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Edition 59 (2004) Winner
Sami Tchak
サミ・チャック
Sami Tchak
Aliases:
Sadamba Tcha-Koura
Pen Names:
Sami Tchak（Pen name used for literary works）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1960-01-01 （Bowounda, Togo）
- Nationality
- Togolese
- Languages
- French
- Residence History
- Togo (birthplace and early life) → France (Paris, studies and residence) → Cuba (research stay, short-term) → Mexico (influential visits) → Colombia (influential visits)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Sociologist, Essayist, Teacher
- Active Years
- 1983-
- Influenced By
- Eduardo Manet (Cuban writer; wrote a foreword), Mexican and Colombian literature and culture
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Lomé | — | Philosophy | Dissertation / Licentiate (philosophy) | 〜1983 | Togo |
| Sorbonne University | — | Sociology | 博士号（PhD） | 1986–1993 | France |
University of Lomé
Philosophy
Degree:
Dissertation / Licentiate (philosophy)
Period:
〜1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
Togo
Completed a dissertation in philosophy in 1983
Sorbonne University
Sociology
Degree:
博士号（PhD）
Period:
1986–1993
Year of Graduation:
1993
Country:
France
PhD in sociology completed in 1993
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire | For his body of work | — | — | Winner |
| 2022 | Prix Ivoire | — | — | — | Winner |
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
2004
Work:
For his body of work
Result:
Winner
Prix Ivoire
2022
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Femme infidèle
1988 NovelAn early novel exploring love and betrayal with social themes.
LoveBetrayalSocial critique
Translations
- Translated into Spanish
- Translated into German
Place des Fêtes
2001 NovelA multi-voiced novel set around a festival square, depicting tensions between community and individual.
CommunityIndividualRitual
Translations
- Translated into Spanish
- Translated into Italian
Hermina
2003 NovelA turning-point work that takes place in an imagined Latin American-like world and focuses on human drama.
IdentityDesireCultural intersections
Translations
- Translated into Spanish
- Translated into German
La fête des masques
2004 NovelA story revolving around masks and festivities that questions personal and social façades.
MasksFestivityDisguise
Translations
- Translated into Italian
Le paradis des chiots
2006 NovelA relatively short novel with a metaphorical title, an allegory about consumption and desire.
ConsumptionDesireAllegory
Translations
- Translated into Spanish
Filles de Mexico
2008 NovelSet in Mexico and strongly influenced by Latin American culture.
MovementCultural exchangeRepresentations of women
Translations
- Translated into Italian
Le Continent du Tout et du presque Rien
2021 NovelA recent novel exploring existence and difference through interconnected stories.
ExistenceDifferenceSocial observation
Translations
- Translations reported (details vary)
Bibliography
- Femme infidèle (1988)
- Place des Fêtes (2001)
- Hermina (2003)
- La fête des masques (2004)
- Le paradis des chiots (2006)
- Filles de Mexico (2008)
- Le Continent du Tout et du presque Rien (2021)
- La sexualité féminine en Afrique (1999, essay)
- La prostitution à Cuba (1999, essay)
- L'Afrique à l'épreuve du sida (2000, essay)
- Formation d’une élite paysanne au Burkina Faso (1995, essay)
- Africana. Raccontare il continente al di là degli stereotipi (2021, essay)
Translations of Works
- Works have been translated into Spanish, German and Italian
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Social realism blended with metaphorical and allegorical expressionInfluenced by Latin American literatureConcise, observational prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Masks and festivitiesDesire and sexualityMovement and bordersCultural duality (overlap of Latin America and Africa)
Legacy
Sami Tchak is noted for his distinctive approach of depicting African contexts within Latin American-like settings. Incorporating sociological perspectives into his fiction, he has gained international recognition through translations and awards and is considered an important figure in contemporary African literature.
Trivia
- Birth name is Sadamba Tcha‑Koura; Sami Tchak is his pen name.
- Won the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire in 2004.
- His novels have been translated into Spanish, German and Italian.
- Conducted research in Cuba in 1996 and published work on prostitution in Cuba.
- Reported winner of the Prix Ivoire in 2022.