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Song of myself Why you should read Mohamed Mbougar Sarr The Senegalese novelist is one of the boldest writers working today The Silence of the Choir . By Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. Translated by Alison Anderson. Europa Editions; 372 pages; $18 and £14.99 What is in a name? Quite a lot, actually, for Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. The writer’s first name is a nod to the majority faith in Senegal, where he was born. His last name reveals that he comes from its third-biggest ethnic group, the Serer. His middle name means “unloved”. By Serer tradition, children often get tagged with ugly names as a trick to fool evil spirits. Perhaps that precaution, along with Mr Sarr’s talent, worked. In his teens he won a full scholarship to study in France. He published a first novel at the age of 24 and three more by the time he was 31, scooping a stack of awards on the way. In 2021 he became the first sub-Saharan African to win France’s top literary prize, the Goncourt. That was for “The Most Secret M
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