{"product_id":"the-ngustro-affair-paperback","title":"The n'Gustro Affair - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJean-Patrick Manchette\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eDonald Nicholson-Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe debut novel of a pioneering author of French crime thrillers.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMean, arrogant, naive, sadistic on occasion, the young Henri Butron records his life story on tape just before death catches up with him: a death passed off as a suicide by his killers, French secret service agents who need to hush up their role--and Butron's--in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of a prominent opposition leader from a third-world African nation in the throes of a postcolonial civil war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe N'Gustro Affair\u003c\/i\u003e is a thinly veiled retelling of the 1965 abduction and killing of Mehdi Ben Barka, a radical opponent of King Hassan II of Morocco. But this is merely the backdrop to Jean-Patrick Manchette's first-person portrait (with shades of Jim Thompson's \u003ci\u003eThe Killer Inside Me\u003c\/i\u003e) of a man who lacks the insight to see himself for what he is: a wannabe nihilist too weak to be even a full-bore fascist.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJean-Patrick Manchette\u003c\/b\u003e (1942-1995) was a genre-redefining French crime novelist, screenwriter, critic, and translator. In 1971 he published his first novel, a collaboration with Jean-Pierre Bastid, and went on to produce ten subsequent works over the course of the next two decades, establishing a new genre of French novel, the \u003ci\u003enéo-polar\u003c\/i\u003e (distinguished from the traditional detective novel, or \u003ci\u003epolar\u003c\/i\u003e, by its political engagement and social radicalism). Manchette's \u003ci\u003eFatale\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Mad and the Bad\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Ivory Pearl\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNada\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eNo Room at the Morgue\u003c\/i\u003e are also available from NYRB Classics. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eDonald Nicholson-Smith\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Manchester, England, and is a longtime resident of New York City. For NYRB Classics, he has translated Manchette's \u003ci\u003eFatale\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Mad and the Bad\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIvory Pearl\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eNada\u003c\/i\u003e as well as Jean-Paul Clébert's \u003ci\u003eParis Vagabond\u003c\/i\u003e and Frédéric Pajak's \u003ci\u003eUncertain Manifesto\u003c\/i\u003e; and for NYR Comics \u003ci\u003eThe Green Hand \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDead Season\u003c\/i\u003e by Nicole Claveloux and \u003ci\u003eYellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures\u003c\/i\u003e by Yvan Alagbé. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eGary Indiana\u003c\/b\u003e is a critic and novelist. His most recent books include \u003ci\u003eI Can Give You Anything But Love\u003c\/i\u003e, a memoir, and \u003ci\u003eTiny Fish That Only Want to Kiss\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of short fiction. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVice\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other publications.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 200\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 7.9 x 4.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 21, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42699443667007,"sku":"9781681375120","price":19.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/410f373804cf9b302f7690b7e9eb2fbe.webp?v=1765013500","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/the-ngustro-affair-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}