'Memoirs of a Porcupine' by Alain Mabanckou
Olivier Barrot tells us more about 'Memoirs of a Porcupine' by Alain Mabanckou
"Memoirs of a Porcupine" was awarded the prestigious Prix Renaudot in 2006, and opens as follows in a wry fashion : "So I'm just an animal, just a wild dumb animal, humans would say, though if you ask me most of them are dumber and wilder than any animal. But to them I'm just a porcupine, and since they only believe in what they can se, they'd see nothing special in me, just one of those creatures with long sharp quills, slower than a hound dog, too lazy to stray from the patch where he grazes". And so begins an African tale that is both quirky funny; nothing in the narrative seems impossible since it's a porcupine who writes and tells the story.
Novels, poetry, plays, crime fiction and comics -- FRANCE 24 launches VICE VERSA, a weekly programme that invites English-speaking TV viewers to discover French authors of every genre.
Focus on francophone literature that has been translated into English. Preented by Oliver Barrot.
