{"product_id":"the-most-secret-memory-of-men-9781635423273","title":"The Most Secret Memory of Men","description":"\u003cb\u003eA Best Book of 2023 by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e and Longlisted for the National Book Award\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA gripping literary mystery in the vein of Bolaño's \u003ci\u003eSavage Detectives\u003c\/i\u003e, this coming-of-age novel unravels the fascinating life of a maligned Black author, based on Yambo Ouologuem.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first Sub-Saharan African winner of France's top literary prize, the Goncourt.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2018, Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer in Paris, discovers a legendary book from the 1930s, \u003ci\u003eThe Labyrinth of Inhumanity\u003c\/i\u003e. No one knows what became of its author, once hailed as the \"Black Rimbaud,\" after the book caused a scandal. Enthralled by this mystery, Diégane decides to search for T.C. Elimane, going down a path that will force him to confront the great tragedies of history, from colonialism to the Holocaust. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlongside his investigation, Diégane becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. Together they talk, drink, make love, philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. Diégane grows particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, who holds so many secrets, and the photojournalist Aïda, impossible to pin down. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Most Secret Memory of Men\u003c\/i\u003e is an astonishing novel about the choice between living and writing, and the desire to transcend the divide between Africa and the West. Above all, it is an ode to literature and its timelessness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMohamed Mbougar Sarr \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Dakar in 1990. He studied literature and philosophy at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. \u003ci\u003eBrotherhood\u003c\/i\u003e, his first novel, won the Grand Prix du Roman Métis, the Prix Ahmadou Kourouma, and the French Voices Grand Prize. The president of Senegal named him a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. He won the 2021 Goncourt Prize for his novel \u003ci\u003eThe Most Secret Memory of Men\u003c\/i\u003e, becoming the first sub-Saharan African to do so. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLara Vergnaud\u003c\/b\u003e is a translator of prose, creative nonfiction, and scholarly works from the French. She is the recipient of two PEN\/Heim Translation Fund Grants and a French Voices Grand Prize, and has been nominated for the National Translation Award. She lives in Washington, DC.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Other Press (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50581549482258,"sku":"9781635423273","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_70692d13-e747-4815-9f8a-81b9b3e6f9a0.jpg?v=1732015965","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-most-secret-memory-of-men-9781635423273","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}