The Dark Child (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Camara Laye
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: c.1933-c.1947
- Setting: Kouroussa, a village in French Guinea; and Conarky, the capital of Guinea
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman, Autobiographical fiction
- Subjects: Africa or Africans, Education or educators, 1940’s, Villages, 1930’s, Rites or ceremonies
- Locales: French Guinea, Guinea
Characters Discussed
Camara Laye (kah-mah-rah LAH- yeh), a young Guinean boy from a highly respected family of the Malinke people. Although somewhat timid, he is curious, intelligent, affectionate, and sensitive. As he moves from early childhood through adolescence, his advancement through the colonial French school system takes him away from his home in Kouroussa to Conakry (the capital of Guinea) and, finally, sends him to Paris to continue his studies. Through recounting his childhood memories, he seeks to preserve, defend, understand, and, perhaps, mourn the passing of the...
[The entire page is 504 words long]
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