Book - I Married a Noh Master, M.A.Jalil Umewaka

Author: Madeleine Jalil Umewaka,Sylvie Gauthier

Publisher: Sully Eds

Publication date: 06/20/2023

Collection: Le Prunier

Number of pages: 192

Format: 14 x 21.50 cm

This story is a story of resilience. The author recounts how she escaped the Lebanese civil war in 1976 at the age of 18, how she entered a centuries-old tradition by marrying a Noh master in Japan, Naohiko Umewaka, whose lineage goes back over 600 years, and how she helped make Noh theater known throughout the world. She introduces us to the world of Noh, Japan's oldest theatrical tradition. She describes how her husband participated in the revival of this tradition by creating new plays. She recounts the cultural and marital challenges she faced and her experience as a mother of two bicultural children. This warm book shares the story of a woman who, in a difficult context, finds her way with creativity and perseverance. It bears witness to Japanese culture in depth and takes a lucid look at cultural differences within a globalized world.
This book is a story that describes the meeting of two opposing cultures and allows us to discover the world of Noh theater from the inside.
Madeleine Abdel-Jalil, from an old family of Eastern Christians, tells how, fleeing the Lebanese civil war in 1976, at the age of 18, she joined her sister who had settled in Japan and then integrated a hierarchical tradition by marrying a Noh master, Naohiko Umewaka, whose lineage goes back more than 600 years.
She introduces us to the world of Noh, a Japanese theatrical tradition created in the 14th century, and enlightens us on its philosophical and aesthetic concepts. Her husband, Naohiko, is a pioneer in introducing new Noh plays, collaborating with foreign artists and blending tradition with aesthetic modernity. The author has found her calling by participating in this revival, organizing performances in Japan and around the world, and introducing a wide audience to the aesthetics and subtleties of Noh.
Madeleine Umewaka also recounts the challenges she faced, her experience as a mother of two bicultural children, and how she brought her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, from Lebanon to Japan where she benefited from attentive care and the empathy of the Japanese.
This warm book, a first version of which was published in Japan in 2019, shares with us the story of a woman who, in a difficult context, finds her way with creativity and perseverance. It bears witness to Japanese specificity in depth and takes a lucid look at cultural differences within a globalized world.