Cheikh Hamidou Kane (born 2 April 1928) is a Senegalese writer best known for his 1961 novel ''

L'Aventure ambiguë ''L'Aventure ambiguë'' is a novel by Senegalese author Cheikh Hamidou Kane, first published in 1961, about the interactions of western and African cultures. Its hero is a boy from the Diallobé region of Senegal who goes to study in France. There ...

'' (''Ambiguous Adventure''), about the interactions of western and African cultures. Its hero is a

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

boy who goes to study in France, where he loses touch with his

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic faith and his Senegalese roots. The novel was awarded the

Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire The Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire (one of the major literary prizes of Black Africa for Francophone Literature) is a literary prize presented every year by the ADELF, the Association of French Language Writers for a French original text ...

in 1962.

Biography

Born in Matam, Senegal, Kane had a traditional Muslim education, before going to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France, to study law at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, subsequently receiving degrees in law and philosophy from the

École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer The Colonial School (french: École coloniale, also known colloquially as ) was a French public higher education institution or grande école, created in Paris in 1889 to provide training for public servants and administrators of the French coloni ...

. In 1959, he returned to Senegal and served in the government. He also worked in Lagos, Nigeria, and in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as an official of

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

. His autobiographical novel

was published in 1961, winning the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire the following year. His next novel, ''Les gardiens du temple'', was published in 1995. Kane was awarded the 2019

Grand Prix des Mécènes Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and c ...

References

External links

Video interview with Cheikh Hamidou Kane

Anecdotal biography of Cheikh Hamidou Kane
Senegalese novelists 1928 births People of French West Africa Living people {{Senegal-writer-stub