Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

About

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr is a Senegalese novelist born in Dakar in 1990. He grew up in Senegal before moving to France to study literature and philosophy at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. His fiction explores power, violence, identity, sexuality, and the complexities of African societies, often challenging established narratives about history and belonging. His debut novel, Terre ceinte (2014), received several literary awards, including the Grand Prix du Roman Métis. His subsequent novels, including Silence du chœur (2017) and De purs hommes (2018), established him as an important contemporary Francophone writer. In 2021, Sarr won France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt for La plus secrète mémoire des hommes (The Most Secret Memory of Men), becoming the first writer from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the award. His work has attracted international attention for its literary experimentation and fearless engagement with difficult social questions.