“Inland Sea”, by Christophe Ono-Dit-Biot: stories of water

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Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, French journalist and writer, at the 27th Nice Book Festival. ERIC DERVAUX / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
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Review A scholarly reverie about marine mythologies, the author tells his story through his aquatic experiences. Beautiful pages of "ink and foam" ★★★☆☆
The ancient Greeks called the Mediterranean esô Thàlassa , the inland sea. It is to probe the mysteries of the waves and his own abysses that the author swims in the deep waters of Greece or Zanzibar. There he encounters a fascinating bestiary, the shark, messenger of the gods for the Polynesians, the octopus, a strange monster, or the whale, source of abundant mythology.
Through his aquatic experiences, Christophe Ono-Dit-Biot tells his story. It all began in Le Havre, his birthplace. From this childhood shore, though he left it with relief at 17, he inherited a special affinity for the waves. He returns to his roots to pay homage to them. Didn't the light reflected on the harbor's waves inspire Monet's first Impressionist paintings?
The writer-journalist pays a debt to his grand-…
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