3-26-23LinePapin.png

Author: Line Papin, The Girl Before Her

A partnership with Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN).
Saturday, 3/25/2023
11:00 - 12:30
Koret Auditorium
Main Library
Address

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

Contact Telephone

A not to miss conversation with Line Papin, discussing her new book, The Girl Before Her, a coming-of-age tale of dislocation and inherited trauma from acclaimed French Vietnamese novelist. Moderated by Dr. Isabelle Pelaud.

 

This autofictional novel marks the stunning English-language debut of award-winning French Vietnamese writer Papin. Told in three parts, The Girl Before Her moves from a small farming village in Vietnam to France and back again to tell the story of three generations of women as they confront themselves and one another through war, marriage and immigration. The novel’s narrator, the child of a French father and a Vietnamese mother, finds herself uprooted and adrift after she moves from the sunshine and chaos of Hanoi, where she was born, to the gray, cold worlds of Toulouse and Paris. This unexpected, unexplained rupturing of her childhood world causes a painful rift in her sense of self—one that ultimately leads to her being hospitalized for anorexia.

 

Gripped by a deep sense of uncertainty about who she is and where she belongs, she becomes preoccupied with understanding what persists—both in the body and in memory—regardless of where one lives or what languages one speaks. Written in a spare, poetic style, this meditation on the urgency of finding a place for oneself in the world is a passionate argument for the self-forgiveness that can only come from a deep examination of oneself. It has been described by Madame Figaro as “inflected with the flares of Marguerite Duras.” The Girl Before Her is the first book to be published by Ink and 

Blood, a new imprint from Kaya Press and the Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network, dedicated to bringing Diasporic Vietnamese literary voices to English readers.

 

Born in Vietnam and based in Paris, Papin (born 1995) is the author of five novels: Une vie possible, L’Éveil, Toni, Le Os des filles and Le Coeur en laisse. The Girl Before Her is the English translation of Le Os des filles.

 

Connect:

Line Pain - Instagram | Line Papin - Linktree


Engage with your favorite writers and discover your next read.

Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Interest
Connect with AANHPI heritage with programs and workshops, book recommendations and more.

Weaving Stories is the Library's celebration of the many diverse histories and cultures from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.


This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.


Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.


Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.