GauZ’ is an Ivorian author and journalist, the editor-in-chief of a satirical economic newspaper, and has also written screenplays and documentary films.
After studying biochemistry, GauZ’ moved to Paris as an undocumented student, working as a security guard before returning to the Côte d’Ivoire. GauZ’’s first novel, Standing Heavy, came out in 2014 and won Le Prix des libraires Gibert Joseph. It was followed by Comrade Papa, which won the 2019 Prix Éthiophile, and Black Manoo.
GauZ’s novel Standing Heavy was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, announced on April 18, 2023. Sharply satirical, political and poignant, Standing Heavy is a searingly witty deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption, an unprecedented and unforgettable account of everything that passes under a security guard’s gaze.
About the book in focus
Standing Heavy (MacLehose Press, 2022)
A unique insight into everything that passes under a security guard’s gaze, which also serves as a searingly witty deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption. Amidst the political bickering of the inhabitants of the Residence for Students from Côte d’Ivoire and the ever-changing landscape of French immigration policy, two generations of Ivoirians attempt to make their way as undocumented workers, taking shifts as security guards at a flour mill. This sharply satirical yet poignant tale draws on the author’s own experiences as an undocumented student in Paris.
Debout payé (Standing Heavy) has been translated into Malayalam and published by DC books.
Book
Standing Heavy (MacLehose Press, 2022)
When
January 2025
Where
Kerala Literature Festival 2025