So long a letter is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulye, who has recently been widowed. Ramatoulaye expresses how her husband modou decided to marry a second wife, binetou, who was her daughters classmate. Why modern books are all too long this article is more than 9 years old. A study of mariama bas so long a letter and flora nwapas one is enough. Its theme is the condition of women in western african society. So long a letter is a story about ramatoulaye, a school teacher who writes a letter to her friend aissatou.
Feb 02, 2017 ramatoulaye is the narrator of so long a letter. So long a letter by mariama ba is an entry in the book 500 great books by women by erica baumeister. She has a dozen children, and then theres the friends and family of her husbands second wife as well, theres a lot of characters for such a short book. The short narrative, written as a longer letter, is a chain of reminiscencessome wistful, a few bitterrecounted by way of lately widowed senegalese. At 95 pages its a reasonably quick read, once youve learnt whos who in ramatoulayes life.
Which is logical, i was way too young to grasp the full meaning and the. Iba suggests that because the baby will be born over the holidays. Which dwells deeply into the life of a widow trying to adjust to. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Mariama bas novel consists of so long a letter that newly widowed ramatoulaye writes to her good friend, aissatou. Dec 21, 2015 the relationship between senegalese men and women. The two are childhood friends, but their paths diverge in adulthood, as aissatou immigrates to america, leaving ramatoulaye behind in senegal. Mariama bas so long a letterand the educational empowerment of muslim women a discussion of so long a letterby the west african woman writer, mariama ba, is used as a basis for highlighting the empowering and disempowering effects of particular types of education for women in the traditional africanmuslim context of senegal. The letter is occasioned by the sudden death of modou, ramatoulayes estranged husband.
So long a letter, a work of fiction by mariama ba, is set in dakar, senegal, where the main character ramatoulaye writes a letter to her friend, aissatou, who lives in america. This is a beautiful new edition of a timeless classic of. So long a letter 1989 so long a letter so long a letter page front matter to abibatou niang, pure and constant, lucid and thorough, who shares my feelings. So long a letter begins when ramatoulaye, a senegalese woman living in dakar, the countrys capital, decides to write a letter to her old friend aissatou, who lives in america. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a forty. So long a letter characters from litcharts the creators. So long a letter is a landmark book a sensation in its own country and an education for outsiders. Mariama ba this novel is in the form of a letter, written by the widowed ramatoulaye and describing her struggle for.
What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by. Mariama ba, a senegalese writer and longtime women activist, set out to write a book that exposed the double standard between men. So long a letter 1989 so long a letter so long a letter page front matter to abibatou niang. Written by awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the original french, so long a letter has been recognized as one of africas 100 best books of the 20th century.
Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. The letter covered many topics such as polygyny, senegalese class hierarchy, and religion so, it was difficult to place the genre of the book. So long a letter by mariama ba is an entry in the book 500 great books by. The short narrative, written as a longer letter, is a chain of reminiscencessome wistful, a few bitterrecounted by way of lately widowed senegalese schoolteacher. Written through awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the unique french, so lengthy a letter has been famous as one among africas a hundred most sensible books of the 20 th century. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. This book kept me bound to it completely while reading. The short narrative, written as a longer letter, is a chain of reminiscencessome wistful, a few bitterrecounted by way of lately. Waveland press so long a letter by mariama ba translated.
We will forever be indebted to mariama ba for this masterpiece. The long letter from one female friend to another is a deeply moving account of a muslim womans innermost feelings and emotional survival following her husbands decision to take a second, and much younger, wife. Nov 30, 20 mariama bas so long a letter is a cornerstone of african feminisms, written brilliantly with calm and passionate intelligence, and it should be read by anyone tired of mfa poetry or empty fiction. Her first novel, so long a letter 1979, which revealed her clarity of vision and persuasive rhetoric, is written in an epistolary style. M k 1 role of women in so long a letter by mariama ba african society, in general, is a masculine society. As the novel begins, ramatoulaye fall is beginning a letter to her lifelong friend. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese. I chose this story is because i have been married to a nigerian for the past fourteen years, and i can remember all the horrible stories i was told of why i should not marry him. So long a letter questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on. Why modern books are all too long books the guardian. So long a letter by mariama ba under the neem tree.
Tradition and customs in so long a letter by mariama ba tradition and customs very often hold an important position in ones life and culture. In their hollows small pools of blue water would glisten, full of light from the sky and sun. Tony blairs book of memoirs, reflects the modern trend for long books. So long a letter by mariama ba, 1989, heinemann edition, in english so long a letter 1989 edition open library. Ramatoulaye belongs to the generation that grew up under the french colonial regime and came of age just as senegal was achieving its independence. It serves as an umbrella of custom and religion to manage the company to its purposes. So long a letter summary from litcharts the creators of. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Abstract feminism as an assertion of womanhood, a demand for the recognition of the potentialities of women and a call for granting women equal. Our lives developed in parallel, and they continue to do so, as both have recently lost their husbands yesterday you were divorced.
Which dwells deeply into the life of a widow trying to adjust to the changes of life without the presence of her husband. Mariama is able to capture the emotion and the day to day life of an african woman in a typical african home setting. Immediately download the so long a letter summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching so long a letter. An autobiographical rereading of mariama bas novel. Click below to download the full study guide for so long a letter.
In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Mariama bas so long a letter rizwana habib latha looks at the issue of feminisms in an african muslim postcolonial context, using the semiautobiographical novella, so long a letter by senegalese writer mariama ba as its basis t nhe semiautobiographical novella, so long a letter by mariama ba, focus.
Essay about tradition and customs in so long a letter by. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulaye fall. So long a letter characters from litcharts the creators of. So long a letter questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on so long a letter. I commend the fact that this book was made mandatory in several frenchspeaking countries, but should 12 years old kids read this kind of work. Download so long a letter by mariama ba pdf lagranja. Chapters 2527 summary rama meets iba, the father of her future grandchild, and is pleased to see that he is an attractive, patient, and kind man. The letter addressed to a friend is a record of ramatoulyes emotional struggle for survival after her husbands abrupt decision to take a second wife. So long a letter, a novel originally written in french,follows the story of two women from senegal, ramatoulaye and aissatou. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulaye fall. So long a letter is written as a series of letters between the main character ramatoulaye fall and her best friend aissatou following the sudden death of ramatoulayes husband modou from a heart attack.
Ramatoulaye belongs to the generation that grew up under the read full character analysis aissatou is ramatoulaye s old childhood friend, and the addressee of her letter. Sign up for librarything to find out whether youll like this book. So long a letter, mariama bas first novel, is literally written as a long letter. I read so long a letter a log time ago in the university for my english class. What i mean by masculine is that man has more power. Mariama ba, a longtime womens activist, set out to write a book that exposed the double standard between men and women in africa. Feb 23, 2016 so long a letter is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulye, who has recently been widowed.
Download so long a letter by mariama ba download free ebooks. I am always pleased when an author can pack a whole love of information and character development in under 100 pages. The novel so long a letter, by mariama ba, is based on the senegalese culture and shows how important tradition is in africa. I am part of the goodreads group by the same name, and i have made it a long term goal to read as many of the choices as possible. The result, so long a letter, eventually won the first noma award for publishing in africa. This novel is in the form of a letter, written by the widowed ramatoulaye and describing her struggle for survival. So long a letter summary and study guide supersummary.
The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese. In the letter, she describes the suffering she has undergone in a largely patriarchal society. So long a letter by mariam ba, is a book based on a setting in senegal. Addressed to her best friend aissatou, the letters chronicle ramatoulayes emotional journey after her husbands second marriage and his unexpected death. To annette derneville of the warm heart and level head.