Novel
Le Fils-de-la-femme-mâle
Not translated into English
Maurice Bandaman · 1993
Synopsis
The hunter Awlimba meets a fairy, Bla Yassoua, both woman and man, who offers him fortune; he refuses it and chooses offspring instead. From their union is born an extraordinary child, Tankan, who flees the school of men to learn from seven animals and knows himself destined to deliver his people from tyranny. From one incarnation to the next, the same hero confronts the corruption and injustice of his society.
Context
The book was published in Paris in 1993 by L'Harmattan, in the Encres noires series, and draws on Akan traditions, Baoulé first of all; it was reissued by Frat-Mat Éditions, then by L'Harmattan in 2022. Pierre N'Da devoted a comprehensive study to the author's novelistic work; Lassina Coulibaly followed in 2020 the metamorphoses of its hero, and Macaire Etty read in it in 2021 a messianic vision of the political leader.
Who it is for
A novel of about one hundred and seventy pages, in French, in which the marvellous mingles with a critique of power.
Prizes and reception
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire in 1993, the very year of its publication; the book has been reissued twice since.
Sources for this page 6
The pages consulted to check this page.