Born in the Republic of Congo in 1941, Emmanuel Dongala is a scientist and author who came to the United States in 1997 during the civil war in his native country and was offered a professorship at Bard College, and later Simon's Rock Preparatory School, where he taught until 2014. Dongala is the author most recently of the acclaimed novel, THE BRIDGETOWER SONATA, as well as JOHNNY MAD DOG, LITTLE CHILDREN COME FROM THE STARS, and THE FIRE OF ORIGINS. He is the recipient of the 2011 Prix Ahmada Kourouma Award and has been shortlisted for the Prix Albertine in 2020. He lives in Great Barrington, MA.