Imbolo Mbue – författare

WINNER OF THE 2017 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK ‘A formidable storyteller’ Jonathan Franzen ‘Savage and compassionate in all the right places’ New York Times Book Review ‘Eerily timely … bittersweet and buoyant’ Jessie Burton New York, 2007. After two long years apart, Jende Jonga has brought his wife Neni from Cameroon to join him in the land of opportunity. Drawn by the promise of America they are seeking the chance of a better life for them and their son.When Jende lands a dream job as chauffeur to a Lehman Brothers executive, Neni finds herself taken into the confidence of his glamorous wife Cindy. The Edwards are powerful and privileged: dazzling examples of what America can offer to those who are prepared to strive for it.But when the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, all four lives are dramatically upended. As faultlines appear in both marriages and secrets bubble to the surface they must all decide how far they will go in pursuit of their dreams. And what will they sacrifice along the way? ‘A marvellous debut… as deeply insightful as it is delightfully entertaining’ Taiye Selasi

A PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FINALIST'Sweeping and quietly devastating' New York Times'A David and Goliath story for our times' O, the Oprah MagazineSet in the fictional African village of Kosawa, this is the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations are made - and broken. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. But it will come at a steep price - one which generation after generation will have to pay.How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community's determination to hold onto its ancestral land and a young woman's willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people's freedom.

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARAN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAROPRAH BOOK CLUB PICKA powerful and timely story of marriage, class, race and the pursuit of the American Dream. Behold the Dreamers is a dazzling debut novel about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – and of what we’re prepared to sacrifice to hold on to each of them.‘We all do what we gotta do to become American, abi?’New York, 2007: a city of dreamers and strivers, where the newly-arrived and the long-established jostle alike for a place on the ladder of success. And Jende Jonga, who has come from Cameroon, has just set his foot on the first rung.Clark Edwards is a senior partner at Lehman Brothers bank. In need of a discrete and reliable chauffeur, he is too preoccupied to closely check the paperwork of his latest employee.Jende’s new job draws him, his wife Neni and their young son into the privileged orbit of the city’s financial elite. And when Clark’s wife Cindy offers Neni work and takes her into her confidence, the couple begin to believe that the land of opportunity might finally be opening up for them.But there are troubling cracks in their employers’ facades, and when the deep fault lines running beneath the financial world are exposed, the Edwards’ secrets threaten to spill out into the Jonga’s lives.Faced with the loss of all they have worked for, each couple must decide how far they will go in pursuit of their dreams – and what they are prepared to sacrifice along the way.‘There are no heroes in this marvellous debut, only nuanced human beings. A classic tale with a surprise ending, as deeply insightful as it is delightfully entertaining’ Taiye Selasi‘Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American’ Jonathan Franzen‘Eerily timely … bittersweet and buoyant’ Jessie Burton, Observer Books of the Year

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARAN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAROPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK A powerful and timely story of marriage, class, race and the pursuit of the American Dream. Behold the Dreamers is a dazzling debut novel about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – and of what we’re prepared to sacrifice to hold on to each of them. ‘We all do what we gotta do to become American, abi?’ New York, 2007: a city of dreamers and strivers, where the newly-arrived and the long-established jostle alike for a place on the ladder of success. And Jende Jonga, who has come from Cameroon, has just set his foot on the first rung.Clark Edwards is a senior partner at Lehman Brothers bank. In need of a discrete and reliable chauffeur, he is too preoccupied to closely check the paperwork of his latest employee.Jende’s new job draws him, his wife Neni and their young son into the privileged orbit of the city’s financial elite. And when Clark’s wife Cindy offers Neni work and takes her into her confidence, the couple begin to believe that the land of opportunity might finally be opening up for them.But there are troubling cracks in their employers’ facades, and when the deep fault lines running beneath the financial world are exposed, the Edwards’ secrets threaten to spill out into the Jonga’s lives.Faced with the loss of all they have worked for, each couple must decide how far they will go in pursuit of their dreams – and what they are prepared to sacrifice along the way.‘There are no heroes in this marvellous debut, only nuanced human beings. A classic tale with a surprise ending, as deeply insightful as it is delightfully entertaining’ Taiye Selasi‘Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American’ Jonathan Franzen‘Eerily timely … bittersweet and buoyant’ Jessie Burton, Observer Books of the Year

From the celebrated author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers comes a sweeping, wrenching story about the collision of a small African village and an American oil company.We should have known the end was near.So begins Imbolo Mbue''s devastating second novel, How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made--and ignored. The country''s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price. Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community''s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman''s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people''s freedom.

A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economyNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POSTJende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future. However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers’ façades. When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende’s job—even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.Praise for Behold the Dreamers“A debut novel by a young woman from Cameroon that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse . . . Mbue is a bright and captivating storyteller.”—The Washington Post “Mbue writes with great confidence and warmth. . . . There are a lot of spinning plates and Mbue balances them skillfully, keeping everything in motion. . . . A capacious, big-hearted novel.”—The New York Times Book Review “Mbue’s writing is warm and captivating.”—People (book of the week) “[Mbue’s] book isn’t the first work of fiction to grapple with the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, but it’s surely one of the best. . . . It’s a novel that depicts a country both blessed and doomed, on top of the world, but always at risk of losing its balance. It is, in other words, quintessentially American.”—NPR“Imbolo Mbue’s masterful debut about an immigrant family struggling to obtain the elusive American Dream in Harlem will have you feeling for each character from the moment you crack it open.”—In Style “This story is one that needs to be told.”—Bust  “Behold the Dreamers challenges us all to consider what it takes to make us genuinely content, and how long is too long to live with our dreams deferred.”—O: The Oprah Magazine“[A] beautiful, empathetic novel . . . Mbue’s narrative energy and sympathetic eye soon render . . . commonplace ingredients vivid, complex, and essential.”—The Boston Globe “A witty, compassionate, swiftly paced novel that takes on race, immigration, family and the dangers of capitalist excess.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Mbue [is] a deft, often lyrical observer. . . . [Her] meticulous storytelling announces a writer in command of her gifts, plumbing the desires and disappointments of our emerging global culture.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “A revelation . . . Mbue has written a clever morality tale that never preaches but instead teaches us the power of integrity.”—Essence

Die große neue Stimme aus den USAImbolo Mbues hochgelobtes Debüt erzählt die unvergessliche Geschichte zweier Familien unterschiedlicher Herkunft, die in New York kurz vor der Bankenkrise aufeinandertreffen. Die Lehman-Brothers-Pleite bringt nicht nur ihr Leben, sondern auch ihr Wertesystem gehörig durcheinander.Jende Jonga hat es endlich geschafft, seine Frau und seinen kleinen Sohn aus Kamerun nach Amerika zu holen. Das Glück scheint komplett, als Jende den Job als Chauffeur von Clark Edwards, einem Manager der Lehmann Brothers Bank, ergattert. Und Mrs Edwards engagiert Jendes Frau sogar als Haus- und Kindermädchen in ihrem Sommerhaus in den Hamptons. Die beiden Familien könnten unterschiedlicher nicht sein und wollen doch dasselbe: ihren Kindern eine gute Zukunft bieten. Allerdings ist das Leben der Bankerfamilie längst nicht so perfekt und glamourös, wie es zunächst scheint. Als Lehman Brothers pleitegeht, ist die Fassade nicht mehr aufrechtzuerhalten.Die Jongas versuchen verzweifelt, Jendes Job zu retten – auch um den Preis ihrer Ehe. Das Leben der beiden Paare wird dramatisch auf den Kopf gestellt und Jende sieht sich gezwungen, eine unmögliche Entscheidung zu treffen.Ein hochaktueller, brillant geschriebener Roman über Familie, Immigration, Heimat und Gesellschaft, der uns alle angeht.

»Imbolo Mbue ist eine überragende Erzählerin.« Jonathan Franzen.Nach ihrem gefeierten Debüt »Das geträumte Land«, für das sie den PEN/Faulkner-Preis erhalten hat, beweist Imbolo Mbue mit »Wie schön wir waren« erneut ihre erzählerische Brillanz gepaart mit einem Gespür für die großen Themen unserer Zeit.Die Bewohner von Kosawa leben in Angst, denn ein amerikanischer Ölkonzern droht das kleine afrikanische Dorf auszulöschen. Öllecks haben das Ackerland unfruchtbar gemacht; Kinder sterben, weil das Trinkwasser vergiftet ist. Den Menschen aus Kosawa werden Versprechungen über Aufräumarbeiten und finanzielle Reparationen gemacht, die nie eingehalten werden, aber die korrupte Regierung bedient nur ihre eigenen Interessen. Die Dorfbewohner beschließen, sich zu wehren. Ihr Kampf soll Jahrzehnte andauern. Erzählt aus der Perspektive einer Generation von Kindern, allen voran Thula, die zu einer Revolutionärin heranwächst.Mbues zweiter Roman ist eine meisterhafte Untersuchung dessen, was passiert, wenn die Profitgier des Westens gepaart mit dem Gespenst des Kolonialismus auf die Entschlossenheit einer Gemeinschaft trifft, an ihrem angestammten Land festzuhalten – und auf die Bereitschaft einer jungen Frau, alles für die Freiheit ihrer Mitmenschen zu opfern.

Fa anys que els habitants de Kosawa viuen atemorits a causa de la devastació ambiental provocada per una companyia petroliera nord-americana a la seva comunitat ancestral. Els vessaments constants de cru han fet tornar ermes les terres de conreu, l''aigua contaminada ha destruït els ecosistemes naturals de què depenien per alimentar-se i l''absència d''aigua potable ha costat la vida a innombrables criatures. Tanmateix, les eternes promeses de la petroliera de dur a terme operacions de neteja no es tradueixen mai en fets, com tampoc arriben les indemnitzacions pel patrimoni perdut, i el govern del país, encapçalat per un dictador cínic, només serveix els seus propis interessos. Acorralats, els fills i filles de Kosawa decideixen defensar-se, i la lluita, que s''allargarà durant dècades, es cobrarà un preu molt alt. Elegíaca i vibrant, clarivident i fabulosa, «Quan fèiem goig» és un retrat magistral del capitalisme a ultrança, les llargues ombres que el colonialisme i l''esclavitud encara projecten sobre el continent africà i la voluntat d''un poble de sacrificar-ho tot per la llibertat.«Mbue té una energia combativa i literària, una clarividència i una veritat per contar-nos. La trama és apassionant. Una elegia moral i una faula vertadera».Biel Mesquida, «Diario de Mallorca»«Una novel·la amb l''exuberància i la capacitat de fascinació d''una gran faula contemporània, i una heroïna per al nostre temps».Sigrid Nunez«Un relat colpidor sobre la cobdícia, el sentit de comunitat i la perseverança».«Time»