Black Docker (African Writers Series) [Paperback]

Sembene Ousmane (Author), Ros Schwartz (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0435908960 | ISBN-13: 978-0435908966 | Publication Date: May 1988

Set in the 1950s, this book tells of Diaw Falla, a docker for whom work exists merely to finance his true obsession - his writing. As his novel nears completion, he meets Ginette Tontisanne whose good connections ensure he is published - but, to his dismay, under her name.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (Txt) (May 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435908960
• ISBN-13: 978-0435908966
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, September 22, 2005

By 

Justice - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Docker (African Writers Series) (Paperback)

This is a very well written short novel addressing the mid- twentieth-century experience of a young Senegalese man in France. Although French colonial administrators and propagandists promise an inclusive empire designed to culturally and politically assimilate Africans and Asians, the hero of this book finds a far different situation awaiting him in Marseilles and Paris. Forced to slave away on the docks, Diaw spends his nights pursuing intellectual questions and working on his novel. In France, he does not find the liberty, equality, and fraternity he was promised, but rather is an exploited worker who is compelled on a daily basis to face humiliating stereotypes about blacks.

After he authors a brilliant book on slavery, he has trouble finding a publisher. After entrusting a white woman to promote his book, he is betrayed when she takes credit for his writing. No one will believe him that he is the true author of the book, and ultimately this leads to a terrible tragedy that puts him, and the promise of French inclusiveness, on trial. This is a great book, beautifully written, and anyone interested in the situation confronting minorities and immigrants in Europe and beyond will find it enlightening.

It remains relevant and hardly seems dated, except for two major aspects. First of all, written in 1956, it reflects that era's widespread condemnation of homosexuality. Although this condemnation is not expressed in a hateful way, (rather homosexuality is seen as yet one more aspect of a decadent, capitalist society's excesses), if one uses this book in the classroom one would have to find a way to put it in context.

I do recommend assigning it to students because it is so powerful and effective, and I intend to myself, but I will have to find a way to teach the book without alienating anyone. It also takes an unfavorable view of abortion, another controversial aspect of the book that teachers will have to tread carefully around. Again, abortion is seen as symptomatic of a diseased society. One character, a young white woman who is the lover of a black character and becomes pregnant with twins, dies of a botched abortion; her mother forces her to get the abortion to prevent a scandal. Although in this specific case Ousmane is condemning bourgeois hypocrisy, racism, and materialism, he does also give a blanket condemnation of abortion as a practice. He does not condemn those who receive them, and neither abortion nor homosexuality are central to the story, but be forewarned that they are dealt with if you plan on using the book in a classroom setting.

Whether you're a teacher or not, this book is highly recommended! Hard to put down-this slender volume's compelling plot and biting social critique make it a wonderful read for anyone!