Novel
Karim
Not translated into English
Ousmane Socé · 1935
Synopsis
Saint-Louis, in the thirties. Karim, twenty-two, a clerk in a trading house, falls in love with Marième and courts her in the samba-linguère manner, giving without counting. He runs into debt, stands up to his cousin Badara, who gives more, and loses: the girl's mother decides for the rival. Humiliated, he leaves his job and goes to Dakar with two friends; an uncle lodges him and finds him a post. The capital offers him other festivities, other ruin, and the love of a Catholic, Marie Ndiaye. Ill, and gnawed above all by nostalgia, he thinks more and more of Ndar.
Context
The book appeared in Paris in 1935, during its author's studies. It is built on three stays, Saint-Louis, Dakar, Saint-Louis, so that the character's progress follows the map of the country. The writer transposes the figure of the samba-linguère, the young man of standing who proves his quality through spending; the narration remains external to the hero and dwells on fabrics, jewellery and ceremonies, with Wolof dialogues and proverbs. The Nouvelles Éditions latines reissued it in 1948, with a preface by Robert Delavignette and followed by the tales the writer had collected.
Who it is for
A clear, schoolbook French. Festivals, wrestling matches and contests of generosity take up a lot of space, and Wolof vocabulary is constant.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as a classic of French-language African literature, it is studied for the Senegalese baccalauréat.
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