The Most Secret Memory of Men

Reviews / Votes

Captivating, precise, sensual prose. A book that will stir your emotions and make you think. A love letter to literature, this novel is already a classic and it will haunt you. More than an engrossing investigation into the mysterious author of a cursed book, Sarr's magnificent novel also offers a profound reflection on the resonance of literature in our lives. A masterpiece * The Times * Sarr's dizzying display of reference ... plays a witty game with French and world literature ... This effervescence is infectious and casts its charm in times nostalgic for a belief in books and the communities they create. * Times Literary Supplement * A powerful book, crossed by an epic breath that celebrates the power of literature. -- Alain Mabanckou, author of BLACK MOSES Thanks to translator Lara Vergnaud, English-language readers can seamlessly experience Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's pyrotechnic prose. A labyrinth of a novel, The Most Secret Memory of Men is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Sarr is a writer that comes along once in a lifetime. -- Eric Nguyen, author of THINGS WE LOST TO THE WATER Sarr's incisive critique never relents... a brilliant effort at welcoming readers into the work of an author whose career was interrupted * Guardian * A literary quest... The style as well as the sweep is Bolanoesque: surreal metaphors, multi-page dream descriptions * Observer * Ambitious and playful * Economist * Funny, sharp takes on questions of identity add grit to an inventive tribute to literature's timeless potency * Mail on Sunday * This marvellous novel is part gripping literary mystery and part disquisition on being a black author in a predominantly white culture... the reader is drawn into a skilfully drawn reconstruction of French literary history in which ideas of authenticity, power, race and fame are wittily deconstructed. Terrific * Daily Mail * A rollicking literary mystery ... An aerobatic feat of narrative invention, whirling between noir, fairy tale, satire, and archival fiction in its self-reflexive meditation on the nature of literary legend ... Propulsive. * New Yorker * Literary quests don't get much more surreal, enjoyable or complicated than this Prix Goncourt-winning novel from Senegalese novelist Sarr -- Ben East * Observer * [The Most Secret Memory of Men] travels through space and time, from contemporary Paris to postwar Argentina to a Senegalese village. Besides the main narrator, a collection of voices complement one another to form an overall story, as one of the novel's main goals is to put different realities and traditions 'on the same level. * New York Times * Brilliantly executed ... A rich narrative about art as a lasting marker of ephemeral individual existence. Literary mystery fans will be captivated. * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) * Sarr investigates with keen psychological detail ... [The Most Secret Memory of Men] justifies itself as the winner of the 2021 Prix Goncourt, one of France's most prestigious literary prizes ... A novel of undoubtable prowess. * Kirkus Reviews * Luminous, vertiginous, and cerebral novel ... A high-flying reflection on the art of writing as well as the freedom and solitude it brings to the writer ... A masterpiece of pure wonder -- Blaise Ndala, award-winning author of IN THE BELLY OF THE CONGO An ingeniously constructed, ferociously intelligent literary detective novel ... A brilliant, labyrinthine, highly entertaining page-turner, rightly cemented as a contemporary masterpiece by the Prix Goncourt -- Dmitri Nasrallah, bestselling author of HOTLINE Captivating, precise, sensual prose. A book that will stir your emotions and make you think. A love letter to literature, this novel is already a classic and it will haunt you. More than an engrossing investigation into the mysterious author of a cursed book, Sarr's magnificent novel also offers a profound reflection on the resonance of literature in our lives. A powerful book, crossed by an epic breath that celebrates the power of literature. Thanks to translator Lara Vergnaud, English-language readers can seamlessly experience Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's pyrotechnic prose. A labyrinth of a novel, The Most Secret Memory of Men is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Sarr is a writer that comes along once in a lifetime.