GauZ' (Armand Gauz)
ガウズ
GauZ'
Aliases:
Armand Gauz / Armand Patrick Gbaka-Brédé
Pen Names:
GauZ'（Used as authorial pseudonym）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1971-03-22 （Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Plateau district)）
- Nationality
- Ivory Coast, France
- Languages
- Anyin, French
- Residence History
- Attécoubé → Agnibilékrou → Yopougon → Bouaké → Daloa → Cocody → Grand-Bassam → Paris (lived)
Career
- Occupations
- author, publisher, screenwriter, actor
- Active Years
- 2005-
- Affiliations
- Éditions Srèlè (publishing house)
- Influenced By
- Émile Zola, Victor Hugo
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Université Félix-Houphouët-Boigny | — | — | 修士（生化学） | — | Ivory Coast |
| Paris Diderot University (Paris VII) | — | Biochemistry | 修士（生化学） | 1999-2000 | France |
Université Félix-Houphouët-Boigny
Degree:
修士（生化学）
Year of Graduation:
1998
Country:
Ivory Coast
Obtained a master's degree in biochemistry before traveling to France in 1999
Paris Diderot University (Paris VII)
Biochemistry
Degree:
修士（生化学）
Period:
1999-2000
Year of Graduation:
2000
Country:
France
Studied in France on a scholarship; visa status had irregular periods
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gibert Joseph Booksellers' Prize | Debout-Payé (Standing Heavy) | — | Gibert Joseph | winner |
| 2018 | Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire | Camarade Papa | — | Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire | winner |
| 2023 | International Booker Prize | Standing Heavy (English translation of Debout-Payé) | — | The Booker Prizes | shortlisted |
Gibert Joseph Booksellers' Prize
2014
Work:
Debout-Payé (Standing Heavy)
Organization:
Gibert Joseph
Result:
winner
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
2018
Work:
Camarade Papa
Organization:
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
Result:
winner
International Booker Prize
2023
Work:
Standing Heavy (English translation of Debout-Payé)
Organization:
The Booker Prizes
Result:
shortlisted
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Debout-Payé / Standing Heavy
2014 Novel (social satire)A novel satirically depicting colonial legacy, racism and capitalism through the eyes of three undocumented Ivorian security guards in Paris.
immigrationcolonial legacylaborracismurban life
Translations
- Standing Heavy (English translation)
Camarade Papa
2018 Novel (historical/political)A novel that places the narrator in the mind of a 19th-century white man to explore colonization and Marxist–Leninist themes; features an African-origin child born in Amsterdam.
colonizationpolitical ideologyhistorical perspective
Black Manoo
2020 Novel (urban fiction)Set in the 1990s African community of Paris, centered on a drug-addicted musician.
immigrant communitiesmusicaddictionurban margins
Cocoaïans (Birth of a Chocolate Nation)
2022 Non-fiction (political history)A political history of chocolate combining essay and reportage.
food industrycolonialismeconomic history
Portes (Doors)
2024 Novel (social)Inspired by the 1996 occupation of the Saint-Bernard church in Paris by undocumented African immigrants; it concludes his 'trilogy of papers'.
immigrationprotestsocial justice
Aboudia (co-author)
2024 Monograph (art)A monograph on the American-Ivorian artist Aboudia, co-authored and published as a catalogue/essay volume.
contemporary artAfrican art
Bibliography
- Debout-Payé (2014)
- Camarade Papa (2018)
- Black Manoo (2020)
- Cocoaïans (2022)
- Portes (2024)
- Aboudia (co-author, 2024)
Adaptations
- Parole(s) de Fana (short documentary, director)
- Quand Sankara.... (short documentary, director)
- Beyond the Ocean (2006, screenwriter)
- Ici C Babi — C’est doux mais c’est risqué (TV series, screenwriter)
- Niabla (2023, co-creator, screenwriter, actor)
Translations of Works
- Debout-Payé → Standing Heavy (English translation by Frank Wynne)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- satirical and critical voicerealist treatment of social and political issuesuse of humor and biting observation
- Recurring Motifs
- immigration and diasporacolonial legacylabor and low-wage workers' perspectivesurban marginality
Legacy
GauZ' has become an important voice in Francophone and contemporary African literature through satirical, politically engaged works. His cross-disciplinary activity in fiction, non-fiction and film highlights issues of migration and colonial legacy. By founding Éditions Srèlè he has also influenced the circulation and rights of African literature.
In Popular Culture
- Appearance and co-creation of the TV series 'Niabla'
- Scriptwriting and awards for TV series 'Ici C Babi'
Quotes
-
"I have two cultures in me"
Source: Le Monde (interview) (2018)
Trivia
- His first language is Anyin.
- Work as a security guard in France inspired his debut novel 'Debout-Payé'.
- Founded Éditions Srèlè, a publishing house based in the Ivory Coast.
- Obtained French nationality after the birth of his son.