About
Mariama Bâ, born in Dakar in 1929, is a major figure in African literature. After studying at the École normale de Rufisque, she taught and later became an educational inspector. Her epistolary novel *So Long a Letter* (1979) addresses women's condition, polygamy, and widowhood, earning her the first Noma Award (1980). Her second novel, *Scarlet Song*, was published posthumously in 1981. An activist for women's rights, she also wrote an influential essay on the political function of African literatures. She died in Dakar in 1981.
* 1929-04-17 — † 1981-08-17
Major works
- Une si longue lettre (1979)novel
- Un chant écarlate (1981)novel
- La fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites (1981)essay
Key milestones
- 1947Graduates from the École normale des jeunes filles de Rufisque, top of her class.
- 1980Wins the inaugural Noma Award for *So Long a Letter*.
- 1982Posthumously receives the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire.
Themes
women's conditionpolygamywidowhoodinterracial marriagepolitical role of literature
Sources: id.loc.gov · go.gale.com · blackpast.org