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The Fortunes of Wangrin

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Don't be put off by the truly terrible cover, this prize-winning novel by Malian author Ba is an entertaining masterpiece of African literature. Originally published in French in 1973, the book won the "Grand Prix Litteraire de L'Afrique Noire", and is a vivid window into colonial French West Africa circa 1905-25. In a nutshell, what makes the book so special is that Ba refuses to allow his protagonist to be a defenseless victim of colonialism, but paints a complicated portrait in which the protagonist is the engineer of his own rise, and his own downfall.

The story is essentially a biography of Wangrin, a noble-born West African boy sent to a French colonial "hostage school" for the sons of chiefs and other African notables. There, his quick mind and facility with French takes him to the top of the class and sets him on a path of prosperity. He enters the service of the colonial administration as a schoolteacher, but soon machinates his way into a clerkship, and eventually into a position as all-powerful, indispensable interpreter. (One of the novel's many comments on French colonial rule comes via the role of the interpreter, who, although ostensibly an aide to the French officer in charge of a region, was the only person who knew everything that was going on.)

The story charts Wangrin's gradual rise to power, as he craftily maneuvers his way, all the while making the most of his position to enrich himself. Wangrin is very much a trickster character, however, unlike many portrayals of colonial lackeys, his rise in status and wealth comes solely at the expense of the powerful and rich. Never in the story does Wangrin take advantage of the poor or destitute -- quite the opposite, he is a munificent bestower of alms and largesse. These battles with other Africans for influence and wealth go a long way toward dispelling the framework of colonizer vs. colonized. In Wangrin's world, the colonial rulers are essentially very powerful pieces in the chess game of his life. Which is not to suggest that the institution of colonialism isn't severely criticized in the course of the book -- topics coming in for special derision include the requirements for forced menial labor, the practice of taking native sexual partners, and the possibility of unchecked cruelty. That said, the story also provides plenty of examples of administrators being careful to act within certain boundaries lest they be censured.

It is Wangrin's mastery of both the colonial and the native languages, traditions, laws, and beliefs that allows him to blossom. This adaptability is also evident in his personal blending of Islam and animism (a fluidity of belief still common in West Africa), that the book does a wonderful job of displaying. And yet it is this adaptability which is his ultimate undoing. In a sequence rich in meaning, he is speeding at night in his European sports coupe along a road built by forced labor, only to run over and kill a python. His imprudent use of this modern foreign luxury machine has killed a creature that is taboo to him, and it the physical representation of the spirit of a nearby lake, portending his fall. Similarly, his rapid descent into alcoholism and poverty comes at the hands of a beautiful European woman -- the message couldn't get much clearer!

On the whole, the translation is very readable, although at times it can be a little clunky due to having to try and capture all the various traditional allusions, formal and informal speech patterns, and nuances of meaning. Still, the rhythms are much more fluid and enjoyable than many translations of African literature. There are numerous annotations explaining elements throughout the book, and it's rather annoying that the publisher has done them as endnotes rather than footnotes, since one essentially has to keep flipping back and forth. The characters all come alive, especially the titular hero, who is perhaps best captured by the following quote from a foe: "Wangrin is a scoundrel of the first order and a most skillful schemer but paradoxically he is also a gentleman." His story should be read by anyone with an interest in French colonialism, West Africa, or African literature in general. And oh yes, Ba claims the whole thing is true.