Black Male

by Elgas

A bold debut novel about male desire and alienation, and an exploration of the body as terrain of self-discovery. In Black Male, a Senegalese anthropologist living in France drifts through Paris in the aftermath of his PhD, caught between casual relationships, intellectual ambition, and a deepening sense of emotional distance. Estranged from Senegal yet unable to fully belong in France, he navigates desire, loneliness, and the racialized expectations placed on his body and identity. A long-awaited visit from his mother forces him to confront family ties he has kept at arm's length, while his relationships with women--both Black and white--bring questions of intimacy, power, and self-understanding into sharp focus. As love begins to feel possible, he must decide what kind of life, and what kind of man, he is willing to claim.