The Dark Child
The Autobiography of an African Boy
Farrar Straus & Giroux · Print & ebook · January 1, 1954
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- Who it’s for
- A graceful memoir holds village traditions and the pull of education in the same clear-eyed frame.
- Themes
- Coming of age, Sacred traditions and modernity, Family
- Genres
- Cultural Heritage Lives, Writers' Lives, African Studies
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Start with this bookAbout this book
The Dark Child is a distinct and graceful memoir of French author Camara Laye's youth in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea. Long regarded as Africa's preeminent Francophone novelist, Laye (1928-1980) herein 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 of primeval origin.
Continue reading
Eventually, he must choose between this unique place and the academic success that lures him to distant cities. More than an 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.
Between Worlds
A graceful memoir holds village traditions and the pull of education in the same clear-eyed frame.
Come here for
- A boy’s passage into manhood shaped by sacred traditions
- A close view of family life in French Guinea
Expect
- Reflective memoir rather than plot-driven adventure
- A tension between a cherished home and distant academic opportunity
Where it sits
| Cultural Heritage Lives | 66% |
|---|---|
| Writers' Lives | 33% |
| African Studies | 32% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Black & African American Lives
- Writers' Lives
- West African History
- Authors
- Camara Laye
- Publisher
- Farrar Straus & Giroux
- Published
- January 1, 1954
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Coming of age · Sacred traditions and modernity · Family
- Reading lane
- Black & African American Lives