In Pointe-Noire, in the small neighbourhood of Voungou, on the family plot where young Michel lives with Maman Pauline and Papa Roger, life goes on. But Michel’s everyday cares – lost grocery money, the whims of his parents’ moods, their neighbours’ squabbling, his endless daydreaming – are soon swept away by the wind of history. In March 1977, just before the arrival of the short rainy season, Comrade President Marien Ngouabi is brutally murdered in Brazzaville, and not even naïve Michel can remain untouched.
Starting as a tender, wry portrait of an ordinary Congolese family, Alain Mabanckou quickly expands the scope of his story into a powerful examination of colonialism, decolonization and dead ends of the African continent. At a stroke Michel learns the realities of life – and how much must change for everything to stay the same.
About the author
Alain Mabanckou’s seven previous novels, including African Psycho, are all published by Serpent’s Tail. Mabanckou teaches at UCLA, is a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur and was awarded the Académie Française’s Grand Prix de littérature. Black Moses was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.
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