Fatou Diome was born in 1968 on the island of Niodior, Senegal. There, she was raised by her grandmother and she attended school, where she learned French and her passion for French literature was born. She earned a bachelor´s degree in Modern Literature from the University of Marc Bloch in Strasbourg, where she also completed her PhD titled Viajes, intercambios y formación, en la obra literaria y cinematográfica de Ousmane Sembene (Journeys, Exchanges and Creation of the Literary and Cinematographic Work of Ousmane Sembene).

In 2001, the author published a collection of short stories titled La Préférence nationale. Her first novel was Le Ventre de l’Atlantique (Somewhere in the Atlantic, 2003), which became a best seller in France. It has been translated into English, Spanish and German. In 2006, she published the novel titled Kétala and Inassouvies, nos vies in 2008.

Between 2004 and 2005, she wrote and presented the monthly cultural programme titled Nuit blanche for the France 3 television channel. She also taught cinematographic script writing courses at the University of Marc Bloch, UFR Arts/Cinéma et Audiovisuel, and 19th century French literature and Francophone African literature at the Karlsruhe Higher Education Institute (Germany).

France and Africa, and the relation between the two, represent the framework of her fictional work. Her style is inspired by the art of traditional storytelling, which is still practised in Africa. With the precise and authentic descriptions, mischievous humour, and sharp (yet toned down) language that characterise her, she draws an unsettling portrait of the difficulties faced by African immigrants in France, intertwined with nostalgic memories of her native Senegal.

Sources:

• Journal of Afroeuropean Studies

• Presentation of En un lugar del Atlántico (Somewhere in the Atlantic) at the Tres Culturas Foundation

Additional information:

• Related news at the Casa África website

• Related event in the Casa África website

• Consult the availability of publications at the Casa África Media Library