
The Dark Child
Camara Laye(Author)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Publisher)
Published on 1. October 2010
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-14-302678-5 (ISBN)
Description
"The Dark Child" is a vivid and graceful memoir of Camara Laye's youth in the village of Kouroussa, French Guinea, a place steeped in mystery. Laye marvels over his mother's supernatural powers, his father's distinction as the village goldsmith, and his own passage into manhood, which is marked by animistic beliefs and bloody rituals. Eventually, he must choose between this unique place and the academic success that lures him to distant cities. More than autobiography of one boy, this is the universal story of sacred traditions struggling against the encroachment of a modern world. A passionate and deeply affecting record, "The Dark Child" is a classic of African literature.
Reviews / Votes
But because of two writers - Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye - I went through a mental shift in my perception of literature. I realized that people like me, girls with skin the colour of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature. And it was then that I started to write about things I recognized -- Chimamanda Adichie, Author Of Half Of A Yellow SunMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Parklands
South Africa
Publishing group
Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN-13
978-0-14-302678-5 (9780143026785)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
A native of French Guinea, Camara Laye was still in his twenties and studying engineering in France when he wrote The Dark Child. Long regarded as Africa's pre-eminent Francophone novelist, he died in Senegal in 1980.