The African Child

The African Child is an autobiographical French novel by Camara Laye published in 1953 as L'enfant noir.[1] It tells the story of a young African child, Baba, growing up in Guinea. The novel won the Prix Charles Veillon writing prize.

The African Child
First English-language edition
AuthorCamara Laye
TranslatorJames Kirkup
CountryGuinea
LanguageFrench
GenreAutobiographical
PublisherPlon
Publication date
1953
Published in English
1954, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

It was translated into English by James Kirkup and issued in the US in 1954 as The Dark Child.[2]

It was adapted into a movie called L'enfant noir in 1995.[3] Many of the cast in the film were relatives of Laye.[4]

The scenes early in the novel, when the young narrator witnesses his father working on gold, have drawn considerable critical attention, for its spiritual overtones[5] but also because of the importance of the douga, the song and dance begun by the griot when the work is complete.<refEsonwanne, Uzo (1993). "The Nation as Contested Referent". Research in African Literatures. 24 (4): 49–62.</ref>

References

  1. Prima Birungi. "The African Child (by Camara Laye)". Africa Book Club.
  2. Birch, Dinah; Hooper, Katy (2013). The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. OUP Oxford. p. 108. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. "L'enfant Noir: Un long-métrage de Laurent Chevallier: Dossier Pédagogique" (PDF). clermont-filmfest.com (in French). Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  4. "The Dark Child by Camara Laye" (PDF). Literary Cavalcade. April 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  5. Ada Uzoamaka Azodo (1994). "The Work in Gold as Spiritual Journey in Camara Laye's The African Child". Journal of Religion in Africa. 24 (1): 52–61.
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