Black, French, and African A Life of Léopold Sédar Senghor

The first biography in English of this prizewinning poet, politician, and intellectual. Senghor, the first African to be elected to the Academie Francaise for his contributions to French culture was also the first president of independent Senegal from 1961-1980, and a leader of West African Independence. Examined are the links between his personal experience, his political work, and his poetry, and the effects of his political ideology on state building. Annotation(c) 2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)