The Most Secret Memory of Men: A Novel
Serious and literary fiction, General fiction
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A masterful coming-of-age novel and a gripping investigation into the life of a mysterious author who disappeared without a trace, by the first writer from sub-Saharan Africa to be awarded France&’s prestigious Prix… Goncourt.Paris, 2018. Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer, discovers a legendary book published in 1938 titled The Maze of Inhumanity. No one knows what happened to the author, T.C. Elimane, once referred to as the &“Black Rimbaud.&” After he was accused of plagiarism, his reputation was destroyed by the critics. He subsequently disappeared without a trace. Curiosity turns to obsession, and Faye embarks on a quest to uncover the fate of the mysterious T.C. Elimane. His search weaves past and present, countries and continents, following the author&’s labyrinthine trail from Senegal to Argentina and France and confronting the great tragedies of history. Alongside his investigation, Faye becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. They talk, drink, make love, and philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. He becomes particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, keeper of secrets, and the fleeting photojournalist Aïda. But throughout, a question persists: will he get to the truth at the center of the maze? A gripping detective novel without a detective and a masterpiece of perpetual reinvention, The Most Secret Memory of Men confronts the impact of colonialism and neo-colonialism, the holocaust in Europe, dictatorships in South America and the Caribbean, genocide in Africa, and collaboration and resistance everywhere. Above all, it is a love song to literature and its timeless power.