Camara Laye

An autobiographical novel of the author's youth in Kouroussa, French Guinea, depicting traditional Malinke society and the conflict between tradition and modernity.

Camara Laye's lyrical memoir of his childhood in Kouroussa, Guinea — his father's blacksmith shop filled with gold and spirits, the rituals of initiation, and the bittersweet departure for school in France.

Clarence, a destitute white man stranded in Africa, seeks an audience with the African king who he believes will save him. A dreamlike, allegorical reversal of the colonial encounter — Africa as the mysterious other now.

An alternative translation/edition of The African Child — Camara Laye's account of his Guinean childhood, his father's sacred blacksmith work, and his journey to France.