The conscript : a novel of Libya's anticolonial war / by Gebreyesus Hailu ; translated from the Tigrinya by Ghirmai Negash ; introduction by Laura Chrisman.
"First edition (in Tigrinya), Pietro Silla Printing Press, Asmara ([1927], 1950)."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents
Introduction by Laura Chrisman -- Preface to the Tigrinya edition -- A portrait of youth -- The departure from Asmara -- Deep in the wilderness -- The thirst of death.
Note
Print version record.
Summary
Eloquent and thought-provoking, this classic novel by the Eritrean novelist Gebreyesus Hailu, written in Tigrinya in 1927 and published in 1950, is one of the earliest novels written in an African language and will have a major impact on the reception and critical appraisal of African literature. The Conscript depicts, with irony and controlled anger, the staggering experiences of the Eritrean ascari, soldiers conscripted to fight in Libya by the Italian colonial army against the nationalist Libyan forces fighting for their freedom from Italy's colonial rule. Anticipating midcentury thinker.