Author: Pierre Assouline.
In the Pabellón CaixaBank of the Madrid Book Fair, in the Parque de El Retiro, the Instituto Francés of Madrid presents this evening at 19.30, El nadador (The Swimmer), by Pierre Assouline, the story of the life of the Olympic swimmer, Alfred Nakache. Free admission until full capacity is reached. Event in French with simultaneous translation. The writer Leila Guerriero and the former international footballer Miguel Pardeza will be present. Eva Orúe, director of the Madrid Book Fair will moderate the event.
This presentation is being held in conjunction with the Paris Olympic Games and as part of the opening of the Madrid Book Fair, whose theme is ‘Reading and Sport’.
Great authors have demonstrated their passion for sport and the Olympic Games, which have become a source of inspiration for some literary gems.
In an Olympic year such as 2024, the French Institute of Spain and the Madrid Book Fair are looking to sport because it is a major social and cultural phenomenon that books and literature have always been concerned with, and which has interested many writers, publishers and, of course, readers.
How resilient can a man be? This is the question posed by the fate of Alfred Nakache, born in the early 20th century to a Jewish family in Algeria and one of the world’s greatest swimming champions. Selected for the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 and London in 1948, he experienced the supreme test of a lifetime during that interval.
During the occupation in Toulouse, where he lived, he spent his nights secretly training young resistance fighters. Denounced to the Gestapo by a rival swimmer, he was arrested and deported to Auschwitz with his wife and daughter. They were gassed upon arrival; Alfred, recognised by the SS, was assigned to the most humiliating jobs. In the months that followed, he survived thanks to an unusually strong will and athletic constitution. During the liberation, he learned of the death of his wife and daughter but, spurred on by his coach who saw him sinking, he found the energy to return to the pool and become an international champion again soon after.
Pages: 160
Publisher: Nagrela Editores
Binding: Soft cover
ISBN: 9788419426260
RPP: 20,90 euros
