Demain j'aurai vingt ans

by Alain Mabanckou

Pointe-Noire, capitale économique du Congo, dans les années 1970. Le narrateur, Michel, est un garçon d'une dizaine d'années qui fait l'apprentissage de la vie, de l'amitié et de l'amour, tandis que le Congo vit sa première décennie d'indépendance sous la houlette de "l'immortel Marien Ngouabi", chef charismatique marxiste. Les épisodes d'une chronique familiale truculente et joyeuse se succèdent, avec ses situations burlesques, ses personnages hauts en couleur : le père adoptif de Michel, réceptionniste à l'hôtel Victory Palace ; maman Pauline, qui a parfois du mal à éduquer son turbulent fils unique ; l'oncle René, fort en gueule, riche et néanmoins opportunément communiste; l'ami Lounès, dont la soeur Caroline provoque chez Michel un furieux remue-ménage d'hormones ; bien d'autres encore. Mais voilà que Michel est soupçonné, peut-être à raison, de détenir certains sortilèges... Au fil d'un récit enjoué, Alain Mabanckou nous offre une sorte de Vie devant soi à l'africaine. Les histoires d'amour y tiennent la plus grande place, avec des personnages attachants de jeunes filles et de femmes. La langue que Mabanckou prête à son narrateur est réjouissante, pleine d'images cocasses, et sa fausse naïveté fait merveille.

Genres: Africa, Fiction, France, African Literature, Coming Of Age, Roman, Historical Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Alain Mabanckou was born in 1966 in Congo-Brazzaville (French Congo). He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he teaches literature at UCLA, having previously spent four years at the University of Michigan. Mabanckou will be a Fellow in the Humanities Council at Princeton University in 2007-2008. One of Francophone Africa's most prolific contemporary writers, he is the author of six volumes of poetry and six novels. He received the Sub-Saharan Africa Literary Prize in 1999 for his first novel, Blue-White-Red, the Prize of the Five Francophone Continents for Broken Glass, and the Prix Renaudot in 2006 for Memoirs of a Porcupine. He was selected by the French publishing trade journal Lire as one of the fifty writers to watch out for in the coming century. His most recent book is African Psycho.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little book, by one of the Congo's current top writers, that focuses on a young boy's day to day life in a small Congolese town. Almost quaint, this is an interesting look at life in a small world-relative poor central African town, from the limited yet mostly innocent and earnest ground level viewpoint of a child. 6 out of 12.

2013 read

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The first person narrative provided a captivating perspective and analysis of the post-colonial Congo as well as domestic and global politics. I particularly enjoyed the tension between the marxist rhetoric and obvious pursuit of capitalism by most of Michel's family. The novel is largely plotless and I felt that this created a more realistic coming of age narrative; one held together by the people who surrounded Michel, the comings and goings of his city, Pointe Noire, and an interest, bordering on yearning for foreign places. I would definitely recommend giving it a read.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

W literaturze najbardziej lubię to, że za każdym razem mogę spojrzeć na świat z innej perspektywy. Czasem różnice są niewielkie, niekiedy ma się wrażenie, że poznaje się wszystko na nowo - tak miałam w tym przypadku. "Jutro skończę dwadzieścia lat" to opowieść afrykańskiego autora o młodym chłopcu Michelu, który przedstawia nam swoje życie - przez otoczenie, rodzinę, przyjaciół na przemyśleniach i obserwacjach kończąc. Akcja dzieje się w latach 60., niedługo po tym jak Republika Konga odzyskała niepodległość. Co autorowi wyszło doskonale, to ta dziecięca narracja, niewinna, nieco naiwna, miejscami zabawna, ale też wzruszająca i przede wszystkim szczera i trafna. Bo przez pryzmat codzienności zwykłego chłopca poznajemy też rzeczywistość, z jaką musi zmagać się raczkujący kraj i jego mieszkańcy. Polityka, propaganda, potyczki między państwami mieszają się tutaj z kongijskim folklorem, wierzeniami i obyczajami. Jakoś tak mnie to wszystko urzekło i jeśli kiedyś wpadnie Wam ta książka w ręce, to gorąco zachęcam do zapoznania się z nią, bo według mnie naprawdę warto!

"Mam ochotę uderzyć pięścią w ścianę, powiedzieć rodzicom, że się na to nie zgadzam, że mnie także powinni spytać, co myślę o tym wszystkim. Jest nas troje w tym domu, to nienormalne, że podejmują decyzje, jakbym ja nie istniał."

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This is a difficult novel to judge. The main character got on my nerves somewhat because he is ten years old. His perspective is suitably naive and simplistic, but also strangely prescient about world affairs. That is the real appeal of the story, the vision of the Republic of Congo and certain international events of the late 70s as seen through the eyes of a child. But the childish viewpoint, while effective, was needlessly random at some points. Children ponder all kinds of things, and Michel spent plenty of time pondering things that annoyed me after a while.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am yet to understand Alain's style of writing. I felt like i was in another Catcher in the Rye where a boy is just talking non stop from one topic to another before coming back to where they left a reader. Anyway, for humor and silly thoughts he killed it. More so, am still figuring how to write this review.

[Münevver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitapta gerçekten taktir ettiğim nokta şu, yazarın ne yaptığını bilen bir kalemi var. Bu da akıcı bir okuma sunuyor okura, ama sıkıcı olmayan değil...
Kitap bir roman olarak geçse de, belli bir hikaye yok ortada. 1970'ler Kongo'sunda on yaşındaki Michel'ın neden yirmi yaşına gelmek istemesini, günlük yaşantısını, yaşadığı çevreyi, kültürü, zamanının dünya siyasetini, annesinin karnının kayıp anahtarını vs. anlatıyor. Bu nedenle akıcı olsa bile bir sonraki sayfayı görmek istemenize neden olmadığı için biraz sıkıcı bir kitap.
Buna rağmen Michel'ın yaşananları tahlil etmesi, okura bir ayna tutuyor ve birçok yerin altını çizerken buluyorsunuz kendinizi.
Beğendiğim ve anlattıklarım doğrultusunda bir beklenti oluşturulursa o beklentileri karşılayacak bir kitap.

[Jake Goretzki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, humorous and persistently culturally revealing (I'm thinking folk superstitions and magic in particular). Some very memorable characters and themes: I love the fixation with that Shah of Iran and Roger Guy Folly, and Michel's periodic bewilderment at school's maths questions. The giggling apprentices at the tailor's shop; Petit Piment. Child's eye has to be absolutely convincing to work - and this does it so very well. A joy.

[Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fortement inspiré de la vie de l'auteur.
L'histoire de Michel, de ses 6 à 10 ans, dans le Congo post-colonial, le tout sous forme d'épisodes / vignettes. Le tout est très candide, la politique et l'histoire des années 70 vu par les yeux d'un enfant. Il n'y a pas réellement de plot, ce qui d'un côté permet de rendre plus réaliste ce passage à l'âge "adulte" / réfléchi, mais rend le tout difficile à juger et parfois un peu ennuyeux.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne.

[Kang-Chun Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

culturally revealing perspectives from the viewpoint of a 10 year old congolese boy. (inadvertently..?) politically incisive in how international affairs are interpreted

[Kariuki Njiru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best to describe it as a ramblings of a young boy.

Sometimes the book may feel like a drag. Then there are moments when you get a bug in your eye. Magical moments in Michel's life that will leave you with moist eyes. Moment when you laugh with the character. Those moments make these book totally worth reading.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remind me to never read a book in French over 400 pages ever again

[Claire Ngigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.This is such an interesting book.Wow never read a book written from a child's POV.Will definitley be reading more African Fiction.

[Monica Thorne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars?
Enjoyed learning bits and pieces about life in the Congo during the 70s, but as a book this went nowhere and sent me into a 3 week reading slump.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Så fint skriven och så fin historia! Michels berättarröst är ärlig och analyserande. Sorglig ibland, tänkvärd alltid.

[Gaëtan Gaillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un de mes livres préférés. Je l'ai relu en livre audio lu par l'auteur lui- même et quelle joie de se replonger dans ce récit d'enfance congolaise dans un ton à la fois naïf et caustique à la Petit Nicolas croisé avec Romain Gary. On y retrouve tous les personnages qui font l'univers de Mabanckou: Michel, maman Pauline, papa Roger, Petit Piment etc. Un vrai bonheur.

[Ndirangu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is told from the pov of a young boy. I don't know why he thinks tomorrow he'll be 20. I might have missed something while reading though I doubt it.

Michel is a Congolese boy in the 70s making sense of his world and sometimes coming up with great insights as to how the world works and at times getting totally lost trying to make sense of the world.

...Sometimes I think the reason Yaya Gaston loves her must be her eyes. When she looks at you, you want to give her everything, even a house with an upstairs or a huge piece of beef......

.....'I go back past Joli Soir and read the poster. Why is the price for men's tickets more than for ladies? It's not a good idea because now there will be too many women and not enough men. The boss of the bar can't be very clever if he does that..." O, Michel, Michel Michel. The boss of the bar is plenty clever.

Michel lives with his maman and papa (who I expected to get divorced or one of them to have an affair) and is friends with his step siblings (who I expected to pull some Cinderella's mean sister type ruckus) . He's friends with Lounes (who I kept expecting to be gay), is in love with Caroline (who I expected to get cancer, get run over by a truck or something) but at least their Michel and Caroline's relationship is as turbulent as puppy love can get with marriages, divorces and love triangles galore.

..."the first time I saw Mabele at the Tata-Luboko football ground I said to myself:'Call that a boy? Is Caroline blind or what? Can't she see Mabele's knees are like misshapen yams growing in the Mayombe forest? Can't she see that when he's standing up he looks like a turkey with his neck wobbling"......

..."When Caroline looks at me, I feel like the best looking guy in the world..."

There is no great drama but quite a bit of foolishness from most of the characters including the adults. It's quite an entertaining read and the boy's narration and insights, which are comically off at times never stop being engaging. I think I am too used to tragedies and horrible things happening to characters in the books I read. I turned the pages with bated breath waiting for the other shoe to drop and was pleasantly surprised to engage with nothing more than a normal childhood with the minor ups and down which were interesting and heartwarming.

I need to read more of these kinds of books.

[Ivan Kebets · Rating 4 out of 5]

В целях расширения кругозора решил почитать что-то из африканской литературы. В сети очень хвалят Алена Мобанку из Республики Конго. Дескать, лучший франкоязычный писатель континента. И действительно хвалят не зря.

"Завтра мне будет двадцать" может и не самый замысловатый роман, но он удивительным образом сочетает многое. Это и книга о детстве и взрослении, и книга о новейшей истории (тут есть и про Амина, и про Бокассу, и про Мобуту, и про африканских коммунистов, и про иранскую революцию), и книга о жизни в казалось бы таком далёком и непохожем уголке мира со всеми его странными обычами и верованиями. Но по сути это книга об Африке, зажатой между прошлым и будущим, и о поколении, которое будет преодолевать этот непростой путь из точки А к точке Б.

И мне очень хочется верить, что у них всё получится.

[Powell Omondi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book that I Loved all the way, very interesting story that reminds me of my childhood days, the naughty stuff we used to do and I love the way the author vividly outlines the life of Michel. It is humorous and satirical as well, bringing out some key points in politics, music and childhood love affairs.

Anyway, it a good book to keep your mind busy and reminisce the old days of your childhood.

[Carl Lemashon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as thought I was Michel, His life and times although different felt familiar. The colonial hang over. The new technology and deep friendship in family made this an easy read.

The writer is truly gifted in telling a story the African way.

[Simay Yildiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her Ülkeden Bir Kitap projesinde Kongo Cumhuriyeti için okudum. Yorum: https://www.zimlicious.com/kongo-cumh...

[Buffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book ten stars. I loved it so much and I'm a bit sad that I've finished it. It was beautiful and heart-warming.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congolese rites of passage novel. Naïve and endearing narrator. Lots of world history. Funny and enjoyable.

[Jennifer Pletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a 10 year old boy named Michel who lives in Pointe Noir, Congo. The book takes place in the 1970s. His mother sells peanuts in the market and his dad works at a hotel at the reservations desk. His dad is not his biological father, but what he calls a "foster father". Michel's foster father also has another wife and seven other children (which apparently is not uncommon there). Everyone gets along well. Michel's mom would like to have more children. She had two baby girls that both died at birth before Michel came along. She and Michel's foster dad visit "witch doctors" who tell his mom that it is Michel's fault she cannot have children - that he needs to find a key to unlock her belly so she can have more.



When Michel is not seaching for the key, he spends time with a little girl named Caroline that he is completely in love with and says he will marry some day. His best friend is Caroline's brother and they spend hours watching planes fly over their city and guessing where they go. Michel is a fine student - middle of the road - and wishes he could get better so he could go on to a fancier school when he gets older.



It is a day in the life tale of a little boy - spending time with his friends and family in the heart of the Democratic Congo and him learning about the immediate world around him as well as the outside world (his father loves to listen to American radio which reports on the politics of the world). He keeps looking forward to being twenty years old - feeling THAT is when he will be old enough to do whatever he wants. Hence....the name of the book.



This was a pretty good read. Knowing from the beginning it would be basically a "stream of consciousness" of a 10 year old boy, you knew it wouldn't contain a lot of depth. It is fun to see his understand of the world from his point of view. He and Caroline (also his age) get married and divorced (in little kid imaginary play) and he is devestated when she leaves him for another boy. He is doded on by his brothers and sisters from his foster father's other wife, and worries about his mother's need to have another child. He understands very little and even his parents - whom are not well educated - believe in the working of the spirit world and witch doctors when it comes to many things. It made the story interesting.


I encourage you to try this book. It is not well known, but the book that came up over and over when I searched for "books from the Congo". So give it a try. I borrowed it easily from our ebook library.

[Chydie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ça faisait un moment depuis ma dernière review et je reviens pour parler d’une œuvre connu de manière totalement RANDOM et qui m’a pourtant touchée.

Je ne m’attendais pas à tomber sur un coming of age congolais, avec un style d’écriture si plaisant… Lorsqu’on lit les paroles de Michel, lorsqu’on pose notre regard sur les pages et qu’on défile on a l’impression de le suivre du début à la fin. De le voir grandir et enfin comprendre où il souhaiterait être quand il aura 20 ans !

La seule chose qui me perturbait (c’est vraiment un détail riquiqui, rien de grave sérieux) c’est bien le fait qu’il n’y ait pas de titres pour les différents chapitres. Donc on ne sait pas trop comment se retrouver dans l’histoire sans un repère ? Puis il n’y a pas de repère temporel donc bon… Mais maintenant que j’y pense je me demande si ce n’est pas fait exprès ? On suit un enfant de 10-11 ans, un rêveur, un petit garçon qui découvre sa vie et le monde qui se trouve autour de lui… Et un enfant n’a pas de repère temporel, il vit au jour le jour et il se pose ces petites questions toute « bête ». Rohlala j’aime vraiment trop Michel, il est si adorable, si innocent puis tellement intelligent et DRÔLE. Toute une personnalité dans un petit corps, ce qui garantit qu’il sera quelqu’un Quand il aura 20 ans !

Un autre personnage, ou plutôt deux personnages que j’ai aimé: Geneviève et petit-piment. Je ne vais pas entrer dans les détails pour les personnes qui aimeraient lire l’œuvre, mais… Selon moi ils étaient essentiels à cette histoire.
Mais en soit tous les personnages ont apportés quelque chose à Michel.

BREF c’est un 5 ⭐️ pour moi, style d’écriture fluide et agréable, un bon scénario et déroulée de l’histoire, coming of age différent et créatif, pour les congolais: ça fait du bien de lire des choses auxquelles on peut S’IDENTIFIER par rapport à la culture, les coutumes, les familles, etc !
Un personnages principal qui évolue et un titre que l’on comprend au fur et à mesure de l’histoire.
Je vous recommande totalement ce bouquin !!!!

[David Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franchement je ne suis pas sûr comment critiquer ce livre. Quand un écrivain essaye d’écrire dans la voix d’un enfant, la prose est basique mais… c’est pour cela qu’ils ont choisi d’écrire ainsi. Alors on est forcé de juger l’oeuvre pour le mérite de ses idées et non pour la beauté avec laquelle il les exprime.

Ou peut-être que je comprends mal les oeuvres comme celle-ci. Peut-être que la beauté est dans l’efficacité de l’écrivain à capter l’âme d’un enfant dans son livre, ou au moins le sens que nous les adultes avons par rapport à la psychologie des enfants. C’est pourquoi je suis perdu quand j’essaie de critiquer des livres comme Demain j’aurai vingt ans.

OK, mais il faut commencer. Je pense qu’Alain Mabanckou a réussi à éclairer l’expérience d’un enfant de 12 ans qui grandit au Congo-Brazzaville. Alors dans ce sens, je crois que le roman est une réussite. Franchement, la première moitié est un peu ennuyeuse. J’avais du mal à m’intéresser aux personnages, même au petit Michel. Mais la deuxième moitié est meilleure – le communisme, les féticheurs, les expériences de Lounès et de son grand frère, son rapport avec la radio et l’actualité mondiale. J’ai l’impression que je comprends maintenant beaucoup mieux le rythme de la vie d’un petit gamin congolais dans les années 70 et 80. Certes, je ne savais absolument rien de la vie d’un petit gars congolais dans les années 70 et 80 avant d’avoir lu ce livre, alors ce n’était pas trop difficile de m’enseigner quelque chose de ce sujet lol.

En général je pense que cela aurait pu être 25 % plus court. Je ne pense pas que la longueur était nécessaire – je ne peux pas penser à des sections spécifiques que j’aurais supprimées, mais quand même je crois que ça aurait été bien possible de raccourcir la durée de ma lecture si l’écrivain avait été déterminé à éditer le roman pour le rendre moins long. C’est presque toujours possible, et c’est rarement fait suffisamment.

[Miriam Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Child narrator Michel takes us through his daily life in Pointe-Noire, Congo in the 1970’s. We get to see what’s happening to Michel himself and the people he is surrounded by. We also get to know what’s going on in the world as Michel reflects in his childlike manner on events such as the flight of Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Egypt or the sanctuary given by Saudi Arabia to the Ugandan military officer Idi Amin, a man responsible for the most extreme kind of oppression and mass murder. Throughout the book, Michel sympathizes with the first and is incapable of understanding how someone as cruel as the latter could have been granted asylum anywhere. These examples and many others that can be found in this coming-of-age tale show how Michel gradually learns about the complexity and unfairness of life. However, that doesn’t mean that Michel’s stories are sad. On the contrary, they are funny, delightful and make you feel good.

I wasn’t blown away by this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Reading always has an educational purpose and this book taught me about a Congolese world perspective in the 1970’s, which was something I haven’t come across before and I found extremely interesting. Another reason for me to read this book was to maintain my French. If you’re a learner of French and you have attained an upper-intermediate level, you should definitely be able to get through this.

[Wikaranosa Supomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to remember how I looked at the world when I was little, and hair didn't grow in my pants. This book is a tangible manifestation for people reminiscing about their childhood ages, their innocence, and their view of the world. Even though this book was written in the post-colonial era in Congo, I can still feel how innocent and pretentious little children are.

This novel provides a different treat than most novels I have read. I didn't find the 3 act structure or 13 beat patterns that usually exist in a story. Although perhaps when drawn widely, this novel also presents this. But despite all that, this novel perfectly offers the sensation of being a child again. I was exposed to various political intrigues after the Second World War and the social affairs of African society from the eyes of children. All these politicians and wealthy bourgeoisie are no more luxurious than family members or friends who can be invited to spy on concerts.

This novel reminds me again that never crush a child's lens when looking at life. Michel, as the main character in this novel, is us many years ago. Being a child allows us to cry and make mistakes. Being a child will enable us to live in the moment where we take a breath and enjoy the events before our eyes. Being a child is still being happy and enjoying the moment while time continues to roll forward, turning us into adults and old.

Don't kill the child in you.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book featuring Michel, a young teen who lives in the Congo. He is trying to figure out the adult world, and he and his best friend have many conversations about what is going on in their lives. They try to figure out what is happening with their country, since in 1979 lots of things were happening in Africa, many of them not good things. Michel is also trying to figure out what love is, as he thinks he is in love with the daughter of a neighborhood tailor. Michel has two families - his mother and his father, for whom he is an only child, and then his father's other wife and family, which means that Michel has two mothers and lots of stepbrothers and stepsisters. This would be a confusing situation, but it gets even more so when a witch doctor tells his mother that Michel has hidden the key to her womb, which is why she has not been able to have more children. Despite knowing that he has not done anything of the kind, Michel has to figure out what to do to make everyone happy. Despite all this, Michel speaks with a refreshingly naïve and innocent voice, one that wins the heart of the reader as his tale unfolds.

[Jonathan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le quatrième de couverture compare ce livre à "La vie devant soi", et je trouve la comparaison assez juste.

L'histoire à la première personne suit un gamin de 10 ans qui décrit avec finesse et humour sa vie, celle de sa famille, ses amis et son quartier de Pointe-Noire, au Congo, dans les années 1970.

Le livre est très agréable à lire, riche et intelligent. Cependant, ma principale critique est qu'il m'a semblé un peu "facile", comme si l'auteur n'avait pas cherché à prendre de risque. Je pense à d'autres auteurs africains comme Flora Nwapa (Efuru) ou Fiston Mwanza Mujila (Tram 83), qui ont su trouver une voix résolument originale pour décrire des réalités différentes. Je pense aussi à des styles plus classiques, comme ceux de Chinua Achebe ou Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, dont les histoires racontées portent une valeur culturelle et historique très forte.

"Demain j'aurais vingt ans" n'a peut être pas l'ambition ou l'audace des autres auteurs cités, il ne cherche pas à bousculer le lecteur mais à lui être aimable. C'est un livre qui ne fait pas de vagues mais qui reste très bien écrit, bien ficelé, avec un style très agréable à lire. Une lecture légère très recommandable.