Mariama Bâ (1929–1981)
Forfatter af So Long a Letter
Om forfatteren
The promising literary career of Mariama Ba ended with her death in 1981 at the age of 52, just before the publication of her second novel, Le Chant Ecarlate (The Scarlet Song), a poetic drama of a love affair between a Senegalese student and the daughter of a French diplomat. Like the works of vis mere many other feminist African women writers, Ba's writing challenges many prevalent stereotypes that reinforce the African woman's acceptance of her "place" in society. Her first novel, So Long a Letter (1979), which revealed her clarity of vision and persuasive rhetoric, is written in an epistolary style. The long letter from one female friend to another is a deeply moving account of a Muslim woman's innermost feelings and emotional survival following her husband's decision to take a second, and much younger, wife. The novel has been translated into more than 15 languages and has received international acclaim. In 1980 Mariama Ba received the Noma Award for the best novel published in Africa. (Bowker Author Biography) vis mindre
Værker af Mariama Bâ
Associated Works
Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient… (1992) — Bidragyder — 159 eksemplarer
Satte nøgleord på
Almen Viden
- Kanonisk navn
- Bâ, Mariama
- Fødselsdato
- 1929-04-17
- Dødsdag
- 1981-08-17
- Køn
- female
- Nationalitet
- Senegal
- Fødested
- Dakar, Senegal
- Dødssted
- Dakar, Senegal
- Bopæl
- Dakar, Senegal
- Uddannelse
- Ecole Normale de Rufisque
- Erhverv
- primary school teacher
school inspector - Priser og hædersbevisninger
- Noma Prize (1980, Un Si Longue Lettre)
Medlemmer
Anmeldelser
Lister
Five star books (1)
Epistolary Books (1)
Short and Sweet (1)
Female Author (1)
My TBR (1)
Black Authors (1)
First Novels (1)
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Associated Authors
Statistikker
- Værker
- 4
- Also by
- 2
- Medlemmer
- 1,431
- Popularitet
- #17,979
- Vurdering
- 3.8
- Anmeldelser
- 48
- ISBN
- 52
- Sprog
- 13
- Udvalgt
- 1
This functions as a snapshot of a society in flux. Ramatoulaye has recently been widowed, and is writing a long letter to her best friend from her school days. The letter recounts how she got to hear: Ramatoulaye and her friend were among the first generation of girls to pursue education past grade school as their country modernizes after gaining its independence. Both women were educated for professions, both worked and also married, and both of their husbands later took a second wife down the line. But Ramatoulaye's friend took her children and left when the second marriage happened, while she herself stayed.
This book depicts a startling amount of empathy and understanding on all sides, for all the players in these dramas and why they made the choices that they did. This was very satisfying on a level of peeking into a different society level, less satisfying on a emotional level. Ramatoulaye came off a little too perfect and long-suffering to me. Where was her anger? Her fight? She does stand up for herself in important ways, here. But I definitely left this book thinking BRING ON THE QUEERS. Between this and The House of the Spirits, I just need a little break from men being terrible to women.
(I have a whole lot of thoughts, actually, about the abundance of "men being terrible to women" in Women in Translation, but this is not the time.)… (mere)