▁violent ▁and ▁he ▁expressed ▁it ▁in ▁a ▁stream ▁of ▁conscious ness ▁mode . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 8 ▁he ▁became ▁vice - pres ident ▁of ▁the ▁Committee ▁of ▁Fri ends ▁of ▁Cong ol ese ▁Art . ▁After ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁de cade ▁he ▁wrote ▁little . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁he ▁served ▁as ▁a ▁council or ▁of ▁the ▁Union ▁of ▁Z aire an ▁Writ ers ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Academia ▁Brasile ira ▁de ▁Let ras . ▁Though ▁by ▁then ▁he ▁had ▁entirely ▁retired ▁from ▁writing , ▁he ▁was ▁still ▁the ▁Cong ol ese ▁writer ▁most ▁famous ▁abroad . ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁of ▁writing ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Cong ol ese ▁literary ▁critic ▁K ad ima ▁N zu ji ▁M uk ala , ▁Bol amba ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁" most ▁important ▁and ▁representative " ▁French - language ▁writers ▁in ▁Belg ian ▁Africa . ▁However , ▁he ▁pos ited ▁that , ▁aside ▁from ▁his ▁contributions ▁to ▁journal ism , ▁he ▁was ▁" not ▁a ▁very ▁pro l ific ▁writer ". ▁N zu ji ▁M uk ala ▁dismiss ed ▁Prem iers ▁Ess ais ▁as ▁a ▁" cl ums y ▁im itation " ▁of ▁French ▁poetry ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁Other ▁comment ators ▁critic ised ▁the ▁collection ▁as ▁being ▁a ▁m im ic ry ▁of ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁European ▁po ets ▁such ▁as ▁Paul ▁Ver la ine ▁and ▁Maurice ▁Ma eter lin ck . ▁ ▁N zu ji ▁M uk ala ▁stated ▁that