Alain Mabanckou (born 24 February 1966) is a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, and academic, a French citizen born in the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, he is currently a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. He is best known for his novels and non-fiction writing depicting the experience of contemporary Africa and the African diaspora in France."Alain Mabanckou, l'enfant noir"
"G.L.", ''Le Nouvel Observateur'', 19 August 2010. He is among the best known and most successful writers in the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

,Alain Mabanckou
. Julien Bisson, ''France Today'', 9 April 2009. and one of the best known African writers in France. In some circles in Paris he is known as "the

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

of Africa". Mabanckou is also controversial, and has been criticized by some African and diaspora writers for stating that Africans bear responsibility for their own misfortune.Valérie Marin La Meslée
"Le grand rire d’Alain Mabanckou"
SlateAfrique, 30 January 2012. He has argued against the idea that African and Caribbean writers should focus on their local realities in order to serve and express their communities. He further contends that categories such as nation, race, and territory fall short of encapsulating reality, and urges writers to create works that deal with issues beyond these subjects.

Life

Alain Mabanckou was born in

Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

in 1966. He spent his childhood in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire where he received his baccalaureate in Letters and Philosophy at the Lycée Karl Marx. After preliminary law classes at the

Marien Ngouabi University Marien Ngouabi University (French: ''Université Marien Ngouabi'', UMNG) is the only state-funded university in the Republic of Congo. It is located in the capital of Brazzaville. History The University of Brazzaville was founded on 4 December 19 ...

Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...

, he received a scholarship to go to France at the age of 22. He already had several manuscripts to his name, mostly collections of poems, which he began publishing three years later. After receiving a post-graduate Diploma in Law from the

Université Paris-Dauphine Paris Dauphine University - PSL (french: Université Paris-Dauphine, also known as Paris Dauphine - PSL or Dauphine - PSL) is a public research university based in Paris, France. It is one of the 13 universities formed by the division of the ancie ...

, he worked for about ten years for the group Suez-Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Writing

Mabanckou dedicated himself increasingly to writing after the publication of his first novel, ''Bleu-Blanc-Rouge'' (''Blue-White-Red''), which won him the ''

Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire The Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire (one of the major literary prizes of Black Africa for Francophone Literature) is a literary prize presented every year by the ADELF, the Association of French Language Writers for a French original text ...

'' in 1999. Since then he has continued to regularly publish prose as well as poetry. His ''African Psycho'' (2003) is a novel written from the point of view of Gregoire Nakobomayo, a fictional African serial killer. Mabanckou is best known for his fiction, notably ''Verre cassé'' (''Broken Glass''), a comic novel centered on a Congolese former teacher and life in the bar he now frequents.Tibor Fischer
"Duck soup: A Congolese comedy amuses"
(review of ''Broken Glass''), ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 20 February 2009. ''Verre cassé'' has also been the subject of several theatrical adaptations. It was published in English translation as ''Broken Glass'' in 2009. In 2006 he published ''Memoires de porc-épic'' (''Memoirs of a Porcupine''), which won the

Prix Renaudot The Prix Théophraste-Renaudot or Prix Renaudot () is a French literary award. History The prize was created in 1926 by ten art critics awaiting the results of deliberation of the jury of the Prix Goncourt. While not officially related to the ...

, one of the highest distinctions in French literature. The book is a magic realism-inspired reworking of a folk tale into a psychological portrait of Kibandi, a young Congolese man's descent into violence. The folk tale is an African legend
"All human beings have an animal double. Some doubles are benign, others wicked."
This adage focalizes on the value placed on twinhood in the African tradition. Just as the text uses the notion of doubles as a key idea in the development of its theme of power and sacrifice, African tribes believe twins to be harbingers of health, and prosperity in a family. However, they can also bring the opposite in disaster, and misfortune. There also exists a power dynamic between twins in that the second-born undertakes the more subservient role of guide that introduces the first born to the world. These two notions of duality and power dynamics come through in the characters, and their doubles, in the novel. The novel is narrated by one of these doubles, a porcupine, who is telling a baobab tree of the years he spent with Kibandi, his "master," establishing his subservient role. On Kibandi's tenth birthday, his father makes him drink ''mayamvumbi'', a potion, that links Kibandi to his "harmful double," the porcupine, for life, an instance of twinhood bringing misfortune. After the two carry out a string of murders in their village, even once violating the basic principle of Congolese magic of never harming twins, given their sacred place in tradition, Kibandi dies and the porcupine remains alive, and turns to the baobab to tell his story. During his confessions, the porcupine makes frequent, often poignant remarks on humanity, such as the endangering relationship between humans and animals and the sometimes exploitative role of ethnographers, all while staying true to authentic African traditions of storytelling, and twinhood. In 2007, Mabanckou's early poetry was re-published by Points-Seuil under the title ''Tant que les arbres s'enracineront dans la terre'', as well as a biography of

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

, ''Lettre à Jimmy'' (

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...

), on the 20th anniversary of Baldwin's death. Mabanckou's 2009 novel, ''Black Bazar'', is a dark comic story set in Jip's, a Paris Afro-Cuban bar once frequented by Mabanckou, portraying the lives of characters from the various African diasporas of France. Mabanckou's work has been translated and published in 15 languages, including several books in English.

Academic

In 2002, Mabanckou went to teach

Francophone Literature Francophone literature is literature written in the French language. The existence of a plurality of literatures in the French language has been recognised, although the autonomy of these literatures is less defined than the plurality of literat ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

as an Assistant Professor. After three years there he was hired in 2006 by the

University of California Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, where he is now a full Professor in the French Department. He currently lives in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He was appointed Visiting Professor at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...

(Chair of Artistic Creation) for 2016.

Other work

Mabanckou was named as a judge of the 2022 Booker Prize.

Bibliography

Novels

* 1998: ''Bleu-Blanc-Rouge'' (Présence Africaine). ''Blue White Red'', trans. Alison Dundy (

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...

, 2013) * 2001: ''Et Dieu seul sait comment je dors'' (Présence Africaine) * 2002: ''Les Petits-fils nègres de Vercingétorix'' (Le Serpent à Plumes). ''The Negro Grandsons of Vercingetorix'', trans. Bill Johnston (Indiana University Press, 2019) * 2003: ''African Psycho'' (Le Serpent à Plumes). ''African Psycho'', trans. Christine Schwartz Hartley (New York: Soft Skull, 2007; London: Serpent's Tail, 2009) * 2005: ''Verre cassé'' (Seuil). ''Broken Glass'', trans. Helen Stevenson (London:

Serpent's Tail Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Books ...

, 2009) * 2006: ''Mémoires de porc-épic'' (Seuil). ''Memoirs of a Porcupine'', trans. Helen Stevenson (London: Serpent's Tail, 2011) * 2009: ''Black Bazar'' (Seuil). ''Black Bazaar'', trans. Sarah Ardizzone (London: Serpent's Tail, 2012) * 2010: ''Demain j'aurai vingt ans'' (Gallimard). ''Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty'', trans. Helen Stevenson (London: Serpent's Tail, 2013) * 2012: ''Tais-toi et meurs'' (La Branche). * 2013: ''Lumières de Pointe-Noire'' (Seuil). ''The Lights of Pointe-Noire'', trans. Helen Stevenson (London Serpent's Tail, 2015; New York:

The New Press The New Press is an independent non-profit public-interest book publisher established in 1992 by André Schiffrin Éditions L'Harmattan Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in W ...

* 1995: ''L'usure des lendemains'', Nouvelles du Sud * 1997: ''Les arbres aussi versent des larmes'', L'Harmattan * 1999: ''Quand le coq annoncera l'aube d'un autre jour'', L'Harmattan * 2007: ''Tant que les arbres s'enracineront dans la terre'', Oeuvre poétique complète, « Points », Seuil * 2016: ''Congo'', Montréal, Mémoire d'encrier, coll. « Poésie » no 62 () * 2021: ''As Long As Trees Take Root in the Earth and Other Poems'', trans. Nancy Naomi Carlson (Seagull Books)

Essays

* 2007: ''Lettre à Jimmy (James Baldwin)'' (Fayard). ''Letter to Jimmy,'' trans. Sara Meli Ansari (New York: Soft Skull, 2014) * 2009: ''L'Europe vue d'Afrique'' (Editions Naïve) * 2011: ''Ecrivain et Oiseau migrateur'' (Editions André Versailles) * 2012: ''Le Sanglot de l'homme noir'' (Fayard). ''The Tears of the Black Man'', trans. Dominic Thomas (2018) *2015: ''Lettres noires : des ténèbres à la lumière'' (Fayard / Collège de France) *2016: ''Le monde est mon langage'' (Grasset) *2017: ''Penser et écrire l'Afrique'' (Seuil) *2019: ''Dictionnaire enjoué des cultures africaines'' (with Abdourahman A. Waberi) (Fayard) *2020: ''Rumeurs d'Amérique'' (Paris: Plon)

Illustrated books

* 2000: ''L'Enterrement de ma mère'', Kaléidoscope, coll. « Fiction française » * 2010: ''Ma Sœur-Étoile,'' illustrated by Judith Gueyfier, Paris, Seuil-Jeunesse * 2019: ''Le Coq solitaire,'' illustrated by Yuna Troël, Paris, Seuil-Jeunesse

Awards and recognition

* Prix de la Société des poètes français, 1995 for ''L'usure des lendemains'' *

, for ''Bleu-Blanc-Rouge'', 1999 * Prix du roman Ouest-France-Etonnants Voyageurs 2005, for ''Verre cassé'' *

Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie The Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie (literally "Prize of the five continents of the francophonie") is a literary prize created in 2001 by the Organisation internationale de la francophonie. Winners References

{{La Francop ...

2005, for ''Verre cassé'' *

Prix RFO du livre The prix RFO du livre was a French literary prize awarded annually from 1995 to 2010 by RFO to a Francophone work of fiction linked to French overseas departments and territories or surrounding geographical and geopolitical zones. List of reward ...

2005, for ''Verre cassé'' *

2006, for ''Mémoires de porc-épic'' * Prix de La Rentrée littéraire 2006, for ''Mémoires de porc-épic'' * Prix Aliénor d'Aquitaine 2006, for ''Mémoires de porc-épic'' * Prix Créateurs Sans Frontières 2007 (Ministère français des Affaires Etrangères), for ''Mémoires de porc-épic'' * Médaille de citoyen d'honneur de la ville de

Saint-Jean-d'Angély Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Royal abbey Founded in the ...

(

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...

, France), 2004 *

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

par décret du Président de la République française, 2010. * Georges Brassens Prize 2010, for ''Demain j'aurai vingt ans'' * Prix Prince Pierre de Monaco 2013, Littérature *

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Prize: Grand Prix de littérature Henri Gal 2012 for his entire work
Premio Strega Europeo
2015, Finalist *

Man Booker International Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced ...

: 2015, Finalist *2016 Puterbaugh Fellow for the entire body of work * 2017 Man Booker International Prize selection for the novel ''Black Moses'' * ''

'' ranked ''Broken Glass'' number 99 in its list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. * 2021: Elected a

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

International Writer

References

External links

Alain Mabanckou's official website
* Reed Johnson

''Los Angeles Times'', 29 April 2012. * Karimi, Kian-Harald: "'Paris Calling: Common and Uncommon Experiences of Latin American and African Diasporas'" in: Call - Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language (Hg. Sascha Harris u.a.) Dublin Vol 1. 2016 , url=http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=priamls , {{DEFAULTSORT:Mabanckou, Alain 1966 births Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French expatriates in the United States Living people Paris Dauphine University alumni Prix Renaudot winners Republic of the Congo writers University of California, Los Angeles faculty University of Michigan faculty