The Dark Child

This book is amazing, I had ears in my eyes reading this wonderful book. I recommend it to everyone. There are a deep reflection and fondamental value of African society in this book. Thank you millions times Camaraley for this book !

Camera Laye is the brother of my Paternal Grand Mother. Laye is an African and Family treasure. It is only right that I own and read his works. He is a good author in his right.

Daughter purchased for a college class; she recommended it to my wife after reading. The novel follows the main character, Laye, and describes his journey/coming of age in Guinea (Africa) . It's a poignant tale showing how family and culture shaped his values, inspired his education, and contributed to his fate. This is one of the few books my daughter has kept in her college library - second book from top.

Excellent quality and delivery time. I look forward to reading this autobiography. Thank you Amazon for allowing many such as myself the opportunity to build a library of world literature.

This book was a good read and it came just in time for what I needed it in the classroom.

I just love this book! I read it in High School as a Literature test book. I decided to take my time and go through the book now as an adult. It came on time also,

Not much happens in this gentle, sentimental little book, but it's a pleasant read all the same. There seems to be some disagreement about whether The Dark Child is a memoir or an autobiographical novel; my library shelves it as nonfiction, though given the abundant dialogue, the author clearly took some creative license. Either way, it's a nicely-written coming-of-age story of a boy from in a traditional village in Guinea in the 1930s and 40s. There are no atrocities, no violence (except from bullies at school), no political themes: you would not know from Laye's writing that Guinea was under French rule at the time, gaining its independence only after this book's publication in the 1950s. Other characters drift in and out of the story, but more than anything it's the story of the author's relationship with his own culture. In the first chapter, his mother introduces him to a snake that visits his father in his workshop - "the guiding spirit of our race," the parents explain. No one sees any conflict between their superstitions, and his mother's mysterious powers, and their Muslim beliefs. Later chapters are spent on harvest and coming-of-age rituals. Only toward the end does Laye leave the village to study. It's a nostalgic story, developing at a graceful, measured pace, with perhaps a bit of stereotyping for the benefit of foreign readers, though at the time apparently any portrayal of life in Africa as calm and cheerful was groundbreaking. For that matter, it's hardly common now. At any rate, I'm not falling over myself to recommend this, but I enjoyed it and consider it worth reading. A solid 3.5 stars.

Bought for my kids.

it makes a reader want to read more!

Haarsträubender Aberglaube, gefährliche Riten - Laye tischt knüppeldick auf. Gleichzeitig taucht er seine Jugend im Westafrika der 50er Jahre in ein so güldenes Licht, dass man trotz all der irrationalen Gebräuche und Denkweisen verklärt mit dem Autor lächelt. Die Menschen sind sich zumeist wohlgesonnen, helfen sich bei der Ernte, die Familie hält strikt zusammen, fast immer gibt es etwas zu feiern. Der Bericht ist talentiert naiv-schön geschrieben und hier in ein altmodisches Englisch übersetzt, das gut passt (das Translation Journal lobt Kirkups Übersetzung in einer detaillierten Analyse, die online zu finden ist) (auf Deutsch als "Einer aus Kurussa" erschienen). Der größere Buchteil spielt in der Kleinstadt und auf dem Land. Gegen Ende zieht Laye in die Großstadt Conakry, die Stimmung ändert sich deutlich. Die letzten Seiten mit einer wesentlichen Trennung sind besonders gefühlvoll. Ich habe das Buch als nostalgische Kindheitserinnerung eines Exilanten und nicht als Roman verstanden. Es gibt keinen durchgehenden Plot. Wer sich nicht speziell für Westafrika interessiert, findet vielleicht weniger Gefallen am Buch. Layes "Dramouss" gilt als Fortsetzung von "Enfant noir", bekommt aber schlechtere Kritiken.

I unexpectedly came across this gem of a book and have been recommending it ever since to all and sundry. It is a thought-provoking insight into a little-known life and culture, written concisely and almost poetically - a joy to read and read again. It draws you into one man's life that leaves you feeling connected with a way of life that can never be recreated or experienced at first hand. I just wish I had met the man himself. I just hope it will never go out of print.

It is a different name from "The African child" which I read 35 years ago, wanted a re read