Parentheses of Blood

by Sony Labou Tansi, Lorraine Alexander (Translator)

A new edition of a biting satire of political oppression by one of Central Africa's greatest writers.

Genres: Drama

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Sony Lab'ou Tansi (5 July 1947 - 14 June 1995), born Marcel Ntsoni, was a Congolese novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet. Though he was only 47 when he died, Tansi remains one of the most prolific African writers and the most internationally renowned practitioner of the "New African Writing." His novel The Antipeople won the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire. In his later years, he ran a theatrical company in Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo.

Reviews

[Jukka]

Parentheses of Blood (1981) - Sony Labou Tansi

A short play, perhaps in the absurdist realm but in describing the Congo of it's time (which sadly could be now too) is more real than absurd. There is much here, including a story of resistance.

This would be good to see, it would be truly shocking in live production.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really top notch play, it that wickedly funny way that deeply disturbing satires so often are. The simple absurdity of he mass executions and the arbitrary search for a man everyone knows is dead make this a really brutally funny play, but at the same time it is dreadful to be amused.
https://youtu.be/nEwktsI1TQk

[Olive LaCommare · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible and life changing

[nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

every single time i read this is bc i've submitted some presentation/research proposal saying i would talk about it but then it actually gets accepted and i go like "hm. perhaps i should read this so i can have any idea of what i'm doing", and then i read it yet again and go like "this man is just flexing on his morbid prescience of the long-lasting, absurd, murderous nature of colonialism & how not even death is safe from its powers. exquisite"