Ramses From Paris

Berado has received his prison sentence. But where is Benoit, his dearest friend?

The answer lies in the 11th arrondissement where, a few weeks ago, Berado had arranged to meet Ramses - an enigmatic receptionist at Hotel Salam - for some tea. A few cups in and his guard lowered, Berado sinks into a hazy recollection of his devotion to Benoit: as boys in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as comrades within the sprawling African communities of Paris, as an accomplice to Benoit's womanizing ways. Before he knows it, Berado has given away far too much about his friend's disappearance, and Ramses has been listening very carefully...

In this hypnotic tale of brotherhood, exile and the intricacies of the Congolese diaspora, Alain Mabanckou reimagines the oral tradition through a beguiling and audacious ensemble cast.

Translated by Helen Stevenson