''Standing Heavy'' is a novel by Ivorian author

GauZ' GauZ', also known as Armand Gauz, is the author name of Armand Patrick Gbaka-Brédé. He was born March 22, 1971 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is an author, publisher, screenwriter, and actor. He is particularly renowned for his literary work, whi ...

. Originally published in 2014 in French (as ''Debout-Payé''), it was translated into English by

Frank Wynne Frank Wynne (born 1962) is an Irish literary translator and writer. Biography Born in County Sligo in the west of Ireland, Frank Wynne worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine '' Deadline''. He worked for a time at ...

and published in 2022. It was shortlisted for the

International Booker Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...

2023.

Plot

The novel follows a series of undocumented Ivorian immigrants in Paris who find work as security guards. Their constant observations provides a cutting commentary on colonial legacies, Western capitalism and Franco-African history. The title refers to "all the various professions that require the employee to remain standing in order to earn a pittance".

Critical response

''Standing Heavy'' was shortlisted for the

2023. Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', John Self said "This inventive and very funny debut novel offers a whistle-stop, whizz-bang tour of Franco-African history." Berny Sèbe, in

the Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...

, said ''Standing Heavy'' offers a "refreshing and often caustic take on the cultural and economic consequences of an encounter between western consumerism and capitalism and the acute African sense of observation and derision."

References

{{reflist 2014 novels 2022 novels Ivorian novels Novels set in Paris Novels about colonialism