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The gripping saga of one of the world's most devastated countries
The Democratic Republic of Congo currently ranks among the world's most failed nation-states, second only to war-torn Somalia. David Van Reybrouck's Congo: The Epic History of a People traces the history of this devastated nation from the beginnings of the slave trade through the arrival of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, the ivory and rubber booms, colonization, the struggle for independence, and the three decades of Mobutu's brutal rule. Van Reybrouck also examines the civil war—the world's deadliest conflict since the Second World War. Still raging today after seventeen years, the Congolese war is driven, in part, by the demand for the rare-earth minerals required to make cell phones.
Van Reybrouck has balanced hundreds of interviews with meticulous historical research to construct a many-dimensional portrait of the rich and convoluted history of Congo. Taking pains to seek out the Congolese perspective on the country's history, Van Reybrouck creates a panoramic canvas wherein the child soldiers whom he encounters in the eastern rebel territories talk candidly about their choices and misfortunes, and where elderly Congolese—some of them more than one hundred years old—reminisce about their lives in a country where the average life expectancy has dropped to forty-five.
Vast in scope yet eminently readable, both penetrating and deeply moving, Congo does for Africa what Robert Hughes's masterful and novelistic The Fatal Shore did for Australia. Van Reybrouck takes a deeply humane approach to political history, focusing squarely on the Congolese perspective and returning a nation's history to its people. Published to rave reviews in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2010, Congo has now been gracefully translated by the exceptional Sam Garrett, most recently the translator of Herman Koch's bestselling The Dinner.
David Van Reybrouck is an award-winning author, acclaimed playwright, reporter, and poet who holds a doctorate from Leiden University. He has traveled extensively throughout Africa and has been actively involved in organizing literary workshops for young Congolese writers. He lives in Brussels.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL PRIZE FOR HISTORYNot only deserves the description epic, in its true sense, but the term masterpiece as well Independent This gripping epic tells the story of one of the worlds most critical failed nation-states: the Democratic Republic of Congo. Interweaving his own familys history with the voices of a diverse range of individuals charismatic dictators, feuding warlords, child soldiers, and many in the African diaspora of Europe and China Van Reybrouck offers a deeply humane approach to political history, focusing squarely on the Congolese perspective and returning a nations history to its people. FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL PRIZE FOR HISTORYNot only deserves the description epic, in its true sense, but the term masterpiece as well Independent Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780007562930
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780007562930
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 656. Seller Inventory # 373708291
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780007562930
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 656 pages. 7.40x5.04x1.73 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0007562934
Book Description Condition: New. FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL PRIZE FOR HISTORY 'Not only deserves the description "epic", in its true sense, but the term "masterpiece" as well' Independent Num Pages: 656 pages. BIC Classification: 1HFJ; HBJH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 131 x 197 x 45. Weight in Grams: 460. . 2015. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780007562930
Book Description Condition: New. FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL PRIZE FOR HISTORY 'Not only deserves the description "epic", in its true sense, but the term "masterpiece" as well' Independent Num Pages: 656 pages. BIC Classification: 1HFJ; HBJH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 131 x 197 x 45. Weight in Grams: 460. . 2015. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780007562930