The Suns of Independence

Since its publication, Ahmadou Kourouma's award winning novel, The Suns of Independence, has established itself as one of the great classics of Francophone African literature, capturing the dreams and struggles of a newly independent nation.

Fama is the last of an ancient line of Dumbuya princes who, before the European conquest, reigned undisputed over the Malinke tribe. Yet even when his country finally wins their independence, Fama is forced to beg for his place amongst the bureaucratic elite. Meanwhile, his wife, Salimata, is desperately attempting to overcome her past trauma and save the Dumbuya legacy from extinction.

Beyond the gripping political intrigue, Ahmadou Kourouma weaves together an in-depth tapestry of Malinke life, blending the everyday of 1960s postcolonial survival with age-old myths and traditions.

'Perhaps the most remarkable African novelist writing in French.' Guardian