Kossi Efoui (born 1962 in Anfoin) is a

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

lese

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, playwright, and novelist. Efoui was born in Anfoin, a village in the

Maritime Region Maritime is the southernmost of Togo's five regions, with the country's only shoreline on the Bight of Benin. Tsévié serves as the regional capital. It is the smallest region in terms of area, but it has the largest population. Other major c ...

of Togo, studied philosophy at the University of Lomé, and obtained a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Benin. In the 1980s, he took part in a non-conformist student movement in opposition to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Gnassingbé Eyadéma Gnassingbé Eyadéma (; born Étienne Gnassingbé, 26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005) was the president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which he was immediately succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé. Eyadéma participated i ...

, and moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1992 in a case of self-imposed exile. His first play, ''Le carrefour'', was published in France and the United States in 1990 and 1991, respectively, after achieving success in Togo, and it was performed in the French Cultural Centre in Lomé the same year. After publishing several short stories throughout the mid-1990s, Efoui published his first novel, ''La Polka'', in 1997, and followed that up with ''La Fabrique de cérémonies'' in 2001, which won the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire. His third novel, ''Solo d'un revenant'', was published in 2008, and won the

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

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, and he followed that up with ''L'Ombre des choses à venir'', published in 2009. Efoui's plays were noted as having unclear settings, which were the subject of criticism as his works were considered too Western and too isolated from Africa, which Efoui did intentionally to link Africa and the West in his works. Specifically, in ''Le carrefour'', he described his characters as bodies, rather than specifically noting them as black or African. In 2010, the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle organized a collection of Efoui's plays, titled "Le théâtre de Kossi Efoui : une poétique du marronnage au pouvoir".

Bibliography

* ''L'Ombre des choses à venir'', novel, ed. Le Seuil, 2009 * ''Solo d'un revenant'', novel, ed. Le Seuil, 2008 * ''Io'' (tragedy), theatre, ed. Le bruit des autres, 2007 * ''Volatiles'', news, ed. Joca Seria, 2006 * ''La Fabrique de cérémonies'', novel, ed. Le Seuil, 2001 * ''L'entre-deux rêves de Pitagaba'', theatre, ed. Acoria, 2000 * ''La Polka'', novela, ed. Le Seuil, 1997 * ''Le Petit Frère du rameur'', theatre, ed. Lansman, 1995 * ''Les coupons de Magali'', 1994 * ''La Malaventure'', theatre, ed. Lansman, 1993 * ''Le carrefour'', theatre, ed. L'Harmattan, 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Efoui, Kossi 1962 births Living people Togolese novelists Togolese dramatists and playwrights Togolese expatriates in France 20th-century Togolese writers 21st-century Togolese writers University of Lomé alumni