Lecture by Writer Neige Sinno
Neige Sinno will present, in conversation with Professor Morgane Cadieu, Sad Tiger (translated by Natasha Lehrer), a powerful work that breaks the taboo of incest, both through her personal testimony and literary exploration. She first confronted this trauma at 19 by suing her stepfather for sexual abuse, and now again with this book, which has become a major literary event.
Sinno weaves her personal history with reflections on its impact on her loved ones and draws on literary influences like Virginia Woolf, Maggie Nelson, and Toni Morrison to examine narratives of dehumanization. She also critiques society’s failure to adequately address incest, arguing that it is not just a private issue but a systemic, political, and public health crisis. Legal experts support this view, emphasizing that dismissing incest as a personal matter enables society to ignore it.
Unlike conventional narratives of resilience, Triste Tigre rejects redemption or easy solutions. Sinno instead engages in a raw philosophical exploration of humanity, questioning whether denying an abuser’s humanity also denies her own. The book is an act of resistance, urging society to confront sexual violence through open discussion and difficult questions.
(Summarized from Albertine’s review)
