He was born in the Congo Republic, was educated in the US, and left the Congo with the outbreak of civil war in 1997. Two of his novels have just been translated to English: Little Boys Come From the Stars and The Fires of Origins (both by Lawrence Hill Books). With the help of writers Philip Roth and William Styron, DONGALA now has a visiting professorship in chemistry at Simons Rock of Bard College in Massachusetts. DONGALA is also president of the Congolese PEN Centre.

Copyright 2001 Fresh Air