Trading Paris for New York

M.S. Yansané

Description

As he grapples with a migration project to the United States, a 24-year old African-born Frenchman, Morie, needs to find an exclusive balance between a carefree Parisian lifestyle that might eventually catch up with him, and the commitment of marriage to a New York woman, Kate. It brings you to the tumultuous area of immigration and marriage, with marriage occurring not for love or mutual care, but for a green-card.

Sujets

• Harmattan Littérature
• Littérature
• Romans
• Conakry
• Afrique subsaharienne
• Nouvelles

Informations

• Publié par: L'Harmattan
• Date de parution: 02 avril 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 22
• EAN13: 9782140005411
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Trading Paris for New York M. S. Yansané
A Parisian in New York grapples
with an ambivalent green-card marriage
Trading Paris This third-person narrative of relationships based
on trues stories, woven in betrayal, lust, illusion and
hope, and set in New York in the mid-1970s could for New Yorkbe titled “The Parisian Kate Married.” As he grapples
with a migration project to the United States, a
24year old African-born Frenchman, Morie, needs to A Parisian in New York
fnd an elusive balance between a carefree Parisian grapples with an ambivalent
lifestyle that might eventually catch up with him,
green-card marriageand the commitment of marriage to a New York
woman, Kate. It brings you in the tumultuous area of
immigration and marriage, with marriage occurring A novel
not for love or mutual care, but for a green-card.
You will fnd yourself wondering whether Morie is
an actor, a diplomat, or a politician as he takes you
along on his journey—trading Paris for New York.
Guinea-born U.S. citizen M. S. Yansane’s career
spans teaching, journalism and international civil
service. He notably worked for Mano River Union
in Freetown, Sierra Leone; the United Nations in
New York; and the World Bank in Washington DC.
Holder of a Bachelor of Arts from the University
of the District of Columbia (UDC) and a master
of Public Administration from American University
(AU)of Washington, DC. He is married and raising
two teenagers; his management consulting frm is
based in Conakry, Guinea where he resides part
time. His frst Novel, Emigrés de l’intérieur was
published by l’Harmattan in French.
Cover Illustration : J. Allain
Jalka Studio - Thinkstock
ISBN : 978-2-343-07978-3
34 €
HC_YANSANE_25,5_TRADING-PARIS-NY_V6.indd 1 10/03/2016 17:59
Trading Paris for New York
M. S. Yansané
A Parisian in New York grapples
with an ambivalent green-card marriage
















Trading Paris for New York

A Parisian in New York grapples
with an ambivalent green-card
marriage




























M. S. Yansané




Trading Paris for New York

A Parisian in New York grapples
with an ambivalent green-card
marriage











L’Harmattan







































© L'Harmattan, 2015
5-7, rue de l'École-Polytechnique ; 75005 Paris

http://www.librairieharmattan.com
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

ISBN : 978-2-343-07978-3
EAN : 9782343079783














This story is dedicated not only to all immigrants from
“nontraditional areas” who are still struggling for the right to live in the
United States, but also to all the women who gave this writer the
selfless love that turned out to be the first Bible he read. It is an
attempt to give a human face to the following facts: It wasn’t until
the 1960s, after the civil rights movement took hold, before
America’s immigration policy was largely understood to be unjust,
and President John F. Kennedy blasted it as “nearly intolerable.”
The nation was ready for change by the time Congress passed and
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and
Naturalization Act of 1965. Since then nearly 59 million people
have come to the United States, with three-quarters of them from
Latin America and Asia, and she share of Africans has jumped
significantly.



























In fond memory of Belgian Journalist,
Jacques Danois (1927 – 2008)


























“Sigh no more, ladies, sign no more,
Men were deceivers ever, —one
Foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.”

William Shakespeare





































“The slave has one master; and the ambitious, as
many as he can find people useful to his fortune.”
La Bruyère


























CHAPTER ONE
HE THRILL OF LIVING T

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 1973
*The deafening, infernal blaring was akin to the Tabuley that
announces a death in Morie’s African village. Bang! bang! bang! So
went the banging at the door and their echo came to Morie’s ears by
waves of panic exploding in his heart. Open up, open up, and open the
door immediately! Morie fought to recover consciousness least the
sticky, dreadful anxiety inside his chest would turn to sheer panic. He
painstakingly rose to his feet and crept toward the door, dragging his
feet as if they had become pieces of lead. His eyes were wide open but
Morie couldn’t see clearly! Meanwhile the banging went on unabated
against the door. Bang, bang, bang. Open up now! In his slow
progression toward the door, Morie slumped on the sofa. He became
conscious of the movement of the walls as they swelled in and out in a
hideous motion that exacerbated panic. The living room was shaking
as if there was an earthquake. Soaked with panic, Morie crept toward
the door, his head bubbling with the hysterical voices that went on
commanding him to Open up now! He finally opened the door and, to
his amazement, he was looking at a throng of women waving
aggressive arms and screaming from the top of their voices as they
spilled into the living room. The bodies were that of women but the
hideous faces were that of monsters. Like the walls, the faces of the
strange creatures swelled in and out at the rhythm of breathing; they
actually inflated and deflated like the bellows of a blacksmith. Now
the demonic throng crawled toward Morie on their bellies like snakes;
they crawled in slow motion reminiscent of the scenes of horror
movies as they came for Morie, with outstretched arms, and gigantic
breasts akin to fists of boxing champions. Morie woke up with a start,
looked around the walls of the bedroom and realized he had been
dreaming. He wanted to analyze his dream but the troubling terms of
the arrangement between him and Kate warped his thoughts. Morie

* Drum











felt thankful that his wife was already out of the apartment. The
premises being peaceful enough, he would get himself washed off,
dressed up and ready to go out. Communication with Kate had gone
rather tense ever since her unforgettable line: “You blew it!” She told
Morie. Now he found it hard to open up to his wife and share his
failures, his dreams, and his hopes to secure legal immigration status
in the United States. So, these days, instead of opening up to Kate, the
moment she left the apartment with the baby, Morie seized the
opportunity to sit in front of the typewriter, confide in The Tropical
Notebook and then resume editing the final chapters of Public Office
with a view to its submission to Faith for proofreading. But today,
instead of writing, Morie opted for the alternative to pick up his
journal stuff it in his briefcase and walk out of the apartment. He must
get away from Kate’s suffocating company, he said to himself. But
where could he turn to? It was wishful thinking to find Monique, or to
consider reconnecting with Grace. Only in Faith’s company could he
seek solace, relax and and breathe. Morie’s marital life had
deteriorated beyond repair as his carefree lifestyle and unemployment
chipped away his confidence. Unemployment had caused the greatest
damage to his household, Morie thought to himself as he swiftly
walked out of his apartment, resenting resenting the commitment to
Kate that led to vows of marriage. He hadn’t been ready for it. He
should have waited to become a New Yorker on his own before
embarking on the marriage boat. Now he wallowed in a knee-high
mess that