Segu [Paperback]

Maryse Conde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1988

A powerful novel of Africa's history and the men and women who determined its fate. From the East came Islam. From the West, the slave trade. The battle for Africa's soul had begun...
"A wondrous novel about a period of African history few other writers have addressed... Much of the novel's radiance comes from the lush descriptions of a traditional life that is both exotic and violent."
-THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"Segu is an overwhelming accomplishment. It injects into the density of history characters who are as alive as you and I. Passionate, lusty, greedy, they are in conflict with themselves as well as with God and Mammon. Maryse Conde has done us all a tremendous service by rendering history so compelling and exciting. Segu is a literary masterpiece I could not put down."
-LOUISE MERIWETHER

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This family saga is set in the warlike kingdom of Segu (roughly present-day Mali) in the late 19th century. Conde is a born storyteller, commented PW, but the novel's "cumulative effect is marred . . . by such a bewildering array of characters and such a density of cultural detail that the storyline becomes both sluggish and hard to follow."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

It is late 18th-century Africa, and change, in the form of slave traders from the west and Islam from the east, is coming to the tribal societies. In Segu, a kingdom near present-day Mali, the family of nobleman Dousika Traore is torn apart by the actions of his four sons: One fights for the old pagan ways, one becomes a Moslem, one is taken to Brazil on a slaver, and one is a mercenary. The customs and beliefs of Segu's Bambara tribe are skillfully woven into the story, and the descriptions of slavery and the slave trade are both compelling and horrifying. As in many sagas with as broad a canvas, the characters are somewhat flat, but fascination with the background will carry the reader. For large fiction collections. Janet Boyarin Blundell, M.L.S. , Brookdale Coll., Lincroft, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345353064
• ISBN-13: 978-0345353061
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting historical fiction . . . and fact, June 7, 2000

By 

Ed Gibbon www.congocookbook.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: Segu (Paperback)

"Segu" is a very good historical novel, one of the few that are set in Africa's historical past (circa 1800-1860). The novel's protagonists are an aristocratic family in the empire of Segu (now part of Mali) swept up in the historical currents of the time: Islam, Christianity, European imperialism, and the Atlantic Slave trade. As with "Roots", the story is told from the African perspective, which is refreshing and much needed. The novel is well written and filled with abundant historical detail. There are many deatils here that a student might research in a library, for example: the different lifestyles of the Fulani and Bambara and relations between them; the "Brazilians" in Africa, former slaves from South America that managed to return to Africa; the socio-economic status of Africans of mixed-(European and African) ancestry.

It seems a pity that many young people are forced to read this book in school; hopefully they will return to it when they have the maturity to understand and appreciate it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loving Segu, June 4, 2000

By 

E. Powers "pearlyvictoria" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Segu (Paperback)

I fell in love with the main character. His adventures and misfortunes kept me intrigued. I learned so much about the land and the structures of the different tribes and kingdoms, that I have used the book for reference. I spoke with Ms Conde and told her I was disappointed with the fate of one character and she merely said, "It had to happen." I felt the heat of the land and the warmth of characters and the deep belief in the different faiths of the many regions she covered. This is a must read.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I've been waiting for a book like this...., July 9, 1999

By 

Aika Swai ([e-mail]) (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Segu (Paperback)

What an excellent way to incorporate history and anthropology into fiction! I believe that "Segu" is extremely suitable for many history classes as well as literature classes. Often we read history books that become dry and tell us events in chronological order without making the past become real and believable. But "Segu" really captures the reader and provides a very deep insight into the conflict that Islam's jihad, slavery and the 19th century in general brought to Northern Africa. From a historian's point of view, I cannot praise 'Segu' enough; however, there are parts where the quality of fiction sways slightly. The reader feels much closer to the male characters, especially because the fate of the daughters is completely ignored whereas the story keeps on picking up the course of male lives. It would have been very different and also very interesting to see that portion of history through the eyes of the mothers, sisters and wives. On one hand, it makes sense to consider the women as marginal characters because after all, their decisions and opinions were often "less important". But on the other hand, there are other ways of making the gender relationship known. I definetely felt that the female characters hardly developed, whereas the personality of the male characters evolved gradually and very realistically.