HISTORY OF VIOLENCE - Édouard Louis
I met Reda on Christmas Eve 2012. I was
going home after a meal with friends, at around four in the morning. He
approached me in the street, and finally I invited him up to my
apartment. He told me the story of his childhood and how his father had
come to France, having fled Algeria.
We spent the
rest of the night together, talking, laughing. At around 6 o'clock, he
pulled out a gun and said he was going to kill me. He insulted me,
strangled and raped me. The next day, the medical and legal proceedings
began.
History of Violence retraces the story of that night. It looks at immigration, dispossession, racism, desire and the effects of trauma in an attempt to understand, and to outline, a history of violence.
The powerful painting used on the book jacket is by French artist, Guillaume Bresson. It is the perfect match for Édouard’s startlingly personal novel. The violence is portrayed in disturbingly fine detail, yet the the image also lies somewhere between an emotionally charged Rennaisance painting and beautifully choreographed modern dance.
History of Violence is published by Harvill Secker.

