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Sony Labou Tansi Books

    July 5, 1947 – June 14, 1995

    Sony Lab'ou Tansi, whose works are often considered central to "New African Writing," was a prolific Congolese author. His writing is celebrated for its international resonance and innovative style. Tansi explored complex themes throughout his oeuvre, leaving a literary legacy that continues to inspire. His involvement with a theatrical company in Brazzaville highlights his dedication to performance and storytelling.

    Verschlungenes Leben
    Die heillose Verfassung
    La vie et demie
    The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez
    The Shameful State
    The Antipeople

    • The Antipeople

      4.0(3)Add rating

      When a student falsely claims in a suicide note that she was pregnant with his child, Dadou, a teacher, finds his life gradually ruined.

      The Antipeople

    • The Shameful State

      • 116 pages
      • 5 hours of reading
      2.8(23)Add rating

      Set in a fictitious African nation, this novel by the distinguished writer Sony Labou Tansi takes aim at the corruption, degeneracy, violence, and repression of political life in Africa. At the heart of The Shameful State is the story of Colonel Martillimi Lopez, the nation's president, whose eccentricity and whims epitomize the "shameful situation in which humanity has elected to live." Lopez stages a series of grotesque and barbaric events while his nation falls apart. Unable to resist the dictator's will, his desperate citizens are left with nothing but humiliation. The evocation of this deranged world is a showcase for the linguistic and stylistic inventiveness that are the hallmark of Sony Labou Tansi's work. This first English translation by Dominic Thomas includes a foreword by Congolese writer Alain Mabanckou that contextualizes the novel's importance in literary history and the significance of Sony Labou Tansi for future generations of writers.

      The Shameful State

    • The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez

      • 224 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Set against a backdrop of postcolonial turmoil, this surreal narrative critiques a despised and inept regime through a sharp, burlesque lens. The story vividly captures the chaos and complexities of life under such governance, blending incisive commentary with fantastical elements to create a compelling fable.

      The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez

    • La vie et demie

      • 191 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      3.6(131)Add rating

      Grandeur et décadence de la Katamalanasie, immense pays d'Afrique noire soumis à la plus sanglante, mais aussi la plus absurde des dictatures. Les morts n'y meurent jamais tout à fait, juste retour des choses puisque les vivants n'ont guère le droit d'y vivre. Si le constat de Sony Labou Tansi, pour drôle et réjouissant qu'il soit, peut paraître pessimiste, c'est qu'il décrit, au-delà du continent africain, le monde du prochain siècle : "Au fond, la terre n'est plus ronde. Elle ne le sera jamais plus. La Vie et demie devient cette fable qui voit demain avec des yeux d'aujourd'hui."

      La vie et demie