The Wretched of the Earth
by Frantz Fanon · Les Damnés de la terre
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1961
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- French
- Length
- Medium · 320 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Wretched of the Earth, translated by Richard PhilcoxGrove Press, 2004The current standard translation, with Sartre's original preface and a foreword by Homi Bhabha; Constance Farrington's older version is the one many quotations come from.
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Written in the last year of Fanon's life, during the Algerian war of independence, and published with a preface by Sartre weeks before he died. The opening chapter argues that colonialism is a system of violence and can only be ended by violence, which also remakes the colonised. Later chapters warn that a national bourgeoisie will betray independence, examine the role of peasants and the cities, and call for a new national culture. The last chapter presents case notes from Fanon's psychiatric patients, torturers and tortured alike.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Wretched of the Earth are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
