What a formidable reading. It's a kind of a fictional autobiography about the author's childhood and teenage years which she spent in Japan, China, New York, Bangladesh and Laos due to her father being a Belgian diplomat.
She describes the enormous hunger she had not only for food but also for experience, for life, for sweetness, for books and for hunger due to her afflicton of anorexia during her teenage years.
She is telling the story in a speedily way and as a reader it's sometimes difficult to keep up with her pace.
The spelling style is vividly and I couldn't put it away. It's a story which I can strongly recommend. ( )

De als kind altijd hongerige schrijfster groeit op als dochter van een Belgische diplomaat in Azië en Amerika, leest als een bezetene, worstelt tijdens haar adolescentie met anorexia en vindt haar eigen weg als zij na haar studies letterkunde aan de VUB naar Japan trekt en begint te schrijven. ( )

This book and author was I find that I must credit to British Council library. I picked it up only because it had interesting cover, interesting author profile (there was French somewhere) and seemed like a brief book at 143 pages. I am so glad that I judged the book by cover.

The book belongs to a French category called auto-fiction, meaning fictional memoirs. You take the base of your life but have the autonomy of embellishment to suit your purposes. So, it can't be said how much is true, but reading about the author elsewhere, it does seem to be largely autobiographical. In fact, Amelie who is a prolific writer has published several books in this category of auto-fiction.

One thing that most stands out about the book is the writing style. There are short chapters that have crisp sentences that convey wry, absurd, seemingly frivolous story, yet at the same telling you lot more, lot deeper stuff. And the choice of words is superb. Read these sentences: 'The yocheien (Jap school) looked tiny, the playground anodyne.' 'Not understanding is a great leaven for writing.' and crux of the book.

'In truth I was in paroxysm of hunger: I was hungry for hunger.'

Life of Hunger is built of premise of narrator hunger for everything: hunger for love (fervent demands of love from family and governess), dipsomania (love for water, constant thirst) beauty, pleasure, the love for chocolates and Belgian biscuits Speculoos, love for alcohol before age of ten. Then during adolescence, she undergoes two and half year of anorexia, trying the hunger. In her wry tone, she comments that at least anorexia cured me of alcoholism.

Amelie is daughter of a diplomat, she is French-speaking Belgian who was born in Kobe in Japan and lived there for five years. Her favorite memories are of these five years. In Japan, a child till age of three is considered divine. That is what narrator felt about herself in secure world. Then, she moves to Peking in China, New York, Bangladesh and Laos. At 20, she revisits Japan and just mentions about getting a job as an interpreter and meeting a rich Jap guy, both of experiences she explores in details in books 'Fear and Trembling' and 'Tokyo Fiancee'.

Book mostly focuses of childhood memories; few stories stand out. There are hints of sexual molestation but not dwelt into. There is one story when kids in Jap playschool strip her, as they later tell their teacher, 'to check if she was white all over'. She seems to be unhappiest in Bangladesh and mentions few visits to neighboring India and Nepal. This is what she says about India:

'Compared to Bangladesh, neighbouring India was a Land of Cockaigne. To anyone coming from Dacca, Bombay resembled New York, and Calcutta New Orleans. But the poverty there was more shocking, because of the exclusions reinforced by Hinduism. At the time the Bangladeshi regime was one of moderate Islam, admirable in its egalitarianism.' I didn't understand this tho - '..exclusions reinforced by Hinduism.'

All in all curious, interesting read, will look for more books by the author.

Something about author: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/ameacutelie-notho...

Some more books by the author: Amélie Nothomb's books:

Antichrista (B-) (Antéchrista)
The Book of Proper Names (B) (Robert des noms propres)
The Character of Rain (A-) (Métaphysique des tubes)
Cosmétique de l'ennemi (A-)
Fear and Trembling (A-) (Stupeur et tremblements)
Hygiene and the Assassin (B ) (Hygiène de l'assassin)
Journal d'Hirondelle (B )
Life Form (B ) (Une forme de vie)
The Life of Hunger (A) (Biographie de la faim)
Loving Sabotage (A ) (Le Sabotage amoureux)
Mercure (B)
Péplum (B )
The Stranger next Door (B) (Les Catilinaires)
Sulphuric Acid (B) (Acide sulfurique)
Tokyo Fiancée (B ) (Ni d'Ève Ni d'Adam)

A movie about her: http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/03/24/fifa-2013-film-about-belgian-writer-...
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لولا أن داهمني النعاس على الكنبة لكنت حققت وعدي لهذا الكتاب بالانتهاء منه في جلسة واحدة !
لم أكن بحاجة لمغريات أكثر فإميلي نوثومب تعترف بسرّ بين صفحات كتابها الروايةالسيرةالأطلس بقراءتها ألف ليلة وليلة في سنّ السادسة!
كان ذلك كفيلاً لحبسي بين الصفحات ،
تقول في بدء حديثها عن الجوع بمعناه الأشمل بأنه تلك الحاجة الفظيعة التي تمسّ الكائن كلّه، ذلك الفراغ الآسر، وذلك التوق لا إلى الامتلاء الطوباوي بل إلى تلك الحقيقة البسيطة: فحيث لا يوجد شيء، أتطلع لأن يكون ثمة شيء.
كنت أشاركها نفس الفكرة بأن الجوع ليس الجوع إلى الطعام فقط !
وما أجمل أن يأتي الصوت من الخارج ليطمئنني بأن أفكاري صدى لحديثها مع نفسها في مكان ما !

آميلي عاشقة الماء والفراولة ، تلك التي تعلّمت من نيويورك أن تسير مرفوعة الرأس!
جرّبت الادمان والتخمة والجوع بمعناه الضيق والواسع . .
وتحدّثت عن مشاعر نكبتها أحياناً في نفوسنا بحجة غرابتها، أو ببساطة شعورنا بأنها عادية جدا لا تستحق أن يقرأ الآلاف عنها!

مع نهاية قراءتكم لها ستتذكرون جوعكم المحببّ ، جوع الورق والقراءة ،فهي بجدارة نجحت في إعادة شهيتي للقراءة بعد فصل دراسي خانق.
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Amelie Nothomb is a fascinating writer! In this book she recounts her thoughts and experiences from the age of nine through the age of twenty-one. She is the daughter of a Belgian diplomat, so she and her family lived in New York, Bangladesh, Japan, and more. There is no aspect of Nothomb's surroundings or experience which is spared her quite profound scrutiny and philosophizing. She is witty and also a bit scary in her self-awareness and a delight to read. ( )