Camara Laye (January 1, 1928 – February 4, 1980) was a writer from
Guinea. He was the author of ''
The African Child
''The African Child'' (French: ''L'Enfant noir'') is an autobiographical French novel by Camara Laye published in 1953. It tells the story of a young African child, Baba, growing up in Guinea. The novel won the Prix Charles Veillon writing prize. ...
'' (''L'Enfant noir''), a novel based loosely on his own childhood, and ''The Radiance of the King'' (''Le Regard du roi''). Both novels are among the earliest major works in
Francophone African literature. Camara Laye later worked for the government of newly independent Guinea, but went into voluntary exile over political issues.
Early life
Camara Laye was born in
Kouroussa
Kouroussa or Kurussa (N’ko: ߞߙߎ߬ߛߊ߫) is a town located in northeastern Guinea, and is the capital of Kouroussa Prefecture. As of 2014 it had a population of 39,611 people. A trade center and river port from at least the time of the Mali ...
, a town in what was then the colony of
French Guinea
French Guinea (french: Guinée française) was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the current independent nation of Guinea.
French Guinea was established by France in 1891, ...
. His family were
Malinke
Maninka (also known as Malinke), or more precisely Eastern Maninka, is the name of several closely related languages and dialects of the southeastern Manding subgroup of the Mande language family. It is the mother tongue of the Malinké peop ...
(a
Mandé-speaking ethnicity), and he was born into a system where he had to follow his forefathers footsteps who traditionally worked as
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
s and
goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...
s. His mother was from the village of Tindican, and his immediate childhood surroundings were not predominantly influenced by French culture.
He attended both Quranic and French elementary schools in
Kouroussa
Kouroussa or Kurussa (N’ko: ߞߙߎ߬ߛߊ߫) is a town located in northeastern Guinea, and is the capital of Kouroussa Prefecture. As of 2014 it had a population of 39,611 people. A trade center and river port from at least the time of the Mali ...
. At the age of 15 he went to
Conakry, the colonial capital, to continue his education. He attended vocational studies in motor mechanics. In 1947, he travelled to Paris to continue studying mechanics. There he worked and took further courses in engineering and worked towards the
baccalauréat.
Writing career
Camara Laye published his first novel in 1953, the autobiographical ''L'Enfant noir'' (''The African Child'', also published as ''The Dark Child''). It follows his own journey from childhood in Kouroussa, his education in Conakry, and eventual departure for France. The book won the Prix Charles Veillon in 1954. ''L'Enfant noir'' was followed the next year by ''Le Regard du roi'' (''The Radiance of the King''). ''The Radiance of the King'' was described by
Kwame Anthony Appiah as "one of the greatest of the African novels of the colonial period."
In 1956 Camara Laye returned to Africa, first to
Dahomey, then the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, and finally to newly independent Guinea, where he held several government posts. He left Guinea for
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
in 1965 because of political issues, never returning to his home country. In 1966 Camara Laye's third novel, ''Dramouss'' (''A Dream of Africa''), was published. In 1978 his fourth and final work, ''Le Maître de la parole – Kouma Lafôlô Kouma'' (''The Guardian of the Word''), was published. The novel was based on a Malian epic told by the
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
Babou Condé about
Sundiata Keita, the 13th-century founder of the
Mali Empire.
Authorship controversy
Camara Laye's authorship of both ''L'Enfant noir'' and ''Le Regard du roi'' was questioned by literary scholar Adele King in her 2002 book ''Rereading Camara Laye''.
[''African Studies Review''](_blank)
Vol. 46, No. 3 (December 2003), pp. 170–172. She claimed that he had considerable help in writing ''L'Enfant noir'' and did not write any part of ''Le Regard du roi''. Scholar
F. Abiola Irele, in an article called "In Search of Camara Laye", asserts that the claims are not "sufficiently grounded" to adequately justify that Laye did not author the mentioned work. Christopher L. Miller explores the ramifications of this controversy in his book ''Impostors: Literary Hoaxes and Cultural Authenticity''. Miller discusses the role played by
Toni Morrison
Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...
, whose laudatory preface is included in a new edition of the translated ''Radiance of the King,'' published by ''The New York Review of Books Classics.''
Death
Camara Laye died in 1980 in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
of a kidney infection.
See also
*
List of African writers by country
This is a list of prominent and notable writers from Africa. It includes poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars, listed by country.
Algeria
''See: List of Algerian writers''
Angola
''See: List of Angolan writers''
Ben ...
References
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laye, Camara
1928 births
1980 deaths
Guinean novelists
Male novelists
Guinean male writers
People of French West Africa
20th-century novelists
People from Kankan Region
Deaths from kidney disease
20th-century male writers