Facebook Twitter Pinterest linkedin Telegram
Dublin Literary Award Dublin Literary Award
  • ABOUT
  • Books
  • Judges
  • Libraries
  • News
  • Archive
           
Menu
Dublin Literary Award
Sold out
HomeBooks20222022 Translated At Night All Blood is Black
Previous product
Acts of Desperation
Back to products
Next product
Before You Knew My Name

At Night All Blood is Black

Author: David Diop

Translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis

2022 Shortlist

Comments from the Judges

At Night All Blood is Black is a carefully crafted, heart-wrenching, passionate, and engaging story about the insanity of war and its devastating toll on humanity. Told from the perspective of Alfa Ndiaye, a 20-year-old Senegalese who, like his friend, Mademba Diop and many other young West Africans were conscripted by European imperial powers – in this case, France – to fight in World War I. The novel raises fresh concerns about the issues of war, humanity, identity, sexuality, racism, violence, and colonialism as it explores strong emotions like love, apathy, fear, and indignation towards war.  The plot hinges around the gruesome death in battle of Mademba, and Ndiaye’s refusal to carry out the “mercy killing” for his friend.  From that point onward, Ndiaye begins to spiral towards insanity, consciously becoming the “dämme”, “demon” or “savage” his European trench-mates think him to be.   Alternately horrific and lyrical, the novel moves back and forth between the Senegalese village of Ndiaye’s youth and the brutal chaos of the trenches.  For such a slim book, Diop’s novel manages to attain a kind of epic scale, sweeping back and forth between Africa and Europe, between world-historical events and village life.  Holding all of this together is the narrative voice of Ndiaye.  Diop combines traditional African tropes with modern literary devices, giving the novel a rhythmic quality, as Ndiaye repeats phrases like “God’s truth”, “more-than-brother”, “I swear to you”, “I know, I understand”, whispering gently in our ears as he carries us into the dark heart of twentieth-century history.

International Literature Festival Dublin · ILFD x DLA Shortlist Podcast Ep 4: At Night All Blood Is Black

Alfa and Mademba are two of the many Senegalese soldiers fighting in the Great War. Together they climb dutifully out of their trenches to attack France’s German enemies whenever the whistle blows, until Mademba is wounded, and dies in a shell hole with his belly torn open.

Without his more-than-brother, Alfa is alone and lost amidst the savagery of the conflict. He devotes himself to the war, to violence and death, but soon begins to frighten even his own comrades in arms. How far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend?

At Night All Blood is Black is a hypnotic, heartbreaking rendering of a mind hurtling towards madness.

About the Author/Translator

David Diop is a professor of eighteenth century literature at the University of Pau, France. At Night All Blood is Black is David’s second novel. It was shortlisted for ten major prizes in France and won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens. It has been translated into 13 languages, winning the LA Times Book Prize for fiction, the Italian Premio Strega Europeo, and the International Booker Prize 2021 among others. David Diop was born in Paris and grew up in Senegal.

Anna Moschovakis is a poet, author and translator, whose works include the James Laughlin Award-winning poetry collection You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake and a novel, Eleanor, or The Rejection of the Progress of Love. Her translations from the French include Albert Cossery’s The Jokers, Annie Ernaux’s The Possession, and Bresson on Bresson.

Librarian’s Comments

A powerful and poetic story in the heart of the butchery of the trenches during the First World War, told from the point of view of a Senegalese rifleman, collector of severed hands. Bibliothèque de Reims, France

  • Additional information
  • Libraries Ireland - Find This Book
Additional information
Author

David Diop

Nominating Library

Bibliothèque de Reims, France

Publisher

Pushkin Press

Libraries Ireland - Find This Book

Libraries Ireland Search System

Search for this book in the Dublin City online system and reserve for collection at the Irish library of your choice.

Search CATALOGUE Ireland for At Night All Blood is Black

This search result is offered as a helping hand to find books in the Libraries Ireland Online Catalogue. Some results may not be accurate where book titles have common words with similar titles.

Categories: 2022, 2022 Shortlist, 2022 Translated
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest linkedin Telegram
BROUGHT TO YOU BY

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL

WITH KIND SUPPORT

CONTACT

DUBLIN Literary Award
Dublin City Library & Archive
138 – 144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Ireland
literaryaward@dublincity.ie
Tel +353 1 222 4802

  • ABOUT
  • Books
  • Judges
  • Libraries
  • News
  • Archive
Copyright © 2022 Dublin City Council
Website by JET Design
close
Start typing to see books you are looking for.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Books
  • Judges
  • Libraries
  • ABOUT
  • Archive
  • News
Scroll To Top