This is part 4 of an 8-part series
Publishing in bright lights
jad20211129-gamechangers-serie2-felwinesarr-e1638879482997-720x472 © Felwine Sarr. © Stéphanie Scholz/Colagène
The spotlight was on the author, but not the publisher. Jimsaan has become the first foreign publisher to have published a Goncourt-winning novel: the one awarded on November 3 to Mohamed Mbougar Sarr for La Plus Secrète Mémoire des hommes, a work published between two continents by French publishing house Philippe Rey and the Senegalese publisher Jimsaan.
It was in 2013 that intellectuals Boubacar Boris Diop, Nafissatou Dia and Felwine Sarr founded Jimsaan. A “small” independent publishing house that is “very demanding on the text”. “We don’t publish much. Some people even reproach us for it,” says Felwine Sarr. To launch their business, they chose Saint-Louis, in Senegal, before moving to Dakar. As if more than mere coincidence, Saint-Louis was also where Mbougar began his adventures, with studies at the prestigious
There's more to this story
Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.
cancel anytime
Already a a subscriber Sign In
Also in this in Depth:
'economic colonisation'
DRC: Tshisekedi wants to renegotiate Kabila’s ‘contract of the century’ with China A task force was created by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi ahead of his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in order to identify the axes of discussion for the agreement signed with Beijing in 2008.distribution details
Will Dangote’s Refinery solve Nigeria’s fuel consumption problems? President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, the world’s largest single-train refinery, on 22 May in Lagos amid jubilation, but experts say distribution problems are the next big challenge.