Manbanckou has been called in some French circles “the African Samuel Beckett”. A humorous, witty novelist and poet, he was a listed finalist for the Man Booker International Prize in 2015--but this is just one of many honours to his name.
His first novel, “Blue-White-Red”, for example, won numerous prizes, including the coveted Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire (a major prize for a francophone text from black Africa). In it, Manbanckou explores themes linked to expatriation and post-colonialism.
Another highly-acclaimed novel, “Black Moses”, was short- and long-listed for a number of awards and made it to The New York Times’ 10 French novels to read now list.
Manbanckou resides in Los Angeles, California (U.S.) where he teaches literature at UCLA.
The novel presentation and discussion will take place in French. For tickets, visit the Institut Pierre Werner website.
Photo: JF Paga/Grasset