Based on my current TBR and previous reading, I may declare 2021 the most diverse literary year ever. Besides my regular authors from English and German speaking realms, a whole list of possibilities opened up - mostly in translation - of authors representing countries with a very limited, if any, presence outside their home countries.
After virtually meeting my first writer from Congo one month ago, I just finished half an hour ago a crime novel by Moussa Konaté, a prolific Malian author with a known literary presence in Mali as well as in the Francophone realm. The author,who died in 2013 in France, was very active in developing and promoting the Malian literature and publishing industry.
Meurtre à Tombouctou - Death in Timbuktu - which I´ve read in the original French language is a relatively short book - under 170 pages, the sixth from the crime series centered around the commissioner Habib. Although I hope to be able to find more books from the series at my generous French Institute in Berlin, I did not have any moment the impression that I am missing something from the previous episodes as the story is developing highly independently.
The story is moderately paced, with fragments pertaining from old African stories, but it touches bravely contemporary topics for the Malian society such as the pervasiveness of terrorism, the clash between customs and laws, the corrupt politician and the power of tribes. It is also eyes opening for the diversity of the local society as well as the cultural diversity. The magic of Timbuktu, a regional center of trade from the Middle Ages onwards, therefore a melting pot of languages, traditions and cultures is balanced by the realities of the everyday life and struggles.
The case assigned to Habib, which is very empathic and with a genuine sense of humour, deals time with a murder of a young touareg, apparently the result of either a feud between families or maybe some unaccounted love story. At the first sight, all can be equally suspect and innocents, including some French acquaintance with a couple of chips on his shoulders. Meanwhile, the wise men of the village demand without success a pause in the investigations until a diviner - marabout devin - is requested to take the reins of the search for the culprit.
The various episodes leading to the final conclusion - which was completely unexpected for me, also because I could not figure out the social and cultural complexities of the story - reveal in a non-judgemental way different aspects of the society while offering more and more hints. It opens up like a flower in bloom and I love the smooth way in which the ending is set. Again, although the solution may sound outrageous, it is exposed in a simple, non-judgemental way, with the focus on the details explaining the crime.
I am glad for having the chance of discovering a new literary world and a new author that I would love to get to know better in some new books, hopefully soon. As for Timbuktu, I haven´t lost the hope to be able one day to visit this city, his bookstores and libraries as well.
Rating: 4.5 stars
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