Mariama Bâ (1929–1981)

What does it mean to be a Senegalese woman living in a society dominated by male attitudes? Where does self worth and fulfillment fit in? Just because a society condones polygamy doesn't mean every individual expects it, embraces it, or even wants to practice it. When Ramatoulaye's husband of thirty plus years takes a new (much younger) wife her emotions run the gamut. Baffled (Wasn't she a good wife?). Stunned (They have twelve children together. Wasn't she a good mother?). Embarrassed show more (What will the community think of her being replaced?). Insecure (Exactly what is her place in society now?). When Madou leaves her a widow, in a long letter to her friend Aissatou, Ramatoulaye recounts her life with Madou. She is, at times, reminiscent and even wistful for a life gone by. In the end, it is a new tragedy that sets Ramatoulaye on a new path of acceptance. show less

This was a solid read. Short, but impactful.

Ramatoulaye, a middle-aged teacher in 1960s post-independence Sénégal, looks back on her life, which fell apart after her beloved husband of many years took a new, younger wife. Islam technically allows for this, but Ramatoulaye cannot but see this as an act of betrayal that merits a break-up, emotional as well as in terms of living arrangements.

The book is less concerned with the trappings of fiction and of narrative throughline than it is show more with sketching the lay of the post-colonial land and the clash between traditional, islamic conceptions of families and the Western ones, both of which come with uncomfortable baggage and neither of which feels fulfilling. Cultural ideals and taboos come into conflict, and navigating them is a matter of staving off the inevitable failing as long as possible -- a situation made even more complex across generational gaps and class divides.

Consequently, the text feels more like a mulling over of large-scale societal issues, though it thankfully steers clear from preachiness. The fact that this novel takes the form of a long letter to a friend helps a great deal: addressing an Other, a ‘you’ lends the book the flavour of a discussion rather than a lecture. It treats the reader as a sounding board with which the author can clarify her own thoughts to herself as much as to her audience. Furthermore, Bâ drew on events from her own life, and that, too, goes a long way to grounding the plot in real life. So long a letter definitely has an agenda, but it’s not obnoxious about it. show less

A short story that covers the nuances of polygamy from the female perspective, examining its effect on married women left for any number of reasons and their individual responses. The epistolary nature of this novel results in a naturally flowing comparison of the experiences of the narrator (Ramatoulaye) and her friend, Aissatou, after the two are left by their husbands for second wives. Despite her choice to remain a faithful wife, Ramatoulaye finds a new strength in standing her ground show more against the men (and women) in her life who urge her to conform to her husband's wishes in spite of his offense. Aissatou, conversely, found strength in refusing to take the dishonor of being cast aside and left with her children to build an life independent of her husband. Ramatoulaye relays to her friend the challenges and shaming she is met with as she rears the twelve children her husband left behind, a saga which culminates in having to accept her second-eldest daughter's marriage, spurred by the growth of an illegitimate child. Her musings throughout the ordeal shed light on the unspoken and unrecognized labor enacted by married women in societies where gendered roles are enforced through religion and law. She reflects on how housewives are more intelligent and privy to the normative nature of social roles than they are given credit for, having necessarily earned their knowledge through lived experience in conjunction with the formal education they are often denied. It's an enlightening novel that goes to show that women across the world who are spurned in all too similar fashions are capable of dissecting and managing their roles as (effectively) ex-wives (though at great personal cost) in societies that are too ashamed to accept how cruelly their women are devalued. show less

A fascinating & bittersweet look at women's roles (written by a woman) in post-colonial, male-dominated Senegal. Interestingly enough, I read So Long a Letter quite by chance after having just finished Xala by Ousmane Sembène, a male Senegalese author.

Xala centers around a story of an upper-class Islamic businessman who is marrying his third (and much younger) wife. Part of the discussions in Xala center around the roles of the wives, the resentments between them, etc.... So Long a Letter show more also is viewing the life of women in polygamous marriages, emotionally & articulately poured out in a letter/diary format that a new widow writes to her friend. Part of her angst & sorrow centers around the fact that after 30 years of marriage, her husband married a second wife (who has been a wife for five years by the time the man dies). There's a lot of depth & emotion to this story, many facets of life examined; Senegal in the novella is on the cusp of various social changes as the country straddles the traditional African ways, yet also encompasses some of their inherited European mores. Mariama Bâ was apparently a well-known feminist in Senegal, and I'm happy that serendipity led me to reading So Long a Letter immediately after Xala, partly for the female vs. male view of polygamous marriage in Senegal, as well as the examination of gender roles there.

So Long A Letter won the first (in 1980) Noma Award for Publishing in Africa & rightly deserves it, imo. This is a well-done, touching look at the confines, compromises, & choices that comprise one's lifetime. A recommended novella, especially if you're looking to read African literature. show less