Born in Congo in 1966, Alain Mabanckou is the author of several novels, including Mémoire de porc-épic (Seuil, 2006), for which he won the Prix Renaudot. He divides his time between the United States, where he teaches French literature at UCLA, and France. His work has been translated into some twenty languages.
Awards and honors
- Prix de la Société des poètes français, 1995 for L'usure des lendemains
- Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire, for his first novel, Bleu Blanc Rouge, 1999
- Prix du roman Ouest-France-Étonnants Voyageurs 2005, for Verre cassé
- Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie 2005, for Verre cassé
- RFO Book Prize 2005, for Verre cassé
- Prix Renaudot 2006, for Mémoires de porc-épic
- Prix de La Rentrée littéraire 2006, for Mémoires de porc-épic
- Prix Aliénor d'Aquitaine 2006, for Mémoires de porc-épic
- Prix Créateurs Sans Frontières 2007 (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs), for Mémoires de porc-épic
- Honorary citizen's medal from the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (Charente-Maritime, France), 2004
- Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by decree of the President of the French Republic, 2010
- Prix franco-israélien Raymond Wallier 2009 for the novel Verre Cassé translated into Hebrew
- Prix Georges Brassens 2010, for Demain j'aurai vingt ans
- Honorary Citizen medal from the town of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, France, 2012
- Grand prix de littérature Henri-Gal 2012, awarded by the Institut de France on the recommendation of the Académie française for lifetime achievement
- Prix Prince-Pierre-de-Monaco 2013 for lifetime achievement, awarded by the Principality of Monaco
- Finalist for the Premio Strega Europeo 2015
- Finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2015
