Reading Olympics

So Long a Letter

Reading a book from every country of the world: Senegal

Photo by E. Diop on Unsplash

Each book is a journey, a new mystery waiting to be discovered. In this series, I am on an adventure of reading a book from every country of the world.

I think that storytelling is such an interesting craft. If we only read books written originally in our native language and by people from the same country as us, we don’t get to experience the full scope of what storytelling can be.

Reading books in translation, reading books from around the world, is introducing me to so many ways of telling stories. Most importantly, it is opening my horizons on cultures, traditions, and perspectives.

It’s like travelling the world without leaving my armchair, expanding my understanding of humanity and fostering empathy. These stories are windows into different souls, teaching me about the richness and complexity of human life.

For this leg of our literary journey, we’ll look into the world of Senegal, through So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ. Recommended by Brad Yonaka. Many thanks Brad.