Reading guide: Standing Heavy by GauZ’, translated by Frank Wynne
Discover our reading guide for Standing Heavy, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, which tells the story of colonialism and consumerism in France
A unique insight into everything that passes under a security guard's gaze, which also serves as a searingly witty deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption.
Amidst the political bickering of the inhabitants of the Residence for Students from Côte d’Ivoire and the ever-changing landscape of French immigration policy, two generations of Ivoirians attempt to make their way as undocumented workers, taking shifts as security guards at a flour mill. This sharply satirical yet poignant tale draws on the author’s own experiences as an undocumented student in Paris.
Standing Heavy was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, announced on April 18, 2023.
GauZ'
About the Author
GauZ' is an Ivorian author and journalist, the editor-in-chief of a satirical economic newspaper, and has also written screenplays and documentary films.
Frank Wynne
About the Translator
Frank Wynne is an award-winning Irish writer and translator from French and Spanish.Watch our films
A sharp and satirical take on the legacies of French colonial history and life in Paris today. Told in a fast-paced, and fluently translated, style of shifting perspectives, Standing Heavy carries us through the decades
Other nominated books by Frank Wynne
A hero - or a liar? Javier Cercas unravels the real Enric Marco and delves into humankind’s deep and conflicting needs for both fiction and truth.
An audacious and compelling social satire from Virginie Despentes, which casts a penetrating light on the dark underbelly of modern urban life.
