After On polygamy – The Nuamba family, Abdou Cissokho published a second novel on June 21, 2024, at Le Lys bleu editions. The Revenant of Eldoradothis time at Hello édition. This young 28-year-old Senegalese author has just finished his master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Poitiers.
What is this book about?
Abdou Cissokho: “The main character is Dany, an Ivorian. He leaves his village, his country, to take the path of adventure and try his luck elsewhere. As his journey progresses, he meets many different people and realizes that Europe is not the Eldorado he imagined.”
How did you construct this story?
A.C. : “I started with a social issue that everyone is familiar with, emigration, and I tried to analyze its root causes and the issues related to it. I tried to build it around real facts. I met people, made observations. I ended up bringing together the stories, points of view and thoughts of quite a few people.”
Is this a philosophical novel?
A.C. : “I would rather classify it as a psychological novel, but there are still parts where you can really see the influence of philosophy. The book is steeped in philosophical thought, that’s quite clear.”
How did the writing go?
A.C. : “I thought about this book for a long time before formalizing it. But when I started writing it, I already had the whole plot in mind. It was relatively quick in the end: I started it in June 2023 and finished it in October. I often wrote at night or in the afternoon after work. Sometimes three or four hours in a row, and hours of quite deep concentration. I’m never too satisfied with what I write, I always tell myself that I have to improve. You have to constantly come back, erase, start again. It was quite intense.”
Do you plan to make a living from your books?
A.C. : “I didn’t think about writing from a financial point of view at all. We all know that it’s extremely difficult to be rich with your writing. I’m more interested in the messages I want to convey. I’ll continue to write as long as I can and as long as I have the inspiration, but whether I’ll make a career out of it remains to be seen. For now, I’m thinking more about doing a thesis in philosophy.”
