L'Aventure ambiguë
L'Aventure
ambiguë is a novel by Senegalese author Cheikh Hamidou Kane,
first published in 1961, about the interactions of western and African
cultures. Its hero is a boy from the Diallobé region of Senegal who goes to
study in France. There, he loses touch with his Islamic faith and his
Senegalese roots. It won the Grand prix
littéraire d'Afrique noire in 1962.
A 1963 English translation of the novel was republished as part of the
influential Heinemann African
Writers Series in 1972.
Characters
Samba Diallo
Main
character. Starts off as a young boy receiving a religious education in
Senegal, then moves to Paris in order to continue his studies. In the process,
he separates himself from his African roots and does not become fully French
either. This book is about his quest for cultural/spiritual identity, and in
the end he is torn between the two.
Thierno
Samba
Diallo's spiritual teacher in Senegal. Teaches him to recite the Koran by the
sacred fire in his hut.
La Grande Royale
The
chief's sister and a relative of Samba Diallo, she pushes for him to attend the
French school in order to learn "how to conquer without being right."
The Knight
Samba Diallo's father who asks Samba to come home after
studying in Paris.
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