September 12, 2013
I'm 'finished' as in I stopped reading at page 43... ugh.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews