05/31/2024
“I recently had the opportunity to read Jimahl di Fiosa's book "A Thousand Suns at Midnight." It's been a long time since a book has grabbed me in this way: we're compelled, almost by a magical act, to read it continuously, yet subjected to a rollercoaster ride that defies the expected linear narrative. The narrative fragments are presented to us in such a way that we can't believe they'll end, nor do we believe these could be Jimahl's "final words." It sometimes becomes difficult to discern a writer's personality through their stories, but in this work, the author doesn't seek to hide; rather, he grabs the reader and puts them center stage. We are both the exploring child, the suffering lover, the learning magus, and the weeping son.
Jimahl follows a confessional writing style not far from the great names of the genre, using the memory of his own life as a source of creativity for the narrative. Like Annie Ernaux, Elena Ferrante, or even Tove Ditlevsen, the author claims with his words the emotions, even those that are raw and harsh, usually reserved for the intimate realms of "shadow" and the unconscious. Jimahl doesn't merely externalize them; the reader isn't forced into a passive position of receiving loose and disjointed memories as if in a therapy session. On the contrary, as we are presented with these memories, we are taken beyond the author's individual life, simultaneously transported on a biographical journey that becomes historical through this writer's ability to make it transversal. His writing seems paradoxical, for despite being intimate, it is empathetic to the human condition, which is always bewildering, with light and profound moments, with extreme conflicts and unexpected reconciliations brought about by events, which are themselves surprising (even those that only occur internally and intimately). Like Ocean Vuong, the format of this author's writing closely resembles an expositional love letter, almost leading us to believe, at certain moments, that it is us whom Jimahl di Fiosa speaks of.
From life in the interior and coastal regions of countries, to access to fair education, the discovery of love and sexuality, the legal frameworks of a world still in slow evolution, the religion inherent in the family and its conflict with a spirituality evoked by spirits, the author adds an extra element regarding the genre that, for me, makes all the difference in this book, distinguishing it from others. Jimahl takes us into the history of Alexandrian Witchcraft itself and its movement throughout the world (not only in the United States but also in Brazil and Portugal), creating moments of questioning in the reader: sometimes we are the seeker, sometimes the Priest. Remember that this Elder of the Craft was initiated before Alex Sanders himself passed away, making him contemporary with the creative and expansive tide of the Tradition.
Lastly, I emphasize that the act of intimate and introspective exposure is extremely difficult. But it seems to me that this is precisely what Jimahl wanted to do: to show himself in full. In his book, there is no clear separation between the "I" and the "she" (as Ernaux does), but rather a summary of all of this, in which, in addition to an alchemical fusion between the "I" and the "he," he presents us with a perfect harmonization of both pillars with what we conventionally consider a magical persona. For me, who personally knows the author, the special spark he carries in his heart becomes obvious in every word of his, and especially in every hug.
I conclude with the words of the author's mother, which will haunt me for the rest of my life, for how she summarizes the complexity of being alive, a true "crazy game": "We are in from the minute we've born and everything after that is a test. Some tests are easy, some are hard. Sometimes the tests are so difficult that we think there's no way through. But the thing is – no matter what the challenge – we have to keep playing. We must stay in the game."
May we all remain capable of facing all the tests of this strange game. Thank you, Jimahl di Fiosa, for this book.”
Silvanus Albuquerque
