bush beasts

Rene Maran
Presentation and comments by Roger Little

Four humorous and poetic action tales, new edition of the book published in 1941 by Albin Michel editions. New commented edition, published on the occasion of the centenary of the Goncourt de Batouala prize, a real negro novel , by René Maran.
Available in audiobook

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René Maran is the author of Batouala, a true negro novel, the "first black Goncourt", whose centenary is celebrated in this year 2021.
Born in Martinique on November 5, 1887, of Guyanese parents, he attended school in Bordeaux before joining his father in Africa. There he discovers the facts and misdeeds of colonization and feeds on an experience that permeates his writings. The four tales brought together in Bêtes de la brousse are part of this.

René Maran chooses to stage animals there. As a keen observer, he accurately describes their nature and behavior, like a La Fontaine, to draw moral lessons for mankind. The man is present there in two forms and two names: his "white-skinned" fellow administrators and their "black-skinned" constituents. He pinpoints them just as much as the others, but in his own words: "There is a lot of action and variety in these tales, but also poetry, moving or realistic details that always hold the attention and provide the reader a real pleasure. So be it !
For having devoted several major studies to him, Roger Little is certainly the best specialist of René Maran. On the occasion of this new edition of Les Bêtes de la brousse, it sheds new light on the linguistic, stylistic and artistic research that underlies and characterizes all of its author's work.