God's Bits of Wood

Author: Sembène Ousmane

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Summary

Description

It is 1947 and the workers on the Dakar-Niger Railway have come out on strike. Sembène Ousmane, in this vivid and moving novel, evokes all of the colour, passion and tragedy of those decisive years in history.

'Ever since they left Thiès, the women had not stopped singing. As soon as one group allowed the refrain to die, another picked it up, and new verses were born at the hazard of chance or inspiration, one word leading to another and each finding, in its turn, its rhythm and its place. No one was very sure any longer where the song began, or if it had an ending.'

God's Bits of Wood is Sembène Ousmane's internationally renowned novel, based on his own experiences of the landmark 1947 railroad strike that spread across French West Africa.

'A classic.' Guardian
'Ousmane Sembène [was] a crucial figure in Africa's postcolonial cultural awakening.' New York Times
'A powerful story.' Kirkus

Translated from the French by Francis Price.

Critic Reviews

A classic. Guardian
Ousmane Sembène [was] a crucial figure in Africa's postcolonial cultural awakening. New York Times
A powerful story. Kirkus

About the Author

Sembène Ousmane was a writer and film director born in 1923 in the Ziguinchor region of French West Africa (now Senegal).

Self-educated, he worked as a fisherman until he was drafted into the French army during World War Two. After the war, he returned to Senegal and participated in the 1947 railroad strike, on which he later based his novel God's Bits of Wood (1960).

Ousmane was later invited to study at the Moscow Film School where he adapted his novels into film. He won numerous awards at Cannes Film Festival, Venice film festival, and the 7th Moscow International Film Festival, cementing his reputation as a director and leading figure in African cinema.

Ousmane died in 2007.

Translated from the French by Francis Price.