An impassioned meditation on the consequences of sexual exploitation and the dead ends of forgiveness
Lola Lafon Books
January 28, 1974
Lola Lafon is a French author whose work flows from a rich blend of music, dance, and literature. Her novels often explore the complexities of identity and the journey toward self-discovery, drawing from her diverse cultural roots. Lafon amplifies her literary expression through unique "concert-readings," which fuse her writing with music, creating an immersive experience for audiences. Her works are invited to festivals and theaters, affirming her position as a multi-dimensional artist.
The Little Communist Who Never Smiled
- 272 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Montreal 1976. A fourteen-year-old girl steps out onto the middle of the floor at the Montreal Forum and into history. 20 seconds on the uneven bars is it all it takes for Nadia Comaneci, the slight, unsmiling child from Communist Romania, to etch herself into the collective memory. The electronic scoreboard, as astonished as the spectators at what has just happened, shows 1.00. The judges have awarded an unprecedented perfect ten, the first in Olympic gymnastics.In The Little Communist Who Never Smiled, Lola Lafon tells the story of Comaneci's journey from growing up in rural Romania to her eventual defection to the United States in 1989. Adored by young girls in the west and appropriated as a political emblem by the Ceausescu regime, Comaneci's life was scrutinised wherever she went. Lafon's novel is a powerful re-imagining of a childhood in the spotlight of history, politics and destiny.