Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Start discussion here for So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ.

About the Book (from Rizwana Habib Latha for JSTOR)

"The semi-autobiographical novella, So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ, focuses on the reminisces of a Muslim, French-educated, middle-aged Senegalese schoolteacher, Ramatoulaye, during her iddat, the mourning period of four months and 10 days prescribed for Muslim widows. In this long 'letter' written to her best friend Aissatou, Ramatoulaye looks back on her life with Modou Fall, her husband of 30 years, providing readers with a specific insight into her own experiences as well as those of other women."

The book won the Noma Prize for Publishing in Africa in 1980.


About the Author (from Wikipedia)

Mariama Bâ was a Senegalese author and feminist who wrote in French. Born in Dakar, Senegal, she was raised a Muslim. At an early age she came to criticise what she perceived as inequalities between the sexes resulting from African traditions. Raised by her traditional grandparents, she had to struggle even to gain an education, because they did not believe that girls should be taught.

I've found it hard to get hold of a copy, I may have to wait a while to be able to contribute to this discussion.