The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez

Book excerpt: Sony Labou Tansi's surreal portrait of a despised and incompetent regime is a biting, burlesque fable, incisive in its description of postcolonial life. History has been silenced in this modern African state: only the voices of the dead cry out for justice. It is a cry answered by Estina Bronzario, the Woman of Bronze, determined to act against the political and moral corruption of male-dominated society. Murders escalate, crowds ebb and flow, and the years roll by. But all the while, the police never come... 'Central Africa's greatest writer.' New York Times 'No greater genius than Sony Lab'ou Tansi.' Independent 'Sublimely surreal allegory... Tansi [is] one of Africa's important voices.' Publishers Weekly