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THE INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PROJECT AGAINST FRIEDREICH’S ATAXIA
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E-mail: coordination@babelfamily.org

The realization of the BabelFAmily INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PROJECT!

In December 2010, Maria Blasco Gamarra, writer and someone who has Friedreich’s Ataxia, contacted the BABELFAMILY association. She wanted to share an ambitious idea with us: to write a novel with other authors from all over the world who, like her, suffer from Friedreich’s Ataxia, and to donate the profits to the biomedical research into curing the illness.
The authors could write in their maternal language, since the work would be translated by a team of volunteer translators from BabelFAmily into several languages. On her initiative, other writers got on board: Fátima D’Oliveira (Portugal), Marguerite Black (South Africa), Maria Pino Brumberg, Eva and Diego Plaza Gonzalez, Ramon Herreruela Roldán, Inmaculada Priego Priego, Ana Pilar Tolosana, Kristina Zarrantz Elizalde and Maria Luz Gonzalez Casas (Spain), Jamie Leigh Hansen and Susan C. Allen (U.S.), Nicola Batty and Sarah Allen (UK), Claudia Parada (Mexico) and Rebecca Stant (Australia). Each author wrote a chapter of the book following a simple storyline which acted as a guiding thread bringing unity to a story without constraining the creative freedom or writing style of each author. A journey in time and space which uncovers an enigma, a terrible secret buried for more than a century.
During this journey spanning two years, the writers have shared hopes and joys and many experiences which have enriched personal and literary experiences, but they have also mourned the death of fellow writer Nicola Batty, who unfortunately could not overcome the last crisis of Friedreich's ataxia. "We hope that where you are now is as beautiful as your prose."

Any person with feeling will be captivated by the strength and the desire to overcome of these writing enthusiasts. They seduce us with the sensitivity of their prose and the intrigue of the story. And the adventure is begun. They have a solid standing and several published books behind them. They are making a titanic effort, considering that for most pressing a key on the computer is quite a challenge ... but they carry on, despite knowing that life is fragile enough when you have ataxia. Or perhaps for that very reason: they realize that life is just a breath and you can’t afford to waste a minute. If they can do all this, how can we, who are fortunate enough to be healthy, not help? As people, we cannot look away. We believe we can give this worthy and proper initiative maximum exposure, the purpose of which is to help cure an illness.

THE LEGACY OF MARIE SCHLAU

The story begins in the U.S. in the first half of the twentieth century, 1936, ingeniously going back in time to Germany in the early nineteenth century. The life of Marie Schlau, a German Jewish girl born in 1833 hides great unsolved mysteries: accidents, disappearances, enigmas, unknown diagnoses, disturbing murders, love, tenderness, greed, lies, death ... alternatively a different story unfolds every time and takes us closer to the present. Thus, there are two parallel stories unravelling, each in a different age and place, which surprisingly converge in a revelatory chapter. Of course, Friedreich's Ataxia is an important and interesting protagonist in both stories. Excitement is served up and it is not to be missed!

Translation: Sarah Allen