Pap Khouma

Anna Ciamparella (Florida SouthWestern State College)
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Born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1957, Pap Abdoulaye Khouma is an African Italian novelist, essayist, teacher, and journalist. Fluent in several languages including French and his native idiom Wolof, Khouma recounts in his autobiographical novel

Io, venditore di elefanti

[

I Was an Elephant Salesman

]

 

(1990) that,

in Senegal, he was a ceramist and liked to paint (16). Around 1974, he migrated to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast where he became a vendor. However, maybe because he felt a strong sense of nostalgia, the young Khouma decided to return to Senegal. He then immigrated to Europe in 1984. At first, he wanted to go to Spain – because the plane ticket was cheaper, he writes (23) –, but in July he ended up landing in Italy. To be more specific, he decided to go to Riccione because some of his…

1580 words

Citation: Ciamparella, Anna. "Pap Khouma". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14142, accessed 03 December 2024.]

14142 Pap Khouma 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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