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Tierno Monénembo

ティエルノ・モネネンボ

Tierno Monénembo

Aliases: Thierno Saïdou Diallo / Thierno Saïdou Diallo (出生名)

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-01-01 (Porédaka, Guinea)
Died
Nationality
Guinea
Languages
French
Residence History
Porédaka, Guinea — birthplace → Senegal — fled Guinea in 1969 → Ivory Coast — studied → France (since 1973; resident in Normandy) → Morocco — taught → Algeria — taught → United States (visiting professor at Middlebury College, Vermont, since 2007)

Career

Occupations
novelist, biochemist, playwright, professor
Active Years
1979-
Influenced By
Léopold Sédar Senghor

Education

University of Lyon
Biochemistry
Degree: Doctorate (PhD)
Period: 1973-(取得年不明)
Country: France
Moved to France in 1973 and obtained a doctorate in biochemistry; exact graduation year not consistently reported in sources.

Awards

Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
1986
Work: Les Écailles du ciel
Organization: Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
Result: winner
Prix Renaudot
2008
Work: The King of Kahel
Organization: Prix Renaudot
Result: winner
Prix Erckmann-Chatrian
2012
Work: Le Terroriste noir
Organization: Prix Erckmann-Chatrian
Result: winner
Grand prix Palatine
2012
Work: Le Terroriste noir
Organization: Grand prix Palatine
Result: winner
Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma
2013
Work: Le Terroriste noir
Organization: Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma
Result: winner
Grand Prix de la Francophonie
2017
Organization: Organisation of La Francophonie
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Les Crapauds-brousse

1979 Novel

Early novel; detailed summaries are limited in available sources.

early worksociety

Les Écailles du ciel

1986 Novel

A work addressing the powerlessness of intellectuals and African society; won a major literary prize in 1986.

intelligentsia's dilemmapostcolonialism

The Oldest Orphan

2000 Novel

A novel engaging with the memory of the Rwandan genocide; English translation published in 2004 and reached an anglophone readership.

memorygenocidetrauma
Translations
  • English translation (University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2004)

The King of Kahel

2008 Historical novel / fictionalized biography

A fictionalized biography of French adventurer Aimé Olivier de Sanderval that revisits colonial history and black diaspora connections; won the Prix Renaudot in 2008.

examining colonialismreinterpreting historydiaspora
Translations
  • English translation (AmazonCrossing, 2010)

Le Terroriste noir

2012 Novel

A novel exploring the intersections of politics, violence, and history; received multiple literary prizes in 2012.

politicsviolencehistory

Bibliography

  • Les Crapauds-brousse (1979)
  • Les Écailles du ciel (1986)
  • Un rêve utile (1991)
  • Un attiéké pour Elgass (1993)
  • Pelourinho (1995)
  • Cinéma: roman (1997)
  • The Oldest Orphan (2000)
  • Peuls (2004)
  • La Tribu des gonzesses: théâtre (2006)
  • The King of Kahel (2008)
  • Le Terroriste noir (2012)
  • Les coqs cubains chantent à minuit (2015)
  • Bled (2016)

Translations of Works

  • The Oldest Orphan (English translation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2004)
  • The King of Kahel (English translation, AmazonCrossing, 2010)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
restrained and solid prosefictionalization of historical factsfocus on memory and trauma
Recurring Motifs
exile and diasporapowerlessness of intellectualsexamining colonialismmemory and historical transmission

Legacy

Considered one of the important Francophone African writers, Monénembo is praised for fictionalizing colonial history, exile, and diaspora memory. He has received multiple literary awards in France and abroad and represents an important voice in contemporary French-language literature.

Quotes

  • “Guinea, Fifty Years of Independence and Hell”
    Source: Le Monde (column, 2009) (2009)

Trivia

  • In 1969 he fled the Ahmed Sékou Touré dictatorship on foot to Senegal.
  • The English translation of The King of Kahel was published by AmazonCrossing in 2010 as that imprint's first translated title.
  • The English translation of The Oldest Orphan (2004) is regarded as one of his most prominent works in the English-speaking world.