GauZ’s debut novel, first published in French in 2014, follows three men from Côte d’Ivoire who have found work as security guards in Paris. Ferdinand, Ossiri, and Kassoum are all a part of this nearly invisible class of undocumented workers, a web of men who guard a flour mill and bustling shops. The novel alternates between slowly unravelling their backstories over several decades and exposing their erratic thoughts while on the job. They ping between trivial observations and profound theorizing about colonialism, racism, migration, and consumerism. The chapters that take on a more traditional narrative structure might be read as linked short stories, while the other sections are told in brief fragments approximating a wandering mind. This is a job that is physically demanding and which also requires strange mental tricks to make it through hours of monotony, of being isolated with one’s thoughts even among the busy throngs of Sephora on the Champs-Élysées.
“…an accomplished, acerbic satire.”
Drawing from his own experiences, GauZ’ illuminates a largely overlooked experience, portraying the realities of this ubiquitous but disregarded job, the living conditions of undocumented Ivoirians, and the legacy of French colonialism. His sardonic, witty prose takes no prisoners; he is uncompromising in critiquing everything his pen touches. There’s a particular preoccupation with women’s bodies which I, for one, didn’t love, but in general the frequent crudeness adds a sense of realism: these are the unfettered thoughts of understimulated people who have a lot of time to think about social reality – and everything else. What we understand of these men’s personal lives is perfunctory, giving us a taste of who they are outside of their work while maintaining the focus on their inner monologues. The descriptions of their shifts are detailed: from the brand of perfume most frequently stolen to the contrived name of a particular cut of jeans at a popular women’s clothing store. These inconsequential details exist side-by-side with critiques of the consumer class and French race politics, approximating the way our minds really do hold all sorts of thoughts together at once.
Standing Heavy was shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, and for good reason: it’s an accomplished, acerbic satire that manages to balance dark humour with a humane critique of French colonialism and capitalism. The nearly invisible undocumented security guards are a stand-in for everyone concealed by conscious or unconscious ignorance, all of the people we must turn away from to live happily within structures that exploit and destroy.
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GauZ’ is an author, journalist and screenwriter who grew up in Côte d’Ivoire. After studying biochemistry, he moved to Paris as an undocumented student, working as a security guard before returning to the Côte d’Ivoire. His first novel, Standing Heavy, came out in France in 2014 and won the Prix des libraires Gibert Joseph. It was followed by Camarade Papa, which won the 2019 Prix Éthiophile and the 2018 Grand prix littéraire d’Afrique noire, and Black Manoo. GauZ’ is the editor-in-chief of the satirical economic newspaper News & co and has written screenplays and documentary films.
Frank Wynne is an award-winning writer and translator. His previous translations include works by Virginie Despentes, Javier Cercas, and Michel Houellebecq. His translation of Vernon Subutex I was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.
- Publisher : Biblioasis (Oct. 3 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 176 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1771966009
- ISBN-13 : 978-1771966009
