GauZ’ is a short-form of his tribal name, Gauzorro, bestowed on him by his grandmother. She’s the person who got him thinking: “thinking about Africanness, thinking about the stories we tell and how we tell them, and thinking about [his] relationship with language and through language with the people around [him].”
That’s a lot to think about, so you might be surprised to learn that this Ivorian author’s debut is under 200 pages. Perhaps surprised, also, to hear that Standing Heavy (in translation by Frank Wynne) reads quickly, even though it’s rich and complex. I’d intended to read just a couple of chapters, but I spent a snowy afternoon reading the whole book until it was finished, while outside the window darkness fell.
Partly it’s compelling because the style is vivid, the dialogue taut, and the presentation is clever. After giving up a scholarship to France, GauZ’ travelled around Côte d’Ivoire for three years, honing the skill of observing people, with a camera given to him by his father when GauZ’ was twelve (readers can see this in his characterisation). And eventually he did go to school in France, and he worked as a security guard briefly there (and again, later, when he ultimately returned home, too) which created the opportunity for more observation.
That’s where Standing Heavy begins, with a scene pulled from the author’s experience of applying for that job. He says: “I found it so surreal and funny, I said to myself, I’ve got to write this down, one day I’m going to put it all in a film.” His notes for this book were scribbled on anything at hand: garment-tags, receipt-paper, whatever.
So the story is about three security guards, from three generations, but “ultimately it’s a woman’s story” GauZ’ says. (All this information is from an interview his publisher conducted with him.) And it really does seem like the perfect job for a writer-in-training: “I was able to look without being seen.”
The men’s lives are often difficult, but the situations they observe are often funny. GauZ’ values humour, values its potential to bring people together and to cultivate understanding. His view of the position, however, is thoughtful and serious. “That’s when you realize that you’re just another accessory. You’re being paid to be a consumer accessory.”
Between the detailed and imaginative scenes, there are extended segments that situate the characters in a broader context; here, beyond the day-to-day of an individual’s life, readers have a more sweeping perspective on history and events that impact the present-day. (GauZ’ views these as excerpts from an archaeologist’s field notebooks: he titles each one for an age—gold, bronze, and lead.)
These feel satisfying because, throughout the novel, the author is attending to pacing; he’s recognising not only the characters’ sense of time (their days often begin before dawn and extend after dark), but also the readers’ sense of time (it’s clear that he wants people to be engaged with the story and his experience as a screenwriter shows).
But what makes it doubly satisfying is how much thought the author has given to his story and to the way he’s telling it. He’s contemplated his role in the landscape of African literature from a theoretical perspective and he seems to be constantly engaged with the work of other writers and thinkers too. (There are lengthy discussions in the interview, best enjoyed after you’ve read the book.)
There are many clever bits worth quoting, but it’s a delight to come across them in the story. Instead, here are a few lines that give a sense of the humour and the incisive thoughts on consumption and bargain-shopping.
The Hades jacket is 100% pigskin leather. Is such a jacket off-limits to Muslims and Jews?
The Grand Mufti: “Hades—this jacket is Haram.”
The Chief Rabbi: “Hades—this jacket is not Kosher.”
The Great Sales Assistant: “Hades –this 100% pigskin leather jacket, was €99.95, is now 70% off—succumb to temptation.”
Earlier this month, Frank Wynne won the 2023 Scott Moncrieff Prize for Translation for Standing Heavy, and here are judge Jane MacKenzie’s comments:
“The writing is searingly witty, incisive, full of vivid imagery, and has been superbly translated by Frank Wynne, losing none of the humour, the energy, the authentic street view. This is a true tour-de-force in both languages, and reads as joyfully and sharply in English as it does in French.”
It’s outstanding. (Published by Biblioasis in North America and by MacLehose Press in the UK.) I hope its success brings his other fiction into English translation (Comrade Papa, winner of the Prix Éthiophile for 2019, and Black Manoo) because I certainly want to read more.
Added to my to-read list, thank you for this thoughtful and thorough review! I appreciate the diversity of your reads, ranging from genre to setting to format (e.g., translated, novella vs. novel, etc.)
Thanks, Thomas. If you’re able to find a copy, I hope you enjoy the way he presents challenging elements with an eye to humour…an essential element of resilience.
A satisfying novel under 200 pages – sounds like a gem! So many novels feels overly padded to me right now.
There have been some long novels in my stacks this year, too, so I agree that this kind of writing can feel extraordinarily refreshing.
[…] Standing Heavy by GauZ’, translated by Frank Wynne (Oct 3, 2023) was reviewed by Marcie McCauley in Buried in Print. The review was published online on February 22, 2024, and can be read here. […]
It’s been a while since I read an African author. This sounds like a book I would like. I’ll have to see what’s available in French.
From what I saw, they’re available in French but in Europe. (Not necessarily a problem; in some instances I’ve found it less expensive to order from indie presses overseas than to order across the American border. But I doubt you’re ordering books from Canada, to compare. heheh So the postage might seem prohibitive.)
Sounds a great book, and how many of us have read anything by a writer from Republique de ….? I haven’t read enough variety of African literature to get a sense of similarities and differences. Presumably similarities will stem from shared experience of colonialism and racism, but I’d love to get a sense of how different the writing might be from different African cultures?
I recognised the name Frank Wynne and felt sure I’d read a translation by him, and I have – a Pierre Lemaître novel. It was a great read which I have to assume was partly at least conveyed well by the translator.
When you think about how many books you’ve read by Australian writers (from different regions, ethnicities, classes, etc.) and how long it took to cultivate the understanding you have of the writing there, the idea of attempting that with another continent’s writers is a big ask. But certainly experiences like this book move us closer to that goal, one book at a time.
Thanks for nudging me to do the same; I’ve read two and one of them is a real favourite Marcelo Figueras’s coming-of-age novel Kamchatka. Seems safe to assume, yes.
I was *playing* with my TBR the other day, and came across my copy of this one – I’m going to promote it up the pile, you’ve made it sound so wonderful – and Frank Wynne is one of my favourite translators.
I play with my TBR too: doesn’t everyone? Hee hee
You’re going to enjoy this, I’m sure. Succinct and incisive.
Do you have a favourite, among Wynne’s translations?
I was wondering what the translation was from. Wiki says there are 78 languages in use, but I assume it was French (otherwise how would the judges determine it was a good translation). Reading further, I found that République de Côte d’Ivoire is the country’s official name, and that the government has requested that we resist transcriptions. Yet Wiki reverts immediately to “Ivory Coast”.
“He’s contemplated his role in the landscape of African literature” – I’m off to read the interview.
I should have specified that. Apparently he’s quite the decorated translator!
I can see where there would be considerable debate about nomenclature and where one solution would be great theoretically but not readily adopted as common usage.
There was an article in the NYT last week that reminded me of another favourite from the same country, also available in French and in English translation. (I’ve written about four of them here. One/Two) Not sure if they’d be your cuppa, or if they’d be as much fun read on a screen, but I’m quite excited about the new volume.
Did you get the impression that I got that the interviewer hadn’t read the book, was just asking stock questions – how do you feel about being shortlisted? what was your inspiration? …
The interview I read was in print from his publisher, and I can’t find it online, so I think we must be reading different reviews. (Will share.) But I know what you mean, those questions are so unrewarding for readers.
I forget what I searched on now, ‘Gauz review’ maybe. I can’t redo it as everything is switched off and I’m about to go north for a few days.
If they were just rote questions, I’m probably not missing much. But I will try to scan in what I’ve got, so you can read it when you’re back home.