Conscript

Gebreyesus Hailu (1906–1993) was a prominent and influential figure in the cultural and intellectual life of Eritrea during the Italian colonial period and in the post-Italian era in Africa. With a PhD in theology, he was vicar general of the Catholic Church in Eritrea and played several important roles in the Ethiopian government, including that of cultural attaché at the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome, member of the national academy of language, and advisor to the Ministry of Information of the Ethiopian government. Ghirmai Negash is a professor of English and African literature at Ohio University. He is the author of A History of Tigrinya Literature in Eritrea and coeditor of Who Needs a Story? His recent publications include articles and essays on Eritrean and South African literatures.

"Gebreyesus Hailu does Africa great service in recounting an all but forgotten and therefore all the more reprehensible chapter in African colonial history. In the same spirit, Ghirmai Negash's superb translation brings back to world literature an Eritrean literary jewel of global and timeless relevance." "This translation from Tigrinya into English by Ghirmai Negash brings the slim, fascinating novel to a broad readership so that we might appreciate its value as a complex and moving reflection on Eritrean involvement in the Libyan anticolonial war. …The colonial encounter, as represented in Hailu's novel, is messy and multifaceted, and this is, perhaps, the novel's most important insight, one that could usefully be shared with students in African history or literature courses." (Northeast African Studies) "A fine, nuanced translation." (Themes in Modern African History and Culture: Festschrift for Tekeste Negash) "The Conscript gives the Tigrinya novel its early framing contour, as it shows sophistication and maturity in the depiction of the inner turmoil and real-life characteristics of its characters. It is a novel that grapples with issues of identity, self-agency, war, and the traumatic effects of (de)colonization on the human psyche. Read it and see for yourself how canonical novels like Things Fall Apart, Weep Not, Child, Houseboy, The Bluest Eye, are eerily prefigured in an early African-language novel." "The Conscript is a harrowing journey into the experiences of an Eritrean man who, after being recruited into the Italian army, is forced to fight in its war to subjugate Libyans. This is a novel of great irony and power. Its translation into English is a gift to American readers." "This work was written in the author's native language and it was only recently translated into English. I love the style and the power of this novel. One can see Hailu's theology training and grooming in the pastoral style of his writing. But, the tremors of Frantz Fanon, Aime Cesaire, and the Negritude Movement are inherent in this book too. I enjoyed reading this novel and being educated." (Examiner.com) "Negash has mastery of the two languages (Tigrinya and English) and he has done tremendous job in giving an accurate translation of the original." (Ethiopian Review) "(N)ow another monumental achievement by Negash has dawned: one that will rewrite African literary history of the 20th century. He has translated The Conscript, a novel written in Tigrinya by Ghebreyesus Hailu, initially in 1927, and first published in 1950. The novel is remarkable, and its translation is momentous." (Warscapes.com)