Novel
Le Bal des caïmans
Not translated into English
Yodi Karone · 1980
Synopsis
In an African country that the book does not name, a man is hunted down, captured, then brought before a court. The trial is a parody, and the novel is made up of the depositions of the witnesses who follow one another there. It is through their voices, those of the victims more than those of the powerful, that an oppressed people, incompetent and brutal leaders, and the chaos they sow around them take shape.
Context
The first novel of its author, who came from the theatre, the book was published in Paris by Karthala in 1980, in 230 pages. Théo Muhasanya Bil'umbele places it among the works of protest that speak of African realities through mocking laughter or fierce anger, and notes its fragmentation, its circularity, its short sentences and the inner gaze lent to the victims. Thomas Mpoyi-Bwatu, in 1983, regarded it as the author's best book, while judging that the narrative awarded a prize the previous year went further in narrative technique.
Who it is for
In French. It is worth knowing that the reader has only the witnesses' word to reconstruct the affair.
Prizes and reception
No prize for this book; the narrative that follows it, two years later, was crowned by the Association of French-language Writers.
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