Marie NDiaye Books

An investigation into culinary genius, freedom and identity.

Exploring the complexities of human relationships, the book presents five interconnected stories that challenge our understanding of intimacy and self-awareness. The narrative begins with a troubled love story involving a man and his housekeeper, spiraling into themes of obsession and familial discord. It also delves into the harrowing experiences of a boy yearning for escape and a poignant bus ride shared by a mother and her son. Through hypnotic prose, the author exposes the personal horrors we often conceal, allowing them to surface in a chilling yet compassionate manner.

The narrative centers on a talented chef who rises from poverty to culinary fame while maintaining emotional distance from her personal life. As she excels in the kitchen, her secretive nature complicates her relationship with her daughter, whom she leaves in her family's care to pursue her dreams. The story unfolds through the eyes of her former assistant and unrequited lover, providing a unique perspective on ambition, sacrifice, and the complexities of motherhood. Marie NDiaye's work explores the intersection of passion and personal sacrifice in the pursuit of excellence.

Self Portrait in Green is the multi-prize winning, Marie NDiaye's brilliant subversion of the memoir. Obsessed by her encounters with the mysterious green women, and haunted by the Garonne River, a nameless narrator seeks them out in La Roele, Paris, Marseille, and Ouagadougou.

Originally published in France in 2013, this book offers a unique perspective and rich narrative that reflects the cultural and literary traditions of its origin. Through its engaging storytelling, it invites readers to explore themes that resonate universally, showcasing the author's distinctive voice and style.

Set in a small community, the narrative explores themes of otherness and social amnesia through a surreal lens. The story unfolds with absurd kindness, intricate bureaucracy, and peculiar customs, all while grappling with the unsettling presence of missing persons and ghostly apparitions. This haunting vision reflects the complexities of privilege and the human experience, crafted by a celebrated French novelist known for his thought-provoking storytelling.

Forty-year-old Norah leaves Paris, her family and her career as a lawyer to visit her father in Dakar. It is an uncomfortable reunion - she is asked to use her skills as a lawyer to get her brother out of prison - and ultimately the trip endangers her marriage and her relationship with her own daughter, and drives her to the very edge of madness. Fanta, on the other hand, leaves Dakar to follow her husband Rudy to rural France. And it is through Rudy's bitter and guilt-ridden perspective that we see Fanta stagnate with boredom in this alien, narrow environment. Khady is forced into exile from Senegal because of poverty, because her husband is dead, because she is lonely and in despair. With other illegal immigrants, she embarks on a journey which takes her nowhere, but from which she will never return.

A powerful and disturbing novel by the author of Three Strong Women and The Cheffe

Depuis de longues années, les fêtes de famille ont lieu sans tante Léda dont personne n’a plus de nouvelles. On parle d’elle avec regret et affection. Si je retrouvais tante Léda, se dit Fanny, ne serait-on pas obligé de m’en savoir gré? N’oublierait-on pas la particularité de ma naissance, la négligence coupable de mes parents? Accompagnée de son cousin Eugène, Fanny part à la recherche de sa tante et va traverser bien des villages inhospitaliers. Elle meurt une première fois dans l’un d’eux, pour revenir à la vie sous une allure plus conforme, espère-t-elle, à celle des habitants de la région. [Éditions de Minuit]

Après l'été les Parisiens désertaient les lieux de leurs vacances ensoleillées, ignorant tout du sort que l'automne faisait à la région qu'ils quittaient jusqu'à l'été suivant. Un automne brutal, puis un long hiver de vent et de pluie, mortel aux corps fragiles. Cette saison-là, inconnue et implacable, il fut imposé à Herman de la découvrir