Fiston
Mwanza Mujila
born in Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), studied literature and humanities there. In 2007, Mwanza Mujila left the Congo and subsequently lived in Belgium, Germany, France, and, after being invited to Graz as the “Stadtschreiber” (writer-in-residence) in 2009/2010, in Austria. Fiston Mwanza Mujila is pursuing a PhD in Romance Studies at the University of Graz, where he teaches African literature. He writes poetry and short stories as well as for the theater. His texts have been staged in France, Congo, Germany and Austria. The play “Zur Zeit der Königinmutter” (2018) was performed at the Akademietheater (Vienna) and the Deutsches Theater Berlin.
In his texts, Fiston Mwanza Mujila reflects on the chaos, the civil wars, the decades of Mobutu’s dictatorship that have (did) shape his homeland since its independence from Belgium in 1960. The author repeatedly circles around the themes of loneliness and exile; in the bilingual long poem “Le Fleuve dans le Ventre/ The River in the Belly,” they structure the text as formative elements. Here, a first-person character tells of child soldiers, illness, disfigurement, and again and again of the Congo River, which stands for life and identity in their threatened state. The “I” carries this river “in its belly” in order to spew it out from time to time, just as it spews out the dirt of history and a spoiled meal,” says Ilma Rakusa in the NZZ. About the Congo River, Fiston Mwanza Mujila himself says: “This watercourse inspired me so much that I felt obliged to dedicate a collection of poems to it […] There is an ambiguity in this river […]. For some, it symbolizes the greatness of Africa and could feed the whole continent. But it strikes, does nothing. When conflicts break out, it sets about carrying away the bodies.”
Literary Awards (selection)
Dramatikerstipendium des Bundesministeriums für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur, Wien, Austria, 2014
Literaturförderungsstipendium der Stadt Graz, Austria, 2014
Grand Prix SGDL du Premier Roman, France, 2014
French Voices Award, USA, 2015
PEN Translates award des english PEN, Großbritannien, 2015
Etisalat Prize for Literature, Africa. 2016
nominated for the Man Booker International Prize, 2016
Grands Prix des Associations Littéraires, Africa, 2016
Internationaler Literaturpreis/ Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Germany, 2017
Junge Akademie, Akademie der Künste, Germany, 2017
Peter-Rosegger-Literaturpreis, Austria, 2018
Prix Littéraire “Les Afriques”, 2021
shortlisted for the Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation, 2022
shortlisted for the Luschei Prize for African Poetry, 2022
fellowship of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin programme, 2024
George-Saiko-travel stipend, 2024
Preis der Literaturhäuser, 2024
Finalist at the National Book Awards, 2024
Bibliography (selection):
Poèmes et rêvasseries, Lingua Editiones, 2008
Nach dem Sturm. Fiston Mwanza und Autoren aus den Justizanstalten Graz-Karlau und Garsten, Leykam Verlag, 2010
Craquelures, l’Arbre à paroles, 2011
Le Fleuve dans le Ventre / Der Fluß im Bauch, Edition Thanhäuser, 2013
Tram 83, Métailié, 2014
Et les moustiques sont des fruits à pépins/Te voir dressé sur tes deux pattes ne fait que mettre de l’huile au feu, Éditions Lansman, 2015
Soleil privé de mazout, l’Arbre à paroles, 2016
Zu der Zeit der Königinmutter, Fischer Theater, 2018
La Danse du Vilain, Métailié, 2020
Kontinentaldrift, Das schwarze Europa, Verlag Das Wunderhorn, 2021
Kasala pour mon Kaku, l’Arbre à paroles, 2021
Schlüsselorte (Hg.), InterKontinental Verlag, 2023
Contact
LITERARY AGENT:
Clara Rosell
Pontas Copyright Agency, S.L.
Sèneca, 31 E-08006 Barcelona
(+34) 93 218 22 12
clara@pontas-agency.com