Standing Heavy

Synopsis

From the entrances of Paris department stores to luxury boutiques along the Champs-Élysées, three Ivorian security guards spend their days standing still, watching the city pass before them. Invisible to the shoppers they protect yet keenly observant of the world around them, Ferdinand, Ossiri, and Kassoum navigate undocumented life, precarious work, racism, and the lingering realities of colonialism with wit, resilience, and sharp intelligence. What they witness reveals far more than the lives of the wealthy customers drifting through the doors.

Written with biting humour and remarkable economy, Standing Heavy is a brilliant satire of capitalism, migration, and modern France. GauZ' transforms the seemingly mundane act of standing guard into a profound meditation on labour, belonging, and the invisible people who keep society running. Funny, compassionate, and politically incisive, this acclaimed novel was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and has become a landmark of contemporary African literature in translation.

About the Author

GauZ' is an Ivorian novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and editor. After studying biochemistry, he moved to Paris as an undocumented student, where he worked as a security guard—an experience that inspired Standing Heavy. He later returned to Côte d'Ivoire and became editor-in-chief of the satirical economic newspaper News & Co. His work blends humour, political insight, and lived experience to examine migration, labour, and the enduring legacies of colonialism. The novel is translated from the French by award-winning translator Frank Wynne.

Publisher

Biblioasis

Publication Date

October 3, 2023

Format

Paperback

Pages

176

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · African Literature · Satire · Immigration · Social Commentary

ISBN

9781771966009