Discovering the World Through Books
The Idea behind Voyages Livresques (Bookish Journey)
After exploring South American literature, I came to a realization: when I read, what I enjoy most is learning more about the world around me.
A second realization: many stories—whether fictional or not—that are important to different peoples are unfortunately little known in France. But fortunately, many of them are accessible.
The best way I’ve found to explore the unknown is to systematically read several books from each people of the world—roughly two works of history or ethnography, and a few others of literature, in the broadest sense of the word.
Of course, this will never be enough to truly know a people (hence the “bookish” journey), but it’s a first step toward better understanding them.
The Method
First, the list of countries I plan to use is composed of the 193 UN member states, to which I add the 4 non-member states recognized by the UN, as well as states recognized by at least one UN member. This brings the list to a little over 200 countries. The countries will be read in French alphabetical order.
Second, one country can encompass multiple peoples. In such cases, the goal is to find history and literature books for each of these groups. The first challenge is simply being aware that different peoples coexist. For example, according to Wikipedia, Afghanistan is made up of many groups: Pashtuns (42%), Tajiks (27%), Hazaras (9%), and many more. The second challenge is finding resources—in either French or English—about each of these peoples. Each country will come with a case-by-case explanation of which groups have been covered and which have not.
Third, I systematically reach out to cultural associations, or to embassies when associations aren’t available, to help me identify the most relevant sources. If I’m unable to find an expert to guide me, I select books based on the following criteria :
For history, ethnography, sociology, and similar fields: academic publications.
For literature: authors described as having significant influence on local literature or culture.
When it comes to lesser-known cultures, I’m not picky—I take any book I can find, as long as the content seems reliable and of good quality.
The format
As a rule, each country will be the subject of two articles.
The first article announces the journey. It will include the reading list, any difficulties or opportunities (especially if I had help) encountered while putting it together, and the reasons behind my choices.
The second article is the reading journal. This is where I’ll share the discoveries from my readings. As I write this now, I don’t yet know what these articles will look like—they will probably vary from country to country.
There may also be follow-up pieces, especially if I realize I’ve missed an important work. In that case, a third article will be needed to make up for it.
And of course, I plan special formats for certain places—Québec, for instance.
Why this site ?
I haven’t found any similar project online, either in French or in English.
It seemed worthwhile to leave a trace for anyone who might want to try something like this in the future—they can use this site as a starting point to build their own reading lists.
I also love the idea of sharing what I discover along the way.
It’s a way to open up the project more broadly: if others want to follow along—whether fully or partially—by reading the same books I list, or different ones, that’s entirely possible.
Who knows—maybe a community of readers will take shape?
And finally, more selfishly, I hope to attract people who’ll send me recommendations.
I’d really love to receive messages like:
“You want to explore country X? Then you absolutely have to read Y—it’s our pride.”
Want to Help Me ?
You can! If you’d like to recommend a book or just have a chat, feel free to send me a message through the form on the homepage—I’ll be sure to respond.