num_pages: 135
description: It is not only the fact that this is the most deeply felt presentation of the female condition in African fiction that gives distinction to this novel, but also its undoubted literary qualities, which seem to place it among the best novels that have come out of our continent. - This novel is a perceptive testimony to the plight of articulate women who live in social milieux dominated by attitudes and values that deny them their proper place. It is a sequence of reminiscences, some wistful, some bitter, recounted by a recently widowed Senegalese school teacher. The letter, addressed to an old friend, is a record of her emotional struggle for survival after her husband's abrupt decision to take a second wife. Although his action is sanctioned by Islam, it is a calculated betrayal of his wife's trust and a brutal rejection of their life together.
language: French
title: Une si longue lettre
titlecomplete: Une si longue lettre
characters: Mawdo Ba, Modou Fall, Aissatou, Binetou, Ramatoulaye
genres: Fiction, African Literature, France, Literature, Feminism, Classics, Novels, Senegal, 20th Century, Africa
ratings_count: 9575
places: Senegal
awards: awardedAt: 315561600000
name: Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
publisher: Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines du Sénégal