Painting by Cheri Samba

Lokuta eyaka na ascenseur, kasi vérité eyei na escalier mpe ekomi. Lies come up in the elevator; the truth takes the stairs but gets here eventually. - Koffi Olomide

Ésthetique eboma vélo. Aesthetics will kill a bicycle. - Felix Wazekwa

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Book Release: Dancing in the Glory of Monsters

My book Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa was released today. I have set up a web page with more information about the book here.

The book draws on over a hundred interviews with protagonists of the conflict, painting a nuanced picture of the wars that have devastated the country since 1996.

17 comments:

Rick V. said...

Amazon delivered mine a few days early, and I'm already well into it. Did I blow their cover? Anyway, congrats...

Monique said...

I'm a couple chapters in. So far, so good. :)

David T. said...

Congratulations. Keep up the great work.

Anonymous said...

not easy to order thru internet to get it in Kigali, any suggestions so I can get a copy please ? thanks

Jason Stearns said...

@ Anonymous: I would imagine that the Ecole Belge bookstore might carry it - you could actually do me a favor and ask them if they would. I will also try to get in touch with them.

Nico Colombant said...

here's a full interview with Jason ...
http://thirdratetropics.blogspot.com/2011/03/inspiration-us-authors-delve-into-congo.html

Anonymous said...

Jason, you are talking about IKIREZI which is 5'm from the Belgian school, they moved but let me give you their details: info@ikirezi.biz & client@ikirezi.biz, if you are struggeling to get thru to the owner I could pass him a message from you as I go almost every week for my magazines there

Jason Stearns said...

@ Anon: Thanks, I have asked my publishing company to be in touch with Ikirezi (I hadn't been to the store since they moved).

Claire M said...

hmm I ordered the book a few months ago on the UK Amazon, and it looks like the book wont be out until May 5th 2011 in Europe. :(

Nell Okie said...

Congratulations, Jason!
Have mine right here. Looking forward to it very much! Wishing you great success!

Jean-Bernard Gervais said...

french translation ?

Chip Pitts said...

An extraordinary achievement, Jason; educational, fair, and gripping. Congratulations again!

Chip Pitts

Anonymous said...

Hopefully mine is on its way! Looking forward to reading it as prep for the course in July. Just browsing through the rest of the reading list. Really looking forward to the course.

YM

Anonymous said...

what's with the sensationalist title? why is it that western authors feel the need to go for these rather cheap theatrics? Forgive me jason i haven't read your book and it may well be good but i'm slightly weary of this rather lowest common denominator trend and the stereotypes it perpetuates. i would have expected a more intelligent treatment based on my reading of your blog.

Jason Stearns said...

The title is a quote from Laurent Kabila that speaks exactly to that problem. He was admonishing a crowd for always personalizing the problems of the Congo, blaming everything on Mobutu. "I have seen all of you dancing in the glory of the monster." So it actually addresses that very concern of yours - read the intro, you'll see.

Anonymous said...

What is so unfortunate is the people who know what the problem is but are the cause of it.
they pretend to say all the right things just to go against them, pretenders, sociopaths so to speak, it's just and mostly about money,and not acting on what's right, sad,,,so far i like your book, the gov't was just mismangled, disrupted to be stolen from, even people going against their own people.

Bridgit said...

I'm visiting friends in Kampala and I have been sharing this book with some of the Congolese refugee community here. Everyone says it is a very good book but as a previous commentator, Jean-Bernard Gervais, noted - it would be good to have a French translation. Incidentally, the receptionist at the Aristoc book store on Kampala Road said it had sold out in 2011 and hadn't been restocked yet!

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