Author(s): Clara Schulmann (translated from the French by Naima Rashid, Natasha Lehrer, Lauren Elkin, Ruth Diver, Jessica Spivey, Jennifer Higgins, Clem Clement and Sophie Lewis)

Essay | Feminism | Translated fiction | France | Les Fugitives | Read our reviews!

As she tries to collect them for an essay she is planning to write, other women’s words begin interfering in Clara Schulmann’s life — heard on the radio, in podcasts, songs, and films; words of novelists, feminist intellectuals, friends or strangers overheard in the street. They invade her psyche, reshaping the essay that she once had in mind into a picaresque adventure which investigates the fault lines around women’s voices: and in particular those moments of overflow and excess where wayward words take seed.

Chicanes heralds a new French feminism through a meticulously orchestrated chorus of the wildest female voices, from figures in the history of feminist writing to the stranger on the street, blurring the boundaries between body and art; personal and political. A poly-translation, by eight female translators, from established to emerging, Chicanes brings the individual voice of each translator into subtle relief.

‘This is a book to treasure and love.’ — Deborah Levy

‘In this beautiful and original book, Clara Schulmann has assembled a dazzling ‘cacophony’, varying in rhythm, rapidity, hesitation and flow, from a wide range of fascinating and unexpected sources. Chicanes captures the sounds of women’s emotions; the perfectly expressed, the overflow of excess and the lapse into silence. Schulmann’s own voice is a vivid presence, inspiring readers, as they discover the words of other women who enliven her pages, to summon up their own treasured voices.’ — Laura Mulvey

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REVIEW BY STELLA:
Looking for some background about author Clara Schulmann, I clicked on a link to a written Q&A. Looking for the ‘translate’ button (not that this is a perfect science on most computers), I happened upon the ‘read aloud’ option. As Chicanes is an investigation into voice, it felt appropriate to listen (even though it’s beyond my understanding of French). The AI failed terribly. Chatbots have been all the rage this week in the news and this failure may bring cheer to some, and amusement to others. This is a segue into a review of Chicanes, a collection of short pieces about voice and women’s experience. Schulmann dips and pivots, captures, and lets fly. She delves into literature and classics, art and film, exploring how women use their voice and how they are used (or stigmatised) by their voice. Her digressions move against each other building questions and ideas under the chapter headings ‘On/Off’, ‘Breathing’, ‘Fatigue’, ‘Overflowing’, ‘Speed’, and ‘Irritation’. The essays and snippets are both personal and critical (feminist theory and art critique are bundled here nicely, without being too pointy-headed; in other words, you can take it as you find it or investigate further), angry, and amusing. Taking her watching (cinema) and reading (essays and fiction), Schulmann drives us, never in a straight line, so we can observe her thinking about voice — its physical, emotional and intellectual power — and its cultural significance. How are women through their voice portrayed in films? Are they mostly silent/ screaming/ husky or simpering? How do women use their voices to protest and complain about inequality? Is it subtle? A pointed yet subtle change in mode or a tirade of small irritations (no time, too many family demands, commonplace sexism at work)? There are so many ideas packed into these short pieces, and they point in further directions and diversions. She quotes writers and draws up a map by which we can navigate her thinking out loud — about voice and in voice. In French the title is Zizanies which translates as discord or disharmony. When we say the word ‘voice’ we are likely to think of harmony or articulation. Yet if we think about the idea of voice as Schulmann has in the context of gender, discord is more than appropriate. The English language title, Chicanes: a sharp double bend, likely with some obstacle; is an apt descriptor also. Interestingly, there are several translators (one for each section), each with their ‘own voice’ interpreting Clara Schulmann’s interpretations. This observation by the author of language and tone (voice) by other writers/artists and then in turn via interpretation gives readers in English another level of voice. And then, in turn, we use our voice in its imperfect way (but probably less imperfectly than a chatbot, as if perfection was even the aim), to reflect our emotional and cultural condition. The book is immersive and curious in the best possible way.

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