Books from Congo
18 popular congolese books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Africa Challenge" were written by authors from Congo.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
1.
African Psycho : A Novel by Alain Mabanckou EN
Description:
Gregoire Nakobomayo has decided to kill his girlfriend Germaine. However, the act of murder requires a bit of psychological and logistical preparation. Luckily, he has a mentor to call on, the far more accomplished serial killer Angoualima. The fact that he is dead doesn't prevent Gregoire from talking with him.
3.
Black Bazar by Alain Mabanckou ES
Description:
El protagonista de Black bazar es un dandi africano de nuestros tiempos, enamorado de los cuellos de camisa italianos y de los zapatos Weston, que descubre su vocación de escritor a raíz de una pena de amor. Navegando entre la endecha y la irrisión, esboza con exuberancia un cuadro sin concesiones del mundo que le rodea. Alternando el tono burlesco y el patético, Mabanckou presta su voz a toda una galería de personajes asombrosos que ilustran, cada uno a su manera, la miseria y la grandeza de la condición humana. Una novela de una elocuencia endiablada que huye de los tópicos y los prejuicios,... continue
4.
Black Moses : A Novel by Alain Mabanckou EN
Description:
The "heart-breaking" (New York Times Book Review), rollicking, award-winning novel that has been described as "Oliver Twist in 1970s Africa" (Les Inrockuptibles) "One of the most compelling books you'll read in any language this year." —Rolling Stone Winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize Shortlisted for the Albertine Prize Shortlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize Greeted with wildly enthusiastic reviews on publication, Alain Mabanckou's riotous novel begins in an orphanage in 1970s Congo-Brazza... continue
5.
Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou EN
Description:
Set in a Congolese bar called Credit Gone West, tells the story of a former teacher who is charged with documenting the stories of the bar's partrons.
6.
Celles qui subissent : Nouvelles by Ohoulou m’Onsonguet FR
Description:
Ce recueil de nouvelles brosse le tableau des discriminations et des difficultés que rencontrent les femmes africaines en général et congolaises en particulier. A l'époque où l'on parle de l'émancipation des femmes, ces dernières restent encore soumises au silence. Malgré la loi, la société pèse encore très lourd sur les veuves qui sont dépossédées de l'héritage du mari au profit d'une belle-famille cupide. Au sein de certains foyers, non seulement les filles vivent le calvaire, avec des parents qui préfèrent nettement leurs frères mais elles doivent aussi subir des abus de la part des pères, ... continue
7.
Congolina : De erfenis van Nele Marian by Nadia Nsayi NL
Description:
Nele Marian is een van de eerste schrijvers van Afrikaanse afkomst in Europa. In de jaren dertig verscheen haar dichtbundel Poèmes et Chansons, waarin ze koloniaal onrecht op aangrijpende wijze beschrijft. Het behoort tot de belangrijkste werken uit de Congolese literatuur. Toch is haar naam amper bekend. Nadia Nsayi dook in de archieven en bezocht symbolische plaatsen om het complexe leven van Nele Marian te reconstrueren met de grote geschiedenis op de achtergrond. Ze staat stil bij Marians werk en erfenis en legt opvallende parallellen met haar eigen leven. Congolina is een uniek verhaal, w... continue
8.
El antipueblo by Sony Labou Tansi ES
Description:
En Brazzaville (R. D. Congo), el ciudadano Dadou es íntegro y respetado, hasta que una mujer se apodera de su deseo; protegerá su virtud a través del alcohol y la caída en desgracia.
Esto podría parecerse a una clásica tragedia (como Desgracia, de Coetzee, o tantas más). Pero es contado en clave africana, con un formato entre la leyenda popular y el antiguo cuento infantil.
La historia, que por momentos tiene caracteres del absurdo, se desarrolla en medio del abuso de poder y la violencia. Y una inquietud que aparece en forma reiterada: dada l... continue
9.
Johnny Mad Dog : A Novel by Emmanuel Dongala EN
Description:
Life During Wartime, As Seen Through the Eyes of Two Congolese Teenagers Set amid the chaos of West Africa's civil wars, Emmanuel Dongala's striking novel tells the story of two teenagers growing up while rival ethnic groups fight for control of their country. At age sixteen, Johnny is a member of the Death Dealers, a rebel faction bent on seizing power. Even as he is drawn into the rebels' program of terror, Johnny Mad Dog, as he calls himself, retains his youthful exuberance--searching for girls, good times, and adventure. Sixteen-year-old Laokolé, for her part, dreams of finishing high scho... continue
10.
Letter to Jimmy by Alain Mabanckou EN
Description:
Written on the twentieth anniversary of James Baldwin’s death, Letter to Jimmy is African writer Alain Mabanckou’s ode to his literary hero and an effort to place Baldwin’s life in context within the greater African diaspora. Beginning with a chance encounter with a beggar wandering along a Santa Monica beach—a man whose ragged clothes and unsteady gait remind the author of a character out of one of James Baldwin’s novels— Mabanckou uses his own experiences as an African living in the US as a launching pad to take readers on a fascinating tour of James Baldwin’s life. As Mabanckou reads Baldwi... continue