Small Country

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For the 1979 novel by Siân James, see A Small Country.
First edition

Small Country (French: Petit pays) is a novel set in Burundi by the Franco-Rwandan rapper, songwriter and novelist, Gaël Faye. It was first published in France in August 2016 by Grasset, and has since been translated into 36 languages.[1][2]

Summary[edit]

Set in Burundi and Rwanda from 1993 onwards, the novel is narrated by ten-year-old Gaby, who lives with his French father and Rwandan mother in an impasse in a comfortable district of Bujumbura. Gabriel's sheltered upbringing leaves him oblivious to the increasing tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority (to which he, through his mother, belongs). As neighbouring Rwanda faces the outbreak of civil war and genocide, which spill over into Burundi, the innocence of Gaby and his group of friends is brutally shattered.

The novel is based on Gaël Faye's own experiences growing up in Burundi during this period; the author has, however, stressed that it is not strictly autobiographical.[3]

Reception[edit]

The novel was very well-received upon its publication in France, selling 700,000 copies.[4] It was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt in 2016, as well as for awards by Fémina, Médicis, Interallié, the Académie française and Renaudot.[5] In the same year, it won the prix Goncourt des lycéens, chosen by lycée students (roughly equivalent to high-school age).[6]

An English translation, Small Country, was produced by Sarah Ardizzone and published in 2018. It also received favourable reviews in translation, and was longlisted for the 2019 Aspen Words Literary Prize and the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Non-Fiction.[7][8] In April 2019 it was shortlisted for the 2019 Albertine Prize.[9] Writing in The Guardian, Anthony Cummins called the work "a sharp shock of a novel"; he also, however, expressed disappointment at certain elements of Faye's use of characters, noting that "Faye seems to squander the dramatic potential that a child's point of view might bring."[10]

The novel has also been translated into Italian,[11] Serbian, Portuguese and into the official language of Burundi, Kirundi.[12][13]

Film adaptation[edit]

Main article: Small Country: An African Childhood

In 2020, the novel was adapted into the film Small Country: An African Childhood, directed by Éric Barbier.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Livres en poche : 2 septembre 2017 (French)". France Inter. 2 September 2017.
  2. ^ Nicolas Gary (28 August 2016). "Le roman de Gaël Faye, Petit pays, sollicité par les éditeurs du monde entier". ActuaLitté.
  3. ^ Valérie Marin La Meslée (2016-09-01). "Gaël Faye, chouchou des prix littéraires". Le Point.
  4. ^ Grey, Tobias (29 May 2018). "A French-Rwandan Rap Star Turned Novelist From Burundi". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Abescat, Michel (2016-09-15). "Gaël Faye, chouchou des prix littéraires (French)". Le Point.
  6. ^ "Le prix Goncourt des lycéens 2016 attribué à Gaël Faye pour "Petit pays"". francetvinfo.fr. 17 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Gaël Faye: 2019 Longlist". Aspen Words.
  8. ^ "Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence: Longlist 2019". American Library Association. 2018.
  9. ^ "Meet the Shortlisted Writers for the 2019 Albertine Prize". Literary Hub. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  10. ^ Cummins, Anthony (10 June 2018). "Small Country by Gaël Faye – review". The Guardian.
  11. ^ Faye, Gaël (2018). Piccolo paese. Translated by Dompè, Maria. Bompiani. ISBN 978-8845283352.
  12. ^ Faye, Gaël (2018). Gahugu Gato. Translated by Uwineza, Olivier Bahizi. Éditions d'en bas. ISBN 978-2829005794.
  13. ^ Tshidimba, Karin (24 August 2017). "Livre numérique, livre audio et feuilleton radiophonique pour " Petit pays " (French)". La Libre Afrique.
  14. ^ "Le Petit Pays de Gaël Faye voit grand au cinéma". Le Figaro (in French). AFP. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
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