Book Review: "Le Firman"

French language novel that has a Macedonian connection.

Stefani Sen Senar Nominated for Big European Award

(Vreme, 29.12.2006) - Novel “Le Firman” by French author of Macedonian descent Stefani Sen Senar has been nominated for big European award on European democratization “Newropeans” in category “Culture”.

The young French author, known to the Macedonian and French literary public through novels “Barbarian Roots” and “Le Firman”, is called the Francois Sagan of the Balkans. Author of the preface in “Ferman” is Predrag Matveevic.

“This novel refers to a topic entirely unknown in France. However, I touch upon a sensitive topic in it, such as the Islam, which is quite problematic in France, causing a certain silence initiated by the fear to talk about it”, says Senar.


The Future of Macedonia Described by the Owner of Mysterious Piece of Scroll Called Firman:
Monday, January 08, 2007

The more one knows , the more one suffers,- goes an old dictum that, I do not know why, I have embraced it as Serbian. Well, there probably will be consequences, but, after reading Firman by Stefani Sen Senar I have just learned yet few new things. At this moment I do not have a clue how ominous will this freshly acquired knowledge prove to be, but I will immediately spread it - to distribute as evenly as possible the potential collateral damage.
Stefani Sen Senar embarked on a story about centuries old magic upon which to support her intricate plot for her second novel related to Macedonia.

There is this scroll of devastating, magic power. Actually - this scroll is a firman (in Farsi) or ferman (in Turkish). It carries a royal order. She develops 'Firman' in series of flash backs and she uses and abuses the technique abundantly and at will. If Stefani read more of the legendary queen Scheherazade (Shahrazada) stories (you know that they were bundled into the Book of One Thousand and One Nights) she might have produced a remarkable piece of somewhat strange melange of literature.