"The African" (french: L'Africain) is a short autobiographical essay written by
French Nobel laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (; 13 April 1940), usually identified as J. M. G. Le Clézio, of French and Mauritian nationality, is a writer and professor. The author of over forty works, he was awarded the 1963 Prix Renaudot for his novel '' Le ...
.
Subject
In writing "''L'Africain''", Le Clézio reflects on his childhood in 1948 when he was 8 years old. According to the publisher he left
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
with his mother and brother to meet his father who was a doctor in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. His father remained there during the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
but was too far away from the wife he loved and too far away from their two children (he had not seen either of these children growing up). In this short book Le Clézio remembers his father, who was a "jungle doctor" first in
British Guiana and then in
Southern Cameroons and Nigeria. Here you can find Le Clézio's thoughts about his African childhood and about life in remote places. "''L'Africain''", the story of the author’s father, is at once a reconstruction, a vindication, and the recollection of a boy who lived in the shadow of a stranger he was obliged to love. He remembers through the landscape: Africa tells him who he was when he experienced the family’s reunion after the separation during the war years.The author may seem to be honouring the father from whom he was separated.
Preface
Le Clézio wrote an explanation on why he wrote this semi-autobiographical essay in the form of a short story on the cover of this book and in the second paragraph of the preface ''Le Clézio'', translated from
French
"Ma vie sauvage"
An extract entitled "Ma vie sauvage" can be read in
French online (with an introduction by
Jérôme Garcin
Jérôme Garcin (born 4 October 1956) is a French journalist and writer. He heads the cultural section of the ''Nouvel Observateur'', produces and hosts the radio program ' on France Inter, and is a member of the reading committee of the Com ...
).
Reviews
Marie Labrecque wrote a review in
French for Amazon's book review.
Publication history
First French edition
*
First Spanish translation
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:African, The
2004 essays
Essays by J. M. G. Le Clézio
Works originally published in Mercure de France
Works by J. M. G. Le Clézio