Broken Glass
About the book
A former schoolteacher records the stories of a Congolese bar's regulars.
Original title: Verre cassé
Africa · A READING GUIDE
Republic of the Congo
Alain Mabanckou offers barroom stories, childhood in socialist Congo and an animal double’s confession. Emmanuel Dongala juxtaposes a child soldier’s perspective with a fleeing girl’s experience. Tchicaya U Tam’si turns to wartime Pointe-Noire, where daily life meets legend. Humour, oral storytelling and formal experiment become different ways of confronting history.
WHERE TO START
- Broken GlassAlain Mabanckou
- Johnny Mad DogEmmanuel Dongala
- The Madman and the MedusaTchicaya U Tam’si
Books to begin with
An editorial selection · not rankedNo matches. Try another language or search term.
Memoirs of a Porcupine
About the book
A porcupine, a murderer’s animal double, confesses the crimes they committed together.
Original title: Mémoires de porc-épic
Tomorrow I’ll Be Twenty
About the book
Michel’s child’s-eye perspective portrays family life and political absurdity in socialist Congo.
Original title: Demain j’aurai vingt ans
Johnny Mad Dog
About the book
A child soldier’s and a fleeing girl’s lives intersect during civil war.
Original title: Johnny chien méchant
The Madman and the Medusa
About the book
The lives of three friends in wartime Pointe-Noire combine everyday reality, legend and hallucination.
Original title: Les Méduses ou les Orties de mer
African Psycho
About the book
A grotesque monologue by a man dreaming of criminal notoriety.
Black Moses
About the book
A boy leaves an orphanage and tries to find a place in a Congolese city.
Context and sources
Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.
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