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