Fatou Diome
Encyclopedia
Fatou Diome is a Senegal
ese writer, known for her bestselling novel The Belly of the Atlantic published in 2001. Her work explores immigrant life in France
, and the relationship between France and Africa. Fatou Diome currently lives in Strasbourg
, France
.
Delta. She was raised by her grandmother and went to school where she learned French and became passionate about French literature. At the age of 13 she left Niodior and continued her education in M'Bour
. Later she moved to Dakar
to study at the university, supporting herself by working as a housekeeper.
In 1990 she married a Frenchman and moved to France
. Rejected by her traditional Serer
family and by his family, she divorced two years later. In 1994 Diome moved to Strasbourg
to study at the University of Strasbourg
. She currently works on her Ph.D. in French language and literature. The title of her Ph.D. thesis is Le Voyage, les échanges et la formation dans l'œuvre littéraire et cinématographique de Ousmane Sembène
.
. Her first novel was partly autobiographical and is about Salie, a Senegalese immigrant living in Paris, and her younger brother Madicke, who stayed behind in Senegal. After years of struggle Salie has finally arrived and settled in France. Her younger brother dreams of following her to France and to become a successful football player. The Belly of the Atlantic was translated into English, German and Spanish. Her second novel Kétala was published in 2006 in France.
In her work Fatou Diome explores France and Africa, and the relationship between the two countries.
Her style is influenced by the traditional oral literature
of Africa. Her language is authentic and vivid and traces a portrait of the difficulties of integrating in France as an immigrant, mixed with nostalgia and memories of a childhood in Senegal.
Reviews
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese writer, known for her bestselling novel The Belly of the Atlantic published in 2001. Her work explores immigrant life in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and the relationship between France and Africa. Fatou Diome currently lives in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Biography
Fatou Diome was born in Niodior on the island of the same name in the Sine-SaloumSine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of The Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of 24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal, with a population in the 1990s of 1,060,000....
Delta. She was raised by her grandmother and went to school where she learned French and became passionate about French literature. At the age of 13 she left Niodior and continued her education in M'Bour
M'Bour
M'Bour or Mbour is a city in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It lies on the Petite Côte, approximately eighty kilometers south of Dakar. It is home to a population of 153,503 . The city's major industries are tourism, fishing and peanut processing....
. Later she moved to Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
to study at the university, supporting herself by working as a housekeeper.
In 1990 she married a Frenchman and moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Rejected by her traditional Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
family and by his family, she divorced two years later. In 1994 Diome moved to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
to study at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
. She currently works on her Ph.D. in French language and literature. The title of her Ph.D. thesis is Le Voyage, les échanges et la formation dans l'œuvre littéraire et cinématographique de Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène , often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer...
.
Works
Fatou Diome published a collection of short stories, La Préférence nationale in 2001. Her first novel, The Belly of the Atlantic became a bestseller in France and is published in English by Serpent's TailSerpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek and Lionel Shriver...
. Her first novel was partly autobiographical and is about Salie, a Senegalese immigrant living in Paris, and her younger brother Madicke, who stayed behind in Senegal. After years of struggle Salie has finally arrived and settled in France. Her younger brother dreams of following her to France and to become a successful football player. The Belly of the Atlantic was translated into English, German and Spanish. Her second novel Kétala was published in 2006 in France.
In her work Fatou Diome explores France and Africa, and the relationship between the two countries.
Her style is influenced by the traditional oral literature
Oral literature
Oral literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do...
of Africa. Her language is authentic and vivid and traces a portrait of the difficulties of integrating in France as an immigrant, mixed with nostalgia and memories of a childhood in Senegal.
External links
- Review of Le Ventre de l’Atlantique
- Article in Time
- picture of Diome of Xavier Thomas
- http://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/DiomeFatouEng.html
- Jean-Marie Volet: NOT TO BE MISSED, "Le ventre de l'Atlantique", a novel by Fatou DIOME, September 2009, The University of Western Australia/School of Humanities
fr
Interviews- Interview with Tatou Diome at Grioo
- Interview with Diome by Cikuru Batumike veröffentlicht bei Amina
- Interview with Diome by Wanda Nicot about Ketala at Amina
Reviews
- Review od Fatous book Le ventre de l’Atlantique by Bi Kacou Parfait Diandue: LE VENTRE DE L’ATLANTIQUE, METAPHORE AQUATIQUE D’UN MIRAGE : IDEAL BRISE DE L’AILLEURS? in http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/
- Cheick SAKHO: CITOYENNETE UNIVERSELLE : LA QUETE OBSEDANTE D’UNE IDENTITE DANS LE VENTRE DE L’ATLANTIQUE