Cultural Writing. Folklore. Carribbean Studies. Translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti. Intoxicating in its language, lush in its evocation of Creole island culture, SEVEN DREAMS OF ELMIRA: A TALE OF MARTINIQUE is a vivid and hallucinatory fable, written by widely acclaimed author Patrick Chamoiseau and illustrated with stunning photographic portraits by Jean Luc-Laguardigue. Based on interviews, observation, and invention, this story takes as its canvas the everyday lives of the workers at the old St. Etienne rum distillery in the hills of Martinique, and the strange vision of the beautiful Elmira who appears to a select few.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Weighing in at 30 pages of text, with an additional 34 pages of Laguarigue's photographs (17 in halftone, 15 in color), Chamoiseau's latest offering is a wisp of a tale, as ephemeral as the Creole spirit-creature it invokes. Inspired by the recollections of workers at the renowned and nearly sacred Saint-Etienne rum distillery of Gros-Morne, Martinique, Chamoiseau lyrically elaborates the story of a benign and beautiful spirit-creature called Elvira, whose mysterious presence haunts the place. Isidore, a simpleton who does menial chores at the distillery, is the first to catch a glimpse of an evanescent something, at the workers' annual rum-tasting. Fated ever after to attempt to recapture the experience, he only manages to be "uprooted by raving rum, howling over the lost vision." A few other workers see Elmira, then try to evoke or describe her, only to fail. Possessing a "variable beauty, fluid like the ocean lifting its acclamations to the sky," she is known to leave her witnesses "not terrified, but dependent forevermore." The unnamed narrator has never seen ElmiraAperhaps, she speculates, because she lacks "some degree of innocence," but she herself is a memorable character. More than 100 years old, she is one of the few remaining workers who still holds all the secrets necessary to produce a successful batch of rum. No word is superfluous here, and as in his previous works (Texaco; Solibo Magnificent), Chamoiseau delights the reader with prose that begs to be read aloud. Names like Th?olom?ne, Colocom?de, At?thonaseArecall the luscious tones of Martinican Creole. Supplemented by photographs of the weathered old distillery set deep in palm-covered hills, and by soulful, somber portraits of Gros-Morne residents, this is a small but lovely addition to Chamoiseau's works available in English. Agent, The French Publishers Agency. First serial to Transition. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Seven Dreams Of Elmira ($20.00; Aug.; 64 pp.; photographs by Jean-Luc Laguardique; 1-58195-002-0): This quaint and curious little volume combines a number of striking photographs (black and white and color landscapes and portraits) that celebrate the West Indian island of Martinique with a terse prose poem written by that island's most successful literary export: the Creole-born author of such lush, exuberant fictions as Texaco (1997) and Solibo Magnificent (1998). Chamoiseau's tongue- in-cheek tale describes the drowsy state of nirvana enjoyed by the long-lived inhabitants of Gros-Morne, home of the Saint- Etienne distillery, where the world's best rum is produced and the inexplicable appearances of an unknown and otherworldly beauty (the eponymous Elmira) seem to preside over, and bless its spiritous bounty. A minor but charming addition to Chamoiseaus exotic and distinctive oeuvre. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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