I'LL TAKE THE FIRE, translated from the French by Sam Taylor
378pp., paperback, First English Language Edition, Faber, London, 2026
ISBN: 9780571395354
Originally published in France in 2025 under the title J'emporterai le feu.
This autobiographical novel about a young Arab woman on a quest for sexual and political freedom is the final book in Leïla Slimani’s The Country of Others trilogy, based on her family’s roots in revolutionary Morocco.
Two sisters, Mia and Inés, trapped by the social conventions of Casablanca at the dawn of the twenty-first century and silenced by the political ‘truths’ that envelop their lives, struggle to find a place of safety and belonging that holds rather than binds.
“For the half week I spent in its pages, this book set fire to my days. Propulsive and fearless, Leïla Slimani’s novel renders coming of age - social, sexual, artistic - with uncommon command and passion. Slimani’s courage, her vulnerability, her virtuosity left me inspired. I won’t be surprised if this book finds readers for generations to come.” Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland Elegies and The Radianc
“This beautiful novel tells us the story of a battle fought by an Arab girl to discover herself and liberate herself from tradition. Leïla Slimani has succeeded in creating a wonderful world that we will never forget, and that will always inspire us.” Alaa Al Aswany, author of The Yacoubian Building
Leïla Slimani is the author of the novel Lullaby, which made her the first Moroccan woman to win France’s Prix Goncourt. Her other books include the novels Adèle, The Country of Others and Watch Us Dance, the first and second parts of a trilogy, and the collection of essays Sex and Lies. She is French president Emmanuel Macron’s personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture. Born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1981 and a citizen of France, she divides her time between Paris and Portugal.
Sam Taylor is the former pop culture correspondent for the Observer and is the author of The Republic of Trees, The Island at the End of the World, and The Amnesiac. He lives in France.