So Long a Letter
Mariama Ba, (trans., Modupe Bode-Thomas) 1987
Heinemann Publishing
96 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780435913526
Summary
So Long a Letter is a sequence of reminiscences recounted by the (fictional) recently widowed Sengalese school teacher Ramatoulaye. It is a record of Ramatoulaye's emotional struggle for survival after her husband's abrupt decision to take a second wife.
The novel is a perceptive testimony to the plight of thoes articulate women who live in a social milieux dominated by attitudes and values that deny them their proper place.
So Long a Letter won the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, and was recognised as one of Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century in an initiative organised by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. (From the publisher.)