The Roots of Heaven (novel)
Appearance
![]() 1956 French edition | |
Author | Romain Gary |
---|---|
Original title | Les Racines du ciel |
Translator | Jonathan Griffin |
Language | French |
Set in | French Equatorial Africa, 1955 |
Publisher | Éditions Gallimard |
Publication date | 5 October 1956 |
Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1958 |
Pages | 510 |
843.9 |
The Roots of Heaven (French: Les Racines du ciel) is a 1956 novel by the Lithuanian-born French writer and WW II aviator, Romain Gary (born Roman Kacew). It received the Prix Goncourt for fiction. It was translated into English in 1957.[1]
Synopsis
The book takes place in French Equatorial Africa. Morrel, a crusading environmentalist, labors to preserve elephants from extinction. He is assisted in the task by Minna, a nightclub hostess, and Forsythe, a disgraced British military officer in search of redemption. The story is a metaphor for the quest for salvation for all humanity.
Adaptation
John Huston directed and Darryl Zanuck produced a 1958 Hollywood film of the same title.
See also
References
- ^ "Le Palmarès". academie-goncourt.fr (in French). Académie Goncourt. Retrieved 2011-12-16.