An African in Paris

Writing in an informal, episodic style, Bernard Dadie recounts a young African man's first journey to France, from the exhilarating moment when he obtains his ticket through a humorous and fascinating tour across the City of Light. In 1959, when Un Negre a Paris first appeared, the French still held West Africa under colonial rule. Dadie's subtle parodies depend on a detailed knowledge obtained over decades spent observing the colonizers abroad and now, suddenly, on their own home terrain. His remarks on Parisian living conditions, wordplay, and manners and morals are entertaining and poignant, charming yet profound.