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From the reviews of Congo:
Оглавление‘[Congo] possesses the economy and deftness of the best short stories and avoids the bloat of your average history book … The research, the devotion, the inventiveness in Van Reybrouck’s writing are a gift to everyone, not just fans of African history. This book not only deserves the description “epic”, in its true sense, but the term “masterpiece” as well.’
Independent
‘The general critical consensus on the book is that it “reads like a novel” while being “as rigorous as an academic history” … Van Reybrouck brings this excessive history vividly to life … a book as rich and resourceful as Congo itself.’
Guardian
‘What I hadn’t realised was that David Van Reybrouck, who spent a decade on this extraordinary work, is not primarily a historian. He is a playwright, poet and novelist and, if this translation by Sam Garrett is anything to go by, has a beautiful feel for the language … His eye for the arresting human detail, combined with a wry appreciation for a peculiarly Congolese form of gumption, keeps you powering through this panoramic survey of 150 turbulent years.’
Spectator
‘[Van Reybrouck] draws vividly on interviews with musicians, former child soldiers, political activists and people old enough to remember the days of the Belgian Congo … a wrenching account.’
London Review of Books
‘This is a magnificent account, intimately researched, and relevant for anyone interested in how the recent past may inform our near future … Van Reybrouck offers one of the most extraordinary African stories I have come across in recent years.’
New York Times Book Review
‘A vivid panorama of one of the most tormented lands in the world … His book is a valuable addition to the rich literature that Congo has inspired.’
Washington Post
‘Congo is the best book I have read on its subject. It is not history in the conventional sense, but it is a beautifully written and scholarly account that explains why so many outsiders have found the country both horrifying and irresistible.’
Literary Review
‘[A] detailed and well-researched biography, thoroughly rooted in the lived experience of the Congolese … It is clear that the author is not your typical historian dryly publishing his findings, but a literary artist with a pen almost as sharp as Lumumba’s tongue.’
‘A well-documented and passionate narrative which reads like a novel … As an eye, a judge, and a witness, a talented writer testifies.’
V.Y.M. MUDIMBE, author of The Invention of Africa
‘The English-speaking world has been impatiently awaiting this translation. Congo is a remarkable piece of work. Van Reybrouck pulls off the tricky feat of keeping a panoramic history of a vast and complex nation accessible, intimate and particular.’
MICHELA WRONG, author of In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz
‘A monumental history … more exciting than any novel.’
NRC Handelsblad
