Houseboy

Toundi Ondoua, the rural African protagonist of Houseboy, encounters a world of prisms that cast beautiful but unobtainable glimmers, especially for a black youth in colonial Cameroon Houseboy, written in the form of Toundi s captivating diary and translated from the original French, discloses his awe of the white world and a web of unpredictable experiences Early on, he escapes his father s angry blows by seeking asylum with his benefactor, the local European priest who meets an untimely death Toundi then becomes the Chief European s boy the dog of the King Toundi s attempt to fulfill a dream of advancement and improvement opens his eyes to troubling realities Gradually, preconceptions of the Europeans come crashing down on him as he struggles with his identity, his place in society, and the changing culture. Read Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono – kino-fada.fr I feel as if I ve been in the presence of an underrated African classic Cameroonian novelist and diplomat, Oyono, was visiting Guinea during the time it was the colony Spanish Guinea , when he came across one of his countrymen Later, he would be given the diary or exercise book of Toundi, a houseboy on the run He translated the book from its original language, Ewondo, stating that he tried to keep the richness of the original language without letting it get in the way of the story itself I feel as if I ve been in the presence of an underrated African classic Cameroonian novelist and diplomat, Oyono, was visiting Guinea during the time it was the colony Spanish Guinea , when he came across one of his countrymen La...This novel, which was written decades ago is haunting and very powerful, evoking the colonial situation in black Africa in the past It is very funny and very sombre and sad at the same time The protagonist, the main narrator is na ve and fascinated by the gleam of white life and privilege to use a word gleam beloved by the great Ayi Kwei Armah Toundi bel...I m having a bit of a hard time rating this one Toundi s story is troubling but engaging The things that Toundi accepts as just a part of life as a black boy in Cameroon during this time period is sad and frustrating The malice and pettiness that impacts Toundi s daily life from a young age made me want to grind my teeth just reading the descriptions The story is told well but the ending is pretty abrupt There isthat I would have like to have gotten in order for the story to come full I m having a bit of a hard time rating this one Toundi s story is troubling but engaging The things that Toundi accepts as just a part of life as a black boy in Cameroon during this time period is sad and frustrating The malice and pettiness that impacts Toundi s daily life from a young age made me want to grind my teeth just reading the desc...A beautifully written book that tells a story that moves from one point to the other effortlessly with deep contextualization of imperial Cameroon and the African condition mainly embedded in the dialogues It is an easy read that exposes the absurdities and brutalities of colonizers in Africa and the world Europeans created for themselves in Africa almost cocooned It also shows the progression of the main character from being in awe of the colonizers, and at times feeling different to or A beautifully written book that tells a story that moves from one point to the other effortlessly wi...Painful Humorous Tragic.Toundi the main character the houseboy , is na ve of the realities of his world in the French colony of Cameroon While he s is a good natured boy with a pure heart, the French exploitation of native Cameroonians cause the demise of Toundi this isn t a spoiler, trust me This book really highlighted how fearful French colonialists were of native Cameroonians and Black Africans in general They were so fearful, insecure, ignorant and mentally fragile that they cons Painful Humorous Tragic.Toundi the main character the houseboy , is na ve of the realities of his world in the French colony of Camero.... , , Book 29 of the African Writer s Series depicts the despotic, cruel treatment of native Cameroonians in French Cameroun, the former League of Nations s mandate The perspective is that of Toundi The book is in the form of a diary although the reading is fluid like a novel is Toundi left home as soon as he coul...A journal written in Ewondo, the indigenous language of the Maka, translated by its founder into French Through a young boy s eyes the reader gets a glimpse into the consequences of the colonial world as it touches Cameroon Pay close attention to notions of propriety, whiteness, violence, sight and knowledge, and secret forms of resistance through music, feigning understanding, feigning incomprehension, ...Another world fiction challenge book, my fourth in a month I m overdosed on these right now and need to take a break.This novella is purportedly the diary of a Cameroonian houseboy actually a young man, though we never learn his age , which as it is fiction, of course doesn t read like any real diary ever written He becomes the servant of a powerful colonist, learnsabout the whites than they re comfortable having him know, and it turns out badly for him This book was originally publi Another world fiction challenge book, my fourth in a month I m overdosed on these right now and need to take a break.This novella is purportedly the diary of a Cameroonian houseboy actually a young man, though we never learn his age , which as it is fiction, of course doesn t read like any real diary ever written He becomes the servant of a powerful colonist, learnsabout the whites than they re comfortable having him know, and it turns out badly for him This book was originally published in 1956, when Cameroon was still a French colony, and no doubt caused a stir at the time and has historical value for that reason.Eh, I could give some analysis of this book, the simple an...i read this book as part of my English literature in school, and i must say that even though the idea of colonialism is not a new concept, it is quite well written there are many books on the topic of colonialism that are better written but i think that for a translation, it is quite good and the story is catching i did not really relate to the characters because there wasn t much development ...

• English
• 01 September 2018
Ferdinand Oyono
• Paperback
• 122 pages
• 0435905325
• Ferdinand Oyono
• Houseboy