A masterpiece of modern African literature, The Suns of Independence brilliantly captures the struggles, desires, and dreams of people in a west African country as they live through the tumultuous days of postcolonial independence.
Ivorian novelist and playwright Ahmadou Kourouma (1927-2003), sometimes referred to as "the African Voltaire," was an accomplished satirist of African politics—and thus spent much of his life in exile. He was lavished with praise in France and awarded numerous awards for his work, including the Prix Renaudot and the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, though Suns of Independence (Les soleils des indépendances), his first novel, was originally rejected by French publishers and published in Montreal in 1968.
No rights in the UK"The anger of the exiled writer spills over into the novel.... As the author concludes, colonized or independent, Africans will keep on suffering 'until such times as God unpeels the curse stuck fast on their backsides.'"—World Literature Today
"Kourouma manages to create an atmosphere of intimacy.... He does not hesitate to let the images, the rhythms, the words of his mother-tongue pierce the polished surface of polite prose."—New African
"This fine translation ... eloquently captures the bitter frustration and anguished oppression of the African people in the post-independence era."—Africa Today
