Senegalese author Abibou Diouf's debut novel L'age de deplaire (The Age of Displeasure) was published on August 19th by Albin Michel in the original French to fantastic reception from readers and critics alike. The book has already won the La Forêt des Livres First Novel Prize 2026 and the Prix de la Ville d’Angoulême 2026! It has also been shortlisted for the Prix Première Plume 2026 and the Prix Talent Cultura 2026. It's an impressive roster of prizes for a novel fo which French paperback rights have already been snapped up by Livre de Poche, to be published in 2027. All translation and audiovisual rights are currently available (all rights handled by Albin Michel).
A novel of conflict and profound personal rift, L'age de deplaire (The Age of Displeasure) explores the moment when one understands that heritage is not only what one receives, but also what one chooses to transform, silence, or destroy. Driven by an urgent need to speak out, Abibou Diouf incisively and courageously examines the construction of masculinities, the symbolic violence perpetrated in the name of tradition, and the weight of silence within Senegalese families.
Between Paris and Dakar, Fadel is a man torn apart. In France, he experiences a newfound freedom; in Senegal, his life is governed by the family hierarchy, the mandates of masculinity, and tradition. His father's death acts as a catalyst. First, anger, then a flood of memories, and the haunting figure of another Fadel, his turandoo, his namesake: a marginalized artist nicknamed "Fadel the Madman," whose way of life defies the social order. Two men, one first name, two possible destinies. And one question: do we have the right to become ourselves when everything compels us to stay in our place?
Originally from Senegal (Dakar), Abibou Diouf has always been passionate about literature, reading authors from around the world from an early age—from Mariama Bâ to Tolstoy, from Oscar Wilde to Agatha Christie. At eighteen, after completing his literary baccalaureate, Abibou moved to France to study in Mulhouse. Although his formal education is in HR, he unwaveringly remains a literary enthusiast at heart, dedicating his free time to reading and writing, hoping to find in fiction the tools to better understand reality. He lives in Paris. The Age of Displeasure, published by Albin Michel in August 2026, is his first novel.
For more information about the above title, please contact Anna Soler-Pont (anna[at]pontas-agency.com).