So Long a Letter

This book, while very brief, left a lasting impression on me. It is so accessible and written in such an intimate style that no one needs to have any previous knowledge of African culture to be immediately drawn in and feel as if they are part of the world Mariama creates. It is entirely written in the form of a letter from one Senegalese woman to another, her dear friend. In the letter the narrator, a very strong woman, discusses her life, her feelings about her husband, about polygamy, about her children, and about her independence in such a beautiful way that I didn't want the letter to end! It wasn't long enough, despite the title. I'd love to reread it. I wish Mariama Ba hadn't passed away because her style was so pleasing and so involving that I would have loved to have read more by her. One of Africa's greatest female writers.

That book was selected among africa's top twelve books in the 20 th century in february 2002.

Mariama Ba was absolutely magnificent in this book. The manner of poetic prose she adopts is not only touching but also addictive. I first read this book in High School in Kenya. I must say that this is the book that opened me up to the writing of poetry, plays, and prose. Nonetherless , this book greatly explores the recurring and controversial purpose and place of traditions and religions in modern day Africa. It's a must read for all women of the world, and for the men who hope to love them.

Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter, clearly demonstrates the power of the pen.Middle aged Senegalese school teacher, Ramatoulaye, who is an educated Muslim woman, a mother, an abandoned wife, and now a widow adjusts to her changing roles with strength but sadness.She writes a letter to her long time friend, Aissatou, whose husband also chose to take a second wife years before; Aissatou now lives abroad as a single woman. As Ramatoulaye says to her friend by way of introduction, "Our long association has taught me that confiding in other allays pain."And so Ramatoulaye begins her story. In the pages that follow, little by little, Ramatoulaye takes us into her world, her culture, her past. Ba shows the reader how although a woman's experiences and opportunities might have changed somewhat in the 20th century, it becomes clear how the hopes and dreams and disappointments of Ramatoulaye's mother's mother, her mother, and Ramatoulaye, herself, all tie into each other. We learn about Ramatoulaye's deep pain when after decades of matrimony and friendship with her husband Modou suddenly grind to a halt as Ramatoulaye's husband reveals an affair with one of their daughter's classmates to leave the house to start a new family. Ba's skill as a writer and as an advocate for the woman's voice, lies not in preaching or didactical posturing, but instead by a subtle demonstration of what actually happened. She invites the reader to see the different sides and roles people play in Ramatoulaye's life and does not make it a black/white issue.However, this work will definitely appeal to women who are interested in learning about a feminist/womanist perspective on other cultures as well as women who are well versed in West African culture.Detractors might call this work an angry book, while on the other side of the spectrum, ultra feminists might dismiss Ramatoulaye as missing the ball for failing to vociferously denounce sexism in addition to not taking the opportunity to criticize a culturally inspired fundamentalist sexist rendering of Islam. Ultimately, So Long a Letter does not become bogged down into politics, nor does Ramatoulaye become confined as a victim or a figure that we, the reader, should pity. Instead this patient and beautiful character talks about how she has learned, in the words of Voltaire, to cultivate one's garden or in the words of Southern Black women, to make lemonade, when life kicks you down.So, this timeless classic story transforms into a parable about friendship and love and most important of all, hope. As Ramatoulaye writes in her final paragraph to her friend, "Despite everything, disappointments and humiliations-hope still lives in within me. It is from the dirty and nauseating humus that the green plant sprouts into life, and I can feel new buds springing up in me. The word 'happiness' does indeed have meaning," doesn't it? I shall go out in search of it ...

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in African literature or different cultures in general. It's commentaries on both traditional African and contemporary Wester society are very insightful. Bâ is classed by some as a feminist, but this really isn't fair: she merely points out the deplorable ways in which women are treated, and leaves the reader to draw an interpretation. (Definately not a ranting man-hater.)