Saturday 16 December 2006

I have added a link to part of my Father's book here, plus some of the things that the papers etc. wrote about him or the book.

Le Monde on the 19th Nov 1968 said of Yambo Ouologuem..."An exceptional being who no doubt, like Leopold Sedar Senghor, was one of the rare intellectuals of international stature presented to the world by Black Africa."

"Ouologuem, from a vantage point uniquely his own, reveals a world in which white colonialism is preceded by black and Arab colonialism, In his endeavor to demystify African history, he is kin to Frantz Fanon. In the lyrical intensity of his images -- French critics have compared him to Rimbaud -- He is powerfully himself. He is the voice of an Africa unknown to the West, articulate here for the first time." Said the Publisher, Book Cover

Christopher Wise says in his book "Yambo Ouologuem postcolononial write, Islamic Militant"... "Ouologuem's decicion to return to Mali and wash his hands of writing in French was an incalculable loss to world literature."
These are just a few that I have in English.

Here is a link to a site that shows a few pages from the book in English, maybe after reading it you can come back and comment? www.nathanielturner.com/nightofthegiants.htm

Friday 1 December 2006

A little about my father.

Yambo Ouologuem was born in 1940 in Bandiagara, Mali. He was the first African novelist to win the Prix Theophraste-Renaudot in France in 1968 for his novel Bound to violence.
Later the book was withdrawn from print due to claims of plagiarism. Although my father had claimed that in his original hand writen manuscript he had put quotation marks. After this he was plagued by controversy, which discouraged him a lot, as he had work hard on this book, sleeping only three hour per night while writing the book. It is interesting to note that he never received any royalties or the likes for the non-French Translation of this book. Many have made allegations of a conspiracy to rob him of these royalties...also worthy of note is that I reprinted the book in 2003 and also never received any royalties.
My aim now is to find the truth and to try to reprint the book Bound to Violence in many languages. There are a few old copies of the book available at the moment at crazy prices, just look on sites like e-bay or Amazon. It is my wish to make my father's books available again at normal prices...Anyone who may be able to help in any way feel free to contact me.

Thursday 30 November 2006

A poem of my Father's.( In french only sorry)

Au milieu des solitudes(In Présence africaine, n° 57, 1966)

« Quand à ma mort Dieu m’a demandé un siècle après
Ce que je voulais faire pour passer le temps
Je lui ai demandé la permission de veiller la nuit


Je suis le nègre veilleur de nuit
Et à l’heure des sciures noirâtres qui gèrent les parages
Lentement je lève ma lanterne et agite une cathédrale de
Lumières

Mais l’occident se défie du travail noir de mes heures
Supplémentaires et dort et ferme l’oreille
A mes discours que le silence colporte

Selon l’usage comme vous savez
La nuit vous autres dormez mes frères
Mais moi j’égrène sur vos songes
La raie enrubannée de la ténèbre laiteuse qui chante
Bonne nuit les petits

Et je prie cependant au nom de l’égalité des droits
Devenue droit à l’égalité
Et je pleure la soif de mon sang sel de larmes

Et vous cependant dormez
Et vous dormez mes frères mais aussi
Le sommeil vous chasse de la terre
Et vous partez pour des minutes de songes
Amplifiés au gonflement de votre haleine ronronnante

Je vous vend gratis des alcools
Que sans savoir vous achetez par pintes quotidiennes
Et retrouvez la nuit transfigurée dans les myriades de feux
Qui rêvent pour vous

Bonne nuit les petits

Je suis le nègre veilleur de nuit
Qui combat des nichées de peurs
Juchées dans vos cauchemars de jeunes enfants que je rassure
Quand s’achève mon labeur sur des milliards de créatures
Mais le monde au réveil va à la librairie du coin
Consulter la clé des songes. »