The Roots of Heaven (novel)

The Roots of Heaven
1956 French edition
AuthorRomain Gary
Original titleLes Racines du ciel
TranslatorJonathan Griffin
LanguageFrench
Set inFrench Equatorial Africa, 1955
PublisherÉditions Gallimard
Publication date
5 October 1956
Publication placeFrance
Published in English
1958
Pages510
843.9

The Roots of Heaven (French: Les Racines du ciel) is a 1956 novel by the Lithuanian-born French writer and World War II aviator, Romain Gary (born Roman Kacew). It received the Prix Goncourt for fiction. It was translated into English in 1957.[1]

Synopsis

The book takes place in French Equatorial Africa. Morel, a crusading environmentalist, labors to preserve elephants from extinction. He is assisted in the task by Minna, a nightclub hostess, and Forsythe, a disgraced British military officer in search of redemption. The story is a metaphor for the quest for salvation for all humanity.

Adaptation

John Huston directed and Darryl Zanuck produced a 1958 Hollywood film of the same title.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Le Palmarès". academie-goncourt.fr (in French). Académie Goncourt. Retrieved 2011-12-16.