The Miraculous King (1958)

Le Roi miraculé, subtitled Chronique des Essazam, is a burlesque work in which Mongo Beti tells the story of an old traditional chief baptized on his deathbed and “miraculously” saved — but who has no intention of accepting Christian values.

This novel dismantles the workings of power, whether colonial or traditional, and highlights the transformations underway that foreshadow the next decolonization.

Sources

1. “Mongo Beti”, Encyclopédie Universalis, https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/mongo-beti/
2. African Studies Centre Leiden, “Mongo Beti dossier”, https://www.ascleiden.nl/content/webdossiers/mongo-beti
3. Open Library, https://openlibrary.org/works/OL740325W