The Lights of Pointe-Noire by Alain Mabanckou (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Lights of Pointe-Noire by Alain Mabanckou, Helen Stevenson A moving meditation on home, home-coming and belonging from Francophone Africas most important writer. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Alain Mabanckou left Congo in 1989, at the age of twenty-two, not to return until a quarter of a century later. When at last he returns home to Pointe-Noire, a bustling port town on Congos south-eastern coast, he finds a country that in some ways has changed beyond recognition: the cinema where, as a child, Mabanckou gorged on glamorous American culture has become a Pentecostal temple, and his secondary school has been re-named in honour of a previously despised colonial ruler.But many things remain unchanged, not least the swirling mythology of Congolese culture which still informs everyday life in Pointe-Noire. Mabanckou though, now a decorated French-Congolese writer and esteemed professor at UCLA, finds he can only look on as an outsider at the place where he grew up. As Mabanckou delves into his childhood, into the life of his departed mother and into the strange mix of belonging and absence that informs his return to Congo, he slowly builds a stirring exploration of the way home never leaves us, however long ago we left home. Notes Trade paperback. A moving meditation on home, home-coming and belonging, from an important Francophone African writer. Author Biography Alain Mabanckou was born in 1966 in Congo. An award-winning novelist, poet and essayist, Mabanckou currently lives in LA, where he teaches literature at UCLA. His four novels African Psycho, Broken Glass, Black Bazaar and Tomorrow I Will Be Twenty - a fictionalised retelling of Mabanckous childhood in Congo - are all published by Serpents Tail. The Lights of Pointe-Noire was selected for an English PEN Award, and in 2015 Mabanckou was listed as a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. Review This is a beautiful book, the past hauntingly re-entered, the present truthfully faced, and the translation rises gorgeously to the challenge. * Salman Rushdie *Novels such as African Psycho, Memoirs of a Porcupine and (my favourite) Broken Glass have made his name as a hugely engaging storyteller whose humour, mischief and sheer bravura only throw the melancholy of his forlorn migrant heroes into even bolder relief. Now he, justly, stands among the finalists for the Man Booker International Prize, announced next week...Now he has written an overt memoir, but one that shares with his novels a glorious polyphony of voices and a winning amalgam of frankness and tenderness - deftly carried into English again by his regular translator, Helen Stevenson -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Mabanckou is one of the continents greatest writers and hes getting better with each book * Guardian *One of Africas liveliest and most original voices * The Times *Mabanckou is, in fact, incomparable * Financial Times *In search of his past, Mabanckou evokes the light and shadow of Pointe-Noire, his "lost paradise" * Radio France Internationale *A literary blow to the solar plexus ... undulating and poignant, raw and poetic * La Presse *At the end of this journey, the conclusion is clear - the country that lives within him is no longer his own, but Mabanckou remains loyal to his mothers last wish: "Never forget that hot water was once cold." * Télérama *A rich and astonishing book * LExpress * Promotional A moving meditation on home, home-coming and belonging from Francophone Africas most important writer Long Description A moving meditation on home, home-coming and belonging from Francophone Africas most important writer. Alain Mabanckou left Congo in 1989, at the age of twenty-two, not to return until a quarter of a century later. When at last he returns home to Pointe-Noire, a bustling port town on Congos south-eastern coast, he finds a country that in some ways has changed beyond recognition: the cinema where, as a child, Mabanckou gorged on glamorous American culture has become a Pentecostal temple, and his secondary school has been re-named in honour of a previously despised colonial ruler. But many things remain unchanged, not least the swirling mythology of Congolese culture which still informs everyday life in Pointe-Noire. Mabanckou though, now a decorated French-Congolese writer and esteemed professor at UCLA, finds he can only look on as an outsider at the place where he grew up. As Mabanckou delves into his childhood, into the life of his departed mother and into the strange mix of belonging and absence that informs his return to Congo, he slowly builds a stirring exploration of the way home never leaves us, however long ago we left home. Review Text This is a beautiful book, the past hauntingly re-entered, the present truthfully faced, and the translation rises gorgeously to the challenge. Promotional "Headline" A moving meditation on home, home-coming and belonging from Francophone Africas most important writer Details ISBN1846689805 Author Helen Stevenson Year 2015 ISBN-10 1846689805 ISBN-13 9781846689802 Media Book Publisher Profile Books Ltd Imprint Serpents Tail Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 843.92 Translator Helen Stevenson Format Paperback Edition Main Language English UK Release Date 2015-05-14 AU Release Date 2015-05-14 Pages 208 Edition Description Main Publication Date 2015-05-14 Alternative 9781782830382 Audience General NZ Release Date 2015-06-23 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:93946881;

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