Omar Youssef Souleimane joined the NORA programme in 2016 to write poetry for two and a half months at the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, where, at the end of his residency, his texts accompanied the drawings by Dorothée Clauss in the "Je ne suis plus personne" exhibition.

He continued his residency in 2017 at the Cité du Mot and then at Maison Maria Casarès, where he had the opportunity to meet two Iranian theatre-makers.

In 2018, he completed a new NORA residency at the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lez-Avignon.

The experience continued in 2023 with a cross-residency between IMEC and the Cité du Mot, again as part of the NORA programme.

"Nora not only enabled me to find quiet places to write, but also to enjoy new experiences and remarkable exchanges with other writers and artists, in France and elsewhere, which has nourished and continues to nourish inspiration for literary creation."

A word from the publisher

"In this account, which is both political and poetic, Omar Youssef Souleimane, who arrived from Syria in 2012 and has been a French citizen since 2022, looks back on his journey, which was full of pitfalls and loneliness, while recounting his carnal and literary attachment to his new country."

Extract

"I have a new mother, France. How can I fail to see it as the land that protected me, gave me the freedom to express myself, saved me from tyranny and gave me the gift of citizenship? Because of the health situation, the ceremony planned for the presentation of the identity card was cancelled. Anyway, I had my own ceremony with my friends. Some were born here, others elsewhere. We all went for couscous, the favourite dish of the French. We toasted with Italian wine, and listened to Rachid Taha and Barbara. That's the France I love.