Ahmadou Kouroumas award winning novel The Suns of Independence is one of the great classics of Francophone African literature capturing the dreams and struggles of a newly independent nationFama is the last of an ancient line of Dumbuya princes who before the Europeans came reigned undisputed over the Malinke tribe Yet even after independence Fama is forced to beg for his place amongst the bureaucratic elite Meanwhile his wife Salimata is desperately attempting to save the Dumbuya legacy from extinctionBeyond the gripping political intrigue Ahmadou Kourouma weaves together an indepth tapestry of Malinke culture blending the everyday experience of 1960s postcolonial life with ageold myths and traditionsPerhaps the most remarkable African novelist writing in French Guardian