''Brotherhood'' (french: Terre ceinte) is a political novel written by Senegalese writer

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (born 20 June 1990) is a Senegalese writer. Raised in Diourbel, Diourbel, Senegal and later studying in France, Sarr is the author of four novels as well as a number of award-winning short stories. He won the 2021 Prix Gonco ...

and translated by Alexia Trigo. It was published by Europa Editions in 2021. Originally published as ''Terre Ceinte'' in 2014 by

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore ...

. The novel takes place in a fictional town in Africa, where

Islamic extremism Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic unde ...

has taken root.

Background

In 2014, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's novel was published by

in French. It was Sarr's debut novel and second work after his critically acclaimed short story "La Cale". In 2021, it was translated by Alexia Trigo—being Trigo's debut work as a translator and Sarr's first novel to be translated into English.

Plot

The story follows an extremist Islamic organisation—called the Brotherhood, which has taken control of Kalep—and a group of decentralised intellectuals intent on challenging its extreme religious doctrine. The antagonist, Abdel Karim who is a police chief, leads the Brotherhood. In order to fight the tyrant, the intellectuals develop a political journal called ''Rambaaj'' that is aimed at reawakening the people and calling for an

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. To fight back, Karim places a huge bounty on the underground journalists which introduces betrayal and back-biting to the organisation. In order to winnow out the journalists, Karim burns down a library that is considered a cultural property.

Characters

* Abdel Karim — a police chief and leader of the Brotherhood * Malamine — leader of the resistance group

Reception

It received a

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

from '' Publishers Weekly''. ''PW'' described it as a "vital new voice to American readers." It was listed in '' Brittle Papers Notable Books of 2021.

Awards and nominations

The French version won the

Grand prix du roman métis The Grand prix du roman métis is a French literary award established in 2010 by the city of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion. Jury The jury comes from the book world and includes the winners of the previous year’s award. List of winners Gr ...

and

Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma The Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma is a Swiss literary prize in French literature, French language literature created in 2004, awarded annually by the Geneva International Book and Press Fair. The prize, named after Ivorian writer Ahmadou Kourouma, is given ...

in 2015.

References

{{Authority control 2014 novels 2014 debut novels French-language novels Senegalese novels Novels set in fictional countries