Amkoullel, the Fula Boy

Amadou Hampâté Bâ was a Malian writer who was born in 1900 in French West Africa. His novel, Amkoullel, the Fula Boy, tells the story of his youth and the aftermath of war, French colonialism, and the lives of his family. It is an unparalleled rendering of an individual and society under transition.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2021
Publisher: Duke University Press

Amadou Hampâté Bâ, a Malian writer born in 1900 in French West Africa, stands as a towering figure in the literature of twentieth-century Francophone Africa. In his novel "Amkoullel, the Fula Boy," Bâ vividly recounts his youth, set against the backdrop of war between the Fula and Toucouleur peoples and the establishment of French colonialism. A master storyteller, Bâ delves into pivotal moments of his life, as well as the lives of his powerful and expansive family, from his initial encounter with the white commandant to the torturous imprisonment of his stepfather and the forced enrollment in French school. He also paints a broader narrative of life before and during the height of French colonialism, encompassing interethnic conflicts, the clash between colonial schools and Islamic education, and the crucial role played by indigenous African intermediaries and interpreters in the functioning of the colonial administration. "Amkoullel, the Fula Boy" is an engrossing and novelistic portrayal of an individual and society undergoing transition as they navigate the tumultuous upheavals of colonialism.

Amadou Hampâté Bâ, a Malian writer born in 1900 in French West Africa, stands as a towering figure in the literature of twentieth-century Francophone Africa. In his novel "Amkoullel, the Fula Boy," Bâ vividly recounts his youth, set against the backdrop of war between the Fula and Toucouleur peoples and the establishment of French colonialism. A master storyteller, Bâ delves into pivotal moments of his life, as well as the lives of his powerful and expansive family, from his initial encounter with the white commandant to the torturous imprisonment of his stepfather and the forced enrollment in French school. He also paints a broader narrative of life before and during the height of French colonialism, encompassing interethnic conflicts, the clash between colonial schools and Islamic education, and the crucial role played by indigenous African intermediaries and interpreters in the functioning of the colonial administration. "Amkoullel, the Fula Boy" is an engrossing and novelistic portrayal of an individual and society undergoing transition as they navigate the tumultuous upheavals of colonialism.

Weight: 578g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478014188