Italy at the heart of a literary exchange at the L’Isle-Jourdain bookstore

For the release of his latest book, Alain Monnier was present at the Lisloise bookstore Cadeaux de Pages. An evening organized in partnership with the Italian twinning committee. Author of around twenty works including novels (“Everything goes for the best” (Flammarion, 2012), “L’Esprit des places” (Climats, 2019)), Alain Monnier today presents a historical book of between wars. “Other lands than ours” looks at the immigration of Italians from Veneto who came to the Gers. A first for the Aude author. The novel follows families over two generations.

At the time, the early 1920s, there was a shortage of arms in the Gers. The French, looking for workers, convinced the Italians to come and settle there. At the time, the latter mainly immigrated to Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne and Lot-et-Garonne. Unlike the Spaniards who did not stay, the Italians established themselves and established roots.

This book was born at the request of Privat Editions which is also linked to numerous stories and anecdotes told by his Italian friends. Two years of intensive research were necessary to write the manuscript.

Several dozen people came to listen to the author during his visit to L’Isle-Jourdain. Sylvie Benito read the passage where the announcement to leave the country for France is made to the family. Alain Monnier spoke with the public about the sometimes harsh details of life at the time. There were many discussions.