Houseboy (African Writers) [Paperback]

Ferdinand Oyono (Author), John Reed (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0435905325 | ISBN-13: 978-0435905323 | Publication Date: August 15, 1991

"Houseboy" is written in the form of a diary kept by Toundi, an innocent Cameroonian houseboy who is fascinated and awed by the white world, the world of his masters. When the head of his mission is killed in an accident, Toundi becomes the "boy" of the local Commandant. In an effort to improve himself, Toundi studies his new world closely---too closely. Gradually his eyes are opened to its realities, and in the end it destroys him.

Editorial Reviews

Review

?It is a better guide to French Colonial Africa, and to racism, than any non-fiction account, whether by African or Frenchman.?-The Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (August 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435905325
• ISBN-13: 978-0435905323
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Law > International Law

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colonialism from a first-person p.o.v., February 27, 1999

By 

J. Uhlich (Alameda, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Houseboy (African Writers) (Paperback)

In the realm of African fiction, this novel stretches against the myriad of cultural divisions erected through colonialism. Much has been said about African fiction as a form, and of the use of the novel by writers whose cultural roots are based in an oral, dynamic storytelling as opposed to the Western one of static writing. This novel plays on one of those subsets, the first-person diary, and both enforces the reader's identification with the African protagonist while pushing the reader away through choices and actions which may seem alien to a Western audience. Indispensible for anyone with an interest in African writing and/or colonialism and its effects. As with all of my readings in African fiction, I am more struck by the silence the text evokes than the speeches constructed therein. Silence is everywhere in this novel, as well as in the works of writers such as Achebe or Soyinka. I would argue that, in that respect, African writers have co-opted the written forms of the colonial cultures for their own ends; what other group of writers has so consistently and effectively caused the text of the book to evoke the absence of words?

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars African Perspective of Colonialism, March 7, 2002

By 

Peggy L. Walsh "thecritic" (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Houseboy (African Writers) (Paperback)

Houseboy, was written from an African perspective of colonialism by Cameroonian-born Ferdinand Léopold Oyono and is an examination of the complex relationships between Africa's colonialists and catalysts for economic and social change. Considered risqué when first published in 1956, Houseboy added to the growing body of African political literature beginning with the Negritude Movement launched by the Francophone writers in the late 1930's which advanced the idea that literature could serve as an important ideological instrument for African emancipation.

Seemingly innocuous on the surface, the story is derived from the diary and observations of a rural African boy named Toundi Ondoua during the pre-independence period from the colonial and missionary occupation of Cameroon. The tale of a young man growing up during this historical timeframe is meant to be systemic of Africans in general, as they too struggle with the impact of colonialism on their identity, society and culture.

In conclusion, Toundi's story is ironic and tragic as he gives up his traditional identity and is inevitably drawn into the web of servitude, standing transfixed as his fate and ultimate demise approaches. Toundi's fragile self-esteem and idealistic preconceptions about the Europeans begin to flake and peel like paint from an ancient fula fula (taxi).. Toundi realizes in the end that he belongs not to the world of his village nor to the one of the whites, but is caught in the groundswell of those Africans whose fate became inextricably tied to that of the colonialists and the changing world. Toundi inquires on his deathbed...."Brother, what are we? What are we blackmen who are called French?"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Were Africans considered Frenchmen?, November 1, 2007

By 

J. D Morrow "left out" (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Houseboy (African Writers) (Paperback)

Often the protagonists of such colonial novels are caught between two worlds (e.g., Ngugi wa Thiog'o's "The River Between", or they are seen watching the colonists invade the traditional boundaries (e.g., Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"). This book is different. The protagonist rejects his traditional life in the first two pages. What happens then is the interest. The question is can an African ever be accepted as an equal by the colonizer? While you probably know the answer, Toundi's journey - as told by his journal - is an enthralling read. I read this book in about two and a half hours and missed a Red Sox playoff game on TV when I couldn't put it down. My only reservation is that I could not read it in the original French. I do not put it as a must read; but, if you enjoyed either "The River Between" or "Things Fall Apart," I would highly suggest you read it.