{"product_id":"9781620972946","title":"Black Moses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 10 French Novels to Read Now\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLonglisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLonglisted for the PEN America Translation Prize\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for the Albertine Prize\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIncluded in \u003ci\u003eWorld Literature Today’s\u003c\/i\u003e “75 Notable Translations of 2017”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“The story’s unflinching tone and sly humor belie the tragedy of Moses’s situation, as well as the cruelty of the people he meets.”\u003cbr\u003e— \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e“An orphan story with biting humor. . . as pointed as it is funny.”\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[ \u003ci\u003eBlack Moses\u003c\/i\u003e ] rings with a beautiful poetry.”\u003cbr\u003e— \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA rollicking new novel described as “Oliver Twist in 1970s Africa” (Les Inrockuptibles) by the finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's not easy being Tokumisa Nzambe po Mose yamoyindo abotami namboka ya Bakoko. There's that long name of his for a start, which means, \"Let us thank God, the black Moses is born on the lands of the ancestors.\" Most people just call him Moses. Then there's the orphanage where he lives, run by a malicious political stooge, Dieudonné Ngoulmoumako, and where he's terrorized by two fellow orphans—the twins Songi-Songi and Tala-Tala.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut after Moses exacts revenge on the twins by lacing their food with hot pepper, the twins take Moses under their wing, escape the orphanage, and move to the bustling port town of Pointe-Noire, where they form a gang that survives on petty theft. What follows is a funny, moving, larger-than-life tale that chronicles Moses's ultimately tragic journey through the Pointe-Noire underworld and the politically repressive world of Congo-Brazzaville in the 1970s and 80s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMabanckou's vivid portrayal of Moses's mental collapse echoes the work of Hugo, Dickens, and Brian DePalma's \u003ci\u003eScarface\u003c\/i\u003e , confirming Mabanckou's status as one of our great storytellers. \u003ci\u003eBlack Moses\u003c\/i\u003e is a vital new extension of his cycle of Pointe-Noire novels that stand out as one of the grandest, funniest, fictional projects of our time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New Press, The","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47134480531696,"sku":"9781620972946","price":23.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781620972946_p0.jpg?v=1769904878","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781620972946","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}