The Meursault Investigation

"The Meursault Investigation" is the first novel by Algerian writer/journalist Kamel Daoud .  It is the retelling of Albert Camus' 1943 novel " The Stranger", published in Algeria in 2013, only gathered wide circulation after its release in France in 2014.  This is a companion book to be read along side Camus' original.  According to Daoud the author himself said the book was a dialogue with Camus, the author of "The Stranger "《異鄉人》.

The French release won the 2015 Concourt prize for first time novel.  English translation was first published by Other Press in 2015 and received positive reviews which including N Y Times Book Review article written by writer Laila Lalami and excerpt(s) ? from the book appeared in New Yorker magazine in 2015.

Other than the initial accolades it gathered from all directions, the book was also targeted by Islamic clergy ? Who called the writer to be tried for blasphemy as "Apostate".  Daoud lives in Oran, Algeria and worked for "Le Quotidien d'Oran" writing commentaries and other articles for the papers.

Most readers in general held very polarized views for the book.  Negative comments were mainly directed at the book's tiresome and repetitive narratives and dialogues. Details of some plots do not hold water since Harun, the narrator, brother of the deceased Arab in Camus' original story, who regards Camus' original title as non-fiction and continues to ramble on historical details of his brother's death in incoherent manner, fiction or otherwise.

Many consider Daoud's success rides on the fame of his predecessor.  Although "The Meursault Investigation" definitely benefited from "The Stranger", it certainly has its own merit to warrantee such attention around the world since its publication.

The "Meursault" book reads like a rebuttal to "The Stranger" and should be read along side with it.  Better yet read "The Stranger" first and then "Meursault Investigation" like a sequel.  It is also like reading the same story from a different angle, say, an entirely different take.  This time from an Arabian point of view, or the view of the brother of the no-name Arab killed in Camus' "The Stranger".

I like to summarize some of the important tributes of this book in the following section.

在這裡我想用中文闡述若干重點：


此書最大貢獻在於提出非西方的觀點，相對於殖民時代白人的偏見及優越感，我們聽到了被殖民區人民的心聲。

同時此書寫的並非只是 Algeria 的故事， 它有更深層的意義以及普及性。書中敍及 Algeria 獨立之前和獨立以後的種種社會問題, 似乎獨立之後這些問題並未獲解決甚至還有惡化跡象，這是整個社會結構的問題。如貧窮愚昩等等並不是短期之間就能獲解決，加上傳統習俗及宗教束縛人們思想行為，改變亦非一蹴可及。 這種現象在世界上許多其他國家如非洲、南美及亞歐若干地區都不斷地發生過類似的情形。

和 《異鄉人》不同的還有幾個子題，書中花不少筆墨描繪主角母子之間的關係及互動。一個自幼基本上被禁錮，沒有思想及身體的自由，甚至到了成年仍和母親拴在一處，活著的目的只為其兄長復仇。然而他只是傀儡，背後牽線的是他母親。和 D.H. Lawrence 的名著《 兒子與情人 》頗相似的故事前提：因兄長英年早逝，母親將僅存的兒子做為哥哥的替代品，兩人彼此互相牽制、愛恨交集、複雜的感情影響了他無法如常人般生活，註定一輩子做孤單的人。心中只剩下永不止息的仇恨及無奈，愛情即使近在眼前也無法握住，在自己家鄕他成了異鄉人。

我覺得此書尚有一個傳承：Samuel Taylor Coleridge 寫的《 古舟子之歌 》長詩中主角古舟子 (水手) 不停的對一個參加婚禮的客人（被他抓住後）就閞始滔滔不絕敍述他數小時長的故事。主角 Harun 也是如此， 他幾乎每晚到酒店喝酒就逮住一位酒客（是否每回都對同一位酒客不得而知）嘮嘮叼叼講述自己的故事，數十年如一日。這首十九世紀的英詩中有強烈的基督教原罪思想，"Meursault" 一書中亦有原罪的影子。Harun 似乎被復仇的對象 Meursault 的神靈附身，他的所做所為愈來愈接近他的敵人，甚至到後來他也和 Meursault 一樣殺了人，殺了一個無足輕重的法國人。這成了他的原罪，在精神上他是 Meursault 的翻版，兩者揉合成一人，你中有我、我中有你分不出誰是誰。

作者 Daoud 是高級知識分子，又用法文寫作。我猜想在 Algeria 或其他法國屬地中的許多知識分子，他們所學所知多半經由法國而來，身為阿拉伯人的他們似乎徘徊在當地人（Algerians) 和法國人之間，對於自己屬於那個陣營很難做出抉擇。他對法國（尤其是文學及文化）是那種既恨又愛的複雜感情，他對許多事情的看法無寧更接近法國人，讓他在自己國家成了異鄉人。

這是一本很不一樣的書。書中有不少精彩的段落和絕妙好句，寫得貼切痛快又幽默。不過書的前半段考驗到讀者的耐心，一直要到全書過半時故事鋪陳才好看起來。關鍵在你必需先讀 Camus 的 《異鄉人》才能暸解這本書在講什麼，為什麼這麼多人讀過又叫好。甚至在斷章截句上，Daoud 也緊跟在 Camus 身後亦步亦趨，注意到他許多話都是對應《異鄉人》中字句作出回應或反駁。

以上為我六月份為 AlmaDen Book Club 做的報告整理而成，並未加入其他人的意見。主觀想法難免寫的也不夠周全，懇請諸位指正。


Grace