User:Buddy431/The Dark Child

The Dark Child, sometimes also published as The African Child, is an autobiography of the early life of Camara Laye. Published in 1953 in French as L'Enfant noir, The Dark Child was translated into English in 1954 by James Kirkup and Ernest Jones. The Dark Child was Laye's first published literary work. In it, he depicts his life growing up in French Guinea during the 1930s and 40s. Laye spent much of his early life in Kouroussa, and attended secondary school in Guinea's capital, Conakry. The book ends with Laye leaving for France to study engineering. Laye wrote the book while in France studying, soon after leaving Guinea.

The Dark Child was well received by western critics. However, many African writers criticized the book, as it largely ignored the political aspects of colonialism.