Name: Segu
Price: 278.00 ZAR
Availability: InStock
Author: Maryse Condé
ISBN: 9780140259490

Type

Physical Book

Author

Maryse Condé

Publisher

Penguin

Year

1998

Language

English

Pages

493

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

19.7 x 13.0 x 2.5 cm

Weight

0.34 kg.

ISBN

014025949X

ISBN13

9780140259490

Edition No.

Synopsis "Segu "

"A wondrous novel" (The New York Times) by the winner of the 2018 Alternative Nobel prize in literature (the New Academy Prize) The year is 1797, and the kingdom of Segu is flourishing, fed by the wealth of its noblemen and the power of its warriors. The people of Segu, the Bambara, are guided by their griots and priests; their lives are ruled by the elements. But even their soothsayers can only hint at the changes to come, for the battle of the soul of Africa has begun. From the east comes a new religion, Islam, and from the West, the slave trade.Segu follows the life of Dousika Traore, the king's most trusted advisor, and his four sons, whose fates embody the forces tearing at the fabric of the nation. There is Tiekoro, who renounces his people's religion and embraces Islam; Siga, who defends tradition, but becomes a merchant; Naba, who is kidnapped by slave traders; and Malobali, who becomes a mercenary and halfhearted Christian.Based on actual events, Segu transports the reader to a fascinating time in history, capturing the earthy spirituality, religious fervor, and violent nature of a people and a growing nation trying to cope with jihads, national rivalries, racism, amid the vagaries of commerce.

Maryse Condé

(Author)

View Author's Page

Maryse Condé (born as Maryse Boucolon; Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, February 11, 1934-Apt, April 2, 2024) was a Guadeloupean writer, an overseas territory of France. A scholar in Francophone literature, recognized feminist and activist who promoted African history and culture, she is noted for her extensive productivity as an author and her versatility in writing historical fiction, short stories, novels, essays, and other genres. She is especially known for her novel Segu (1984-1985). In 2018, she received the Alternative Nobel Prize in Literature. In 2021, she was awarded the Prix Mondial Cino del Duca for her humanistic work in culture.

See less