Brotherhood (novel)

Brotherhood (French: Terre ceinte) is a political novel written by Senegalese writer Mohamed Mbougar Sarr and translated by Alexia Trigo.[1] It was published by Europa Editions in 2021. Originally published as Terre Ceinte in 2014 by Présence Africaine.[2]

Brotherhood
AuthorMohamed Mbougar Sarr
Original titleTerre ceinte
TranslatorAlexia Trigo
CountrySenegal
LanguageFrench
SubjectPolitical
GenreLiterary fiction
Set inKepal, Sumal fictional town
PublisherPrésence Africaine
Publication date
2014
Published in English
6 October 2021
Media type
  • Print
  • Digital
Pages248 (trade paper)
Awards
ISBN978-2-7087-0881-5 (trade paper)
LC ClassPQ3989.3.M36714 T47 2014

The novel takes place in a fictional town in Africa, where Islamic extremism has taken root.[3]

Background

In 2014, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's novel was published by Présence Africaine in French.[4] It was Sarr's debut novel and second work after his critically acclaimed short story "La Cale".[2] In 2021, it was translated by Alexia Trigo—being Trigo's debut work as a translator and Sarr's first novel to be translated into English.[5]

Plot

The story follows an extremist Islamic organisation—called the Brotherhood, which has taken control of Kalep—and a group of decentralised intellectuals intent on challenging its extreme religious doctrine. The antagonist, Abdel Karim who is a police chief, leads the Brotherhood. In order to fight the tyrant, the intellectuals develop a political journal called Rambaaj that is aimed at reawakening the people and calling for an uprising. To fight back, Karim places a huge bounty on the underground journalists which introduces betrayal and back-biting to the organisation. In order to winnow out the journalists, Karim burns down a library that is considered a cultural property.

Characters
  • Abdel Karim — a police chief and leader of the Brotherhood
  • Malamine — leader of the resistance group

Reception

It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[6] PW described it as a "vital new voice to American readers."[6] It was listed in Brittle Paper's Notable Books of 2021.[7]

Awards and nominations

The French version won the Grand prix du roman métis and Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma in 2015.[4][2]

References
  1. Nelson, Caleb Azumah (6 July 2021). "Debut Novels by Jesse McCarthy, Gabriel Krauze and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  2. Pauron, Michael (1 May 2015). "Littérature : le Sénégalais Mohamed Mbougar Sarr remporte le prix Kourouma pour Terre Ceinte". Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. Marcus, Richard (19 July 2021). "Book Review: Brotherhood by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr". Blogcritics. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  4. Figaro, Le (3 November 2021). "Goncourt 2021 : le sacre de Mohamed Mbougar Sarr et de sa Plus secrète mémoire des hommes". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  5. Tarng, Tammy (27 September 2021). "Globetrotting". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. "Brotherhood". Publishers Weekly. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  7. "50 Notable African Books of 2021". Brittle Paper. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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