Pure Men
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr won France’s Goncourt Prize in 2021, which is reason enough to pay attention. In Pure Men, a French literature teacher in Dakar watches a viral video of a crowd digging up the body of a man labeled a “góor-jigéen,” a name used for men who live outside accepted norms. Haunted by it, he explores a hidden side of the city and begins to doubt his own identity. At 208 pages in Lara Vergnaud’s translation from the French, it sounds compact and brave. A Translated Literature finalist for readers who want hard questions about courage and identity.
Publisher’s description at Other Press. Finalist status from the National Book Foundation.
Sarr won the 2021 Goncourt Prize for The Most Secret Memory of Men. Pure Men, in Lara Vergnaud’s translation, is a 2026 National Book Award finalist for Translated Literature. Winners are announced November 18.
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