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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy
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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy Paperback - 1954

by Camara Laye; Introduction by Philippe Thoby-Marcellin; James Kirkup (Translator)


From the publisher

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. 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.

First line

I was a little boy playing around my father's hut.

From the rear cover

This book is a distinct and graceful memoir of Camara Laye's youth in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea, a place steeped in mystery. Laye marvels over this 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.

Details

  • Title The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy
  • Author Camara Laye; Introduction by Philippe Thoby-Marcellin; James Kirkup (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 192
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
  • Date January 1, 1954
  • ISBN 9780809015481 / 080901548X
  • Weight 0.38 lbs (0.17 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.5 x 0.51 in (20.32 x 13.97 x 1.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: African
    • Cultural Region: West Africa
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Library of Congress subjects Camara, Laye, Authors, Guinean
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Camara Laye was born in 1928 in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea. He was still in his twenties and studying engineering in France when he wrote his award-winning memoir, The Dark Child. His next book, The Radiance of the King, was described as one of the greatest of the African novels of the colonial period (Kwame Anthony Appiah). He died in Senegal in 1980.
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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy by Camara Laye(1954-01-01)
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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy by Camara Laye(1954-01-01)

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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Dark Child
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The Dark Child

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780809015481 / 080901548x
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780809015481 / 080901548x
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

  • Used
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Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780809015481 / 080901548x
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy
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The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy

by Laye, Camara

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780809015481 / 080901548x
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