Glancing through Guardian readers' recommendations for their "literary discoveries of the year" I was jolted out of my Saturday morning reverie when I came across Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah Is Not Obliged.This is one of the most moving and powerful novels I have ever read but I have never been able to force it on anyone who doesn't speak fluent French. (Not many then in this country of monoglots). I first read it five or six years ago and it is now available in translation. (A good one I hope).
This is the story of Birahima. A ten year-old from the Ivory Coast who becomes a child soldier.
It leaves you wondering how something written with such humour and lucidity can be so harrowing, ridiculous and shocking.
5 comments:
proud to be a monoglot.
Thanks for that, sounds very interesting and i do speak french so i'm going to give it a go.
Sounds interesting Ems. I may have to give it a try. I'll place it on my list. Thanks!
hmmm, it's been translated eh? Have you read the translation? Does it lose something in the translation? It sounds very interesting...
Olives - I haven't seen the translation. Part of me doesn't want to in case something has been lost. I am going to take a peek if I see it in a bookshop.
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