The African Child

The African Child (French: L'Enfant noir) is an autobiographical French novel by Camara Laye published in 1953.^[1] It tells the story of a young African child, Baba, growing up in Guinea. The novel won the Prix Charles Veillon writing prize.

The African Child

First English-language edition
Author	Camara Laye
Translator	James Kirkup
Language	French
Genre	Autobiographical
Publisher	Plon
Publication date	1953
Publication place	Guinea
Published in English	1954, Noonday Press

It was translated into English by James Kirkup and Ernest Jones and published in the United States by Noonday Press in 1954 as The Dark Child and in the United Kingdom by Collins 1955. This translation was later republished under the title The African Child in 1959.^[2]

Adaptations

The novel was adapted into a movie called L'Enfant noir in 1995.^[3] Many of the cast in the film were relatives of Laye.^[4]

Critical reception

The scenes early in the novel, when the young narrator witnesses his father working with gold, have drawn considerable critical attention for their spiritual overtones,^[5] but also because of the importance of the douga, the song and dance begun by the griot when the work is complete.^[6]

Publication history

• The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy (New York: Noonday Press, 1954)
• The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy (London: Collins, 1955)
• The African Child: Memories of a West African Childhood (London: Fontana, 1959)