Talk:So Long a Letter

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My rough and somewhat literal translation:

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Une si longue lettre (So long a letter) is a major work because of what it says about the condition of women. At its heart lies the letter which one of them, Ramatoulaye, addresses to her best friend, during the traditional reclusion which follows her widowhood.

In it she evokes their happy memories of when they were students who were impatient to change the world, and of the hope inspired by the Independences (?). But she also recalls the forced marriages, and the absence of women's rights. And while her step-family come to nimbly take over the affairs of the deceased, Ramatoulaye sadly evokes the day when her husband took another, younger wife, ruining 25 years of life together and of love. The Senegalese Mariama Bâ is the first African novelist to describe with such clarity (literally with such light) the place given to women in her society.

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Kappa 00:55, 21 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Thanks, I have used your translation for improving the article. Sietse 13:06, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC)

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"^that was less than half of the plot you idiot"

to whomever wrote the above gem, which was nicely placed in the text of the article itself: you sir, are the idiot. if you've got a problem, fix it yourself, don't just bitch about it.