Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Cruel City

Cruel City

Beti, Mongo
Higginson, Pim

Paperback

Series: Global African Voices

General Fiction

ISBN10: 0253008239
ISBN13: 9780253008237
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: Feb 22 2013
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.55
Height: 0.60 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.40
Language: English

Under the pseudonym Eza Boto, Mongo Beti wrote Ville cruelle (Cruel City) in 1954 before he came to the world's attention with the publication of Le pauvre Christ de Bomba (The Poor Christ of Bomba). Cruel City tells the story of a young man's attempt to cope with capitalism and the rapid urbanization of his country. Banda, the protagonist, sets off to sell the year's cocoa harvest to earn the bride price for the woman he has chosen to wed. Due to a series of misfortunes, Banda loses both his crop and his bride to be. Making his way to the city, Banda is witness to a changing Africa, and as his journey progresses, the novel mirrors these changes in its style and language. Published here with the author's essay Romancing Africa, the novel signifies a pivotal moment in African literature, a deliberate challenge to colonialism, and a new kind of African writing.

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