Writing in French in the 1950s, Ferdinand Léopold Oyono (1929–2010) had only a brief literary career, but his anticolonialist novels are considered classics of twentieth-century African literature. Like Oyono’s Houseboy, also available from Waveland Press, this novel fiercely satirizes the false pretenses of European colonial rule in Africa. Meka, a village elder, has always been loyal to the white man. It is with pride that he first hears he is to receive a medal. While waiting for the ceremony, however, Meka’s pride gives way to skepticism. At the same time, his wife has realized that the me... continue