The 2021 International Booker Prize

 

At Night All Blood is Black was chosen from a shortlist of six books during a lengthy and rigorous judging process, by a panel of five judges, chaired by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, cultural historian and novelist. The panel also included: journalist and writer Aida Edemariam; Man Booker shortlisted novelist, Neel Mukherjee; Professor of the History of Slavery, Olivette Otele; and poet, translator and biographer, George Szirtes.

https://fb.watch/5UI1rsddCD/

It was nice listening to it live, for the third consecutive year. 

At Night All Blood is Black portrays a young man's descent into madness and tells the little-heard story of the Senegalese who fought for France on the Western Front during World War I. After his best friend is mortally wounded in combat, Alfa, the protagonist, is alone amidst the savagery of the trenches, far from all he knows and cherishes. He throws himself into fighting with renewed vigour, but soon begins to frighten even his own comrades. 

"I always tell people that if they want to know about the history of a country, do not go to the history books, go to the fiction. Fiction is not fiction. It is the substance and heartbeat of a people’s life, here, now, and in the past."

– Chenjerai Hove

Thanks to my bibliotherapist- The lonesome reader; Eric Carl Anderson for keeping us updated and engrossed.  

Booker International Prize Shortlist & purchase links: At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (translated by Anna Mocscovakis) https://tidd.ly/3syhLIS The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) https://tidd.ly/3dcXiTv When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (translated by Adrian Nathan West) https://tidd.ly/39jYN15 The Employees by Olga Ravn (translated by Martin Aitken) https://tidd.ly/3foqidu In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova (translated by Sasha Dugdale) https://tidd.ly/31sXlFf The War of the Poor by Eric Vuillard (translated by Mark Polizzotti) https://tidd.ly/2QMMpAi Reviews of the six books shortlisted: At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... The Employees by Olga Ravn https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... The War of the Poor by Eric Vuillard https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/... Also please read: Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette) https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2020/... Review of last year's winner: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2020/... -------------------- Get in touch Book Blog: http://lonesomereader.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lonesomereader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lonesomerea... Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/hfkkhus Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/h8uus5t LetterBoxd: https://letterboxd.com/lonesomereader/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lonesomereader Email: lonesomereader@gmail.com