So Long a Letter

So Long a Letter

infobox Book |
name = So Long a Letter
title_orig = Une si longue lettre
translator =


author = Mariama Bâ
cover_artist =
country = Senegal
language = French
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = Heinemann
release_date = 1981
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 90 pp (hardback edition)
isbn = ISBN 978-2266-02-7 (hardback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"So long a letter" (translated from "Une si longue lettre") is a novel originally written in French by the Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ. Its theme is the condition of women in African society.

Plot summary

"So Long a Letter" recounts the personal narrative of a recently widowed Senegalese woman, Ramatoulaye, in the form of a letter to her best friend from childhood, Aïssatou.Following the death of her husband, Moudo Fall, Ramatoulaye writes to her friend during the period of mourning mandated by her Islamic faith.

Ramatoulaye evokes happy memories of when the two were students who were impatient to change the world, and of the hope inspired by the independence of Senegal from France. While her step-family comes to take over the affairs of the deceased, Ramatoulaye sadly remembers the day when her husband (Modou) took another younger wife (Binetou), ruining 22 years of life together and of love. This betrayal becomes one of the central plot points and is the main area of confrontation between Ramatoulaye and her husband. Beyond this theme lies the issue of male domination and how it affects women in Africa and the social construction of culture which to the characters is not really justifiable.

On the other side lies her friend Aissatou who has had similar experiences of treachery in her marriage to Mawdo. She rises up above her position and proves that as a woman she can do things that were least expected of her. Aissatou and her friend Ramatoulaye therefore share experiences that are similar yet they react to them differently. The writer therefore leaves it for us to decide who is right in their actions and who is not.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Long Love Letter — is a 2002 Japanese drama film based on the manga Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu (漂流教室, literally the Drifting Classroom) by Umezu Kazuo (楳図かずお).PlotOne day, Yuka Misaki, a daughter of a flower shop owner meets Akio Asami, a college student. They are both… …   Wikipedia

  • letter — n. written message 1) to type; write a letter 2) to mail. post (BE), send a letter 3) to drop a letter into a mailbox (AE), letter box (BE) 4) to certify; register a letter 5) to take (down), transcribe a letter 6) to dictate a letter 7) to… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • long — long1 [ lɔŋ ] adjective *** ▸ 1 measurement/distance ▸ 2 lasting long time ▸ 3 measuring distance/time ▸ 4 book/letter/list ▸ 5 clothes ▸ 6 about ball in sports ▸ 7 drink: in tall glass ▸ 8 about vowel ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) measuring a large amount… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • long — I UK [lɒŋ] / US [lɔŋ] adjective Word forms long : adjective long comparative longer superlative longest *** 1) lasting for a large amount of time It s a long time since I saw Rachel. There was a long pause before he spoke. Many people face a long …   English dictionary

  • long*/*/*/ — [lɒŋ] adj I 1) lasting for a large amount of time Ant: short He has a long history of mental illness.[/ex] It s a long time since I saw Rachel.[/ex] 2) measuring a large amount from one end to the other Ant: short It s the longest tunnel in… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • letter of credit — letter of credit: a document issued to a beneficiary at the request of the issuer s customer in which the issuer (as a bank) promises to honor a demand for payment by the beneficiary in order to satisfy or secure the customer s debt compare… …   Law dictionary

  • Letter to His Father — (German: Brief an den Vater ) is the name usually given to the letter Franz Kafka wrote his father Hermann in November 1919, indicting him for his emotionally abusive and hypocritical behavior towards him. Kafka hoped the letter would bridge the… …   Wikipedia

  • Long John Silver — is a fictional character in the novel Treasure Island , by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames Barbecue and the Sea Cook (which is also an alternate title for Stevenson s novel). Profile In Treasure Island , Long John… …   Wikipedia

  • Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll — Студийный альбом Rainbow Дата выпуска 9 апреля 1978 Записан …   Википедия

  • Long delayed echo — Long delayed echos (LDEs) are radio echos which return to the sender several seconds after a radio transmission has occurred. Delays of longer than 2.7 seconds are considered LDEs. [http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/10/31/1/ ARRL, Radio… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”