''The African Child'' (French: ''L'Enfant noir'') is an autobiographical French novel by

Camara Laye Camara Laye (January 1, 1928 – February 4, 1980) was a writer from Guinea. He was the author of '' The African Child'' (''L'Enfant noir''), a novel based loosely on his own childhood, and ''The Radiance of the King'' (''Le Regard du roi'' ...

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. It was translated into English by

James Kirkup James Harold Kirkup, FRSL (23 April 1918 – 10 May 2009) was an English poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote over 45 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. He wrote under many pen-names including James Falconer, Aditya Jha ...

and Ernest Jones and published in the United States by

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

in 1954 as ''The Dark Child''. In the United Kingdom, this translation was published under the title ''The African Child'' in 1959. It was adapted into a movie called ''L'Enfant noir'' in 1995. Many of the cast in the film were relatives of Laye. The scenes early in the novel, when the young narrator witnesses his father working with gold, have drawn considerable critical attention for their spiritual overtones, but also because of the importance of the douga, the song and dance begun 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 ...

when the work is complete.

Publication history

* ''The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1954) * ''The African Child'' (London: Fontana, 1959)

References

1953 French novels French-language novels Novels set in Africa French novels adapted into films Autobiographical novels Plon (publisher) books {{1950s-autobio-novel-stub