Mariama Bâ quotes
1929 – 1981 · Senegal, 20th century · novelist, teacher, education inspector and women’s-rights activist
About Mariama Bâ
Born in Dakar on 17 April 1929 and died there on 17 August 1981, Mariama Bâ worked for decades in education, becoming an inspector. Her first novel, Une si longue lettre (1979, Noma Award), brought international attention; Un chant écarlate appeared in 1981. Her fiction examines marriage, gender and social inequality in Senegal.
Works: Une si longue lettre (So Long a Letter) ; Un chant écarlate (Scarlet Song)
Quotes
“The flavour of life is love. The salt of life is also love.”
Source: So Long a Letter, p. 64 (English edition) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording appears in the English translation of Mariama Bâ’s novel So Long a Letter, within Ramatoulaye’s letter about Daouda Dieng’s return.
- What remains uncertain
- The evidence verifies the line in the English translation; exact phrasing in the French original and translator details require further consultation.
In So Long a Letter Mariama Bâ uses food metaphors to say love both flavors and seasons life: it creates richness and, like salt, makes the ordinary matter. The line comes from Ramatoulaye’s intimate letter, where love is weighed against betrayal, duty and dignity.