What do you think?
Rate this book
Congo: The Epic History of a People
- GenresNonfictionHistory
Hardcover
10 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
David Van Reybrouck
49 books572 followersDavid Grégoire Van Reybrouck is a Belgian cultural historian, archaeologist and author. He writes historical fiction, literary non-fiction, novels, poetry, plays and academic texts. Moreover, he is the founder of the G1000 project in Belgium, a platform for democratic innovation and inclusive participatory politics.
He was born into a family of florists, bookbinders and artists. His father, a farmer's son, spent five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a railway engineer immediately after independence.
He studied archaeology and philosophy at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and obtained a Master's degree in World Archaeology from the University of Cambridge. He also holds a doctorate from Leiden University.
----------------------------------------------------
David Grégoire Van Reybrouck is een Vlaamse cultuurhistoricus, archeoloog en schrijver.
David Van Reybrouck in de Nederlandstalige Wikipedia
David Van Reybrouck in de Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren
David Van Reybrouck bij "Schrijversgewijs"
He was born into a family of florists, bookbinders and artists. His father, a farmer's son, spent five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a railway engineer immediately after independence.
He studied archaeology and philosophy at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and obtained a Master's degree in World Archaeology from the University of Cambridge. He also holds a doctorate from Leiden University.
----------------------------------------------------
David Grégoire Van Reybrouck is een Vlaamse cultuurhistoricus, archeoloog en schrijver.
David Van Reybrouck in de Nederlandstalige Wikipedia
David Van Reybrouck in de Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren
David Van Reybrouck bij "Schrijversgewijs"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 13, 2026
I love the authors choice to have as much of the narrative driven by interviews as possible.
I felt engaged the whole book, and like I was given a window into how the people of the Congo see themselves—or at least, a way they see themselves.
The book is conversational throughout, and the author lets us observe his own struggle about how to feel about the people of the Congo history, and all the notions they have about themselves and their place in the world.
It left me with more questions than answers, but I think any good book does that—and I wish it wasn’t so surprising to find that experience in a history book.
From my perspective, it’s hard not to see this as the model for how to write a history: the bias of the author and upfront and ongoing consideration, and with people closest to the action telling as much of the story as possible.
I have a similar review on another book of the author, Revolusi, which I equally recommend.
I felt engaged the whole book, and like I was given a window into how the people of the Congo see themselves—or at least, a way they see themselves.
The book is conversational throughout, and the author lets us observe his own struggle about how to feel about the people of the Congo history, and all the notions they have about themselves and their place in the world.
It left me with more questions than answers, but I think any good book does that—and I wish it wasn’t so surprising to find that experience in a history book.
From my perspective, it’s hard not to see this as the model for how to write a history: the bias of the author and upfront and ongoing consideration, and with people closest to the action telling as much of the story as possible.
I have a similar review on another book of the author, Revolusi, which I equally recommend.
September 1, 2024
Deeply thoughtful writer on an extraordinary and terrible history
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews