Joseph Brahim Seid (1927–1980)

This compact book tells traditional stories and folk tales from the African nation of Chad. This is a translation done in 2006, published in 2007, of a much older book written originally in French. (The translator engaged with the author's daughter in Chad during the translation process.) The book includes 14 tales the author describes as traditional stories that are recounted during nights by the fire during village celebrations. Directionally similar to A Thousand Nights and a Night, the stories are often archetypal, but they are much shorter and geographically specific to Chad. Sometime quaint and clever but more often laden with artificially erudite and unnecessary adjectives, the book leaves one wishing they could experience the stories orally around a fire in the African savanna.… (mais)