Republic of the Congo / All works
Novel · A way to begin
The Laughing Cry
Le Pleurer-Rire
Henri Lopes · 1982
Synopsis
In a never-named African country, President Polépolé is overthrown in a coup; a patriotic council of national resurrection brings to power Colonel Bwakamabé Na Sakkadé, nicknamed Tonton. At cabinet meetings, the members of the government are searched at the entrance and treated like schoolchildren; the posts go to men of his tribe. His butler, who serves him his drink and food, tells of these years, between his wife Elengui and his own adventures. An attempt by Colonel Haraka to bring Polépolé back fails, and mistrust spreads through the master's entourage.
Context
The novel appeared in 1982 from Présence africaine, in three hundred and fifteen pages; the author published a revised edition in 2003. It combines two voices: that of the servant who narrates and that of the president's chief of staff, who reads this account and discusses it, so that the book draws at once on the novel and on the historian's discourse. The characters' names announce their roles, and public rumour, radio-trottoir, has its place in it. Gerald Moore published an English translation in 1987.
Who it is for
A novel of more than three hundred pages, whose French draws on popular speech. Humour makes constant violence bearable.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as a classic of modern African literature, it is among the books that the Académie française named in 1993 for its grand prize.
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