A Bookshop in Algiers

A great book set in three different time settings and charting the changing fortunes of Charlot’s bookshop through the Second World War, the Algerian revolution and the continuing political turbulence that came with independence. It is a celebration of books, bookshops and the struggle of those who dare to dream.

Lovely fictionalised account of the life of Edmond Charlot, an Algerian bookseller and publisher. Charlot was the first to publish Camus and was a leading light in the French publishing world all through Algerias difficult path to independence. It's a part of history that I know little about, so it was great to learn more about it through the lens of publishing and booksellers.

Go for it. It's a book about books.

At first, I was conflicted on whether to rate this 5 stars, because I thought Adimi was imagining a hypothetical bookshop owner, Edmond Charlot, and romanticizing it. As Elle's quoted on the back, the book is 'A splendid declaration of love to literature.' But as he was a real person, this grounds the poetical nature of the book in a historical reality. "And yes, everything's all right: the books are arranged in alphabetical order, with the paintings hanging above them, and this space is given over entirely to literature, art, and friendship."