Standing Heavy
About this ebook
A funny, fast-paced, and poignant take on Franco-African history, as told through the eyes of three African security guards in Paris.
All over the city, they are watching: Black men paid to stand guard, invisible among the wealthy flâneurs and yet the only ones who truly see. From Les Grands Moulins to a Sephora on the Champs-Élysées, Ferdinand, Ossiri, and Kassoum find their way as undocumented workers amidst political infighting and the ever-changing landscape of immigration policy. Fast-paced and funny, poignant and sharply satirical, Standing Heavy is a searing deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption and an unforgettable account of everything that passes under the security guards’ all-seeing eyes.
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About the author
GauZ’ is an author, journalist and screenwriter who grew up in Côte d'Ivoire. After studying biochemistry, he moved to Paris as an undocumented student, working as a security guard before returning to the Côte d'Ivoire. His first novel, Standing Heavy, came out in France in 2014 and won the Prix des libraires Gibert Joseph. It was followed by Camarade Papa, which won the 2019 Prix Éthiophile and the 2018 Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire, and Black Manoo. GauZ' is the editor-in-chief of the satirical economic newspaper News & co and has written screenplays and documentary films.
Frank Wynne is an award-winning writer and translator. His previous translations include works by Virginie Despentes, Javier Cercas, and Michel Houellebecq. His translation of Vernon Subutex I was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.
