The Most Secret Memory of Men

(Paperback)

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Description

The half-million copy global literary quest bestseller for fans of The Name of the Rose- 'a masterpiece' The Times; 'Bolano-esque' Observer Paris, 2018. Diegane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer, discovers a legendary book titled The Labyrinth of Inhumanity. It has an immediate hold over him. No one knows what happened to its author, T.C. Elimane, who was accused of plagiarism, his reputation destroyed by the critics. Obsessed with discovering the truth about Elimane's disappearance, Faye weaves past and present, countries and continents, to follow the author's labyrinthine trail from Senegal to Argentina and France and to confront the great tragedies of history. Will he get to the truth at the centre of the maze

Reviews

Captivating, precise, sensual prose. A book that will stir your emotions and make you think. A love letter to literature, this novel is already a classic and it will haunt you.
More than an engrossing investigation into the mysterious author of a cursed book, Sarr's magnificent novel also offers a profound reflection on the resonance of literature in our lives.
A masterpiece * The Times *
Sarrs dizzying display of reference ... plays a witty game with French and world literature ... This effervescence is infectious and casts its charm in times nostalgic for a belief in books and the communities they create. * Times Literary Supplement *
A powerful book, crossed by an epic breath that celebrates the power of literature. -- Alain Mabanckou, author ofBLACK MOSES
Thanks to translator Lara Vergnaud, English-language readers can seamlessly experience Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's pyrotechnic prose. A labyrinth of a novel, The Most Secret Memory of Men is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Sarr is a writer that comes along once in a lifetime. -- Eric Nguyen, author ofTHINGS WE LOST TO THE WATER
Sarrs incisive critique never relents a brilliant effort at welcoming readers into the work of an author whose career was interrupted * Guardian *
A literary quest The style as well as the sweep is Bolaoesque: surreal metaphors, multi-page dream descriptions * Observer *
Ambitious and playful * Economist *
Funny, sharp takes on questions of identity add grit to an inventive tribute to literature's timeless potency * Mail on Sunday *

Author Bio

MOHAMED MBOUGAR SARR was born in Dakar in 1990. He studied literature and philosophy in Paris and is the author of four prize-winning novels. The Most Secret Memory of Men was awarded France's Prix Goncourt in 2021 and is an international phenomenon, selling more than half a million copies in France and translated into more than thirty languages.