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]
 1956 French edition | |
| Author | Romain Gary |
|---|---|
| Original title | Les Racines du ciel |
| Translator | Jonathan Griffin |
| Language | French |
| Set in | French Equatorial Africa, 1955 |
| Publisher | Éditions Gallimard |
Publication date | 5 October 1956 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1958 |
| Pages | 510 |
| 843.9 | |
Synopsis
editThe 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
editJohn Huston directed and Darryl Zanuck produced a 1958 Hollywood film of the same title.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Le Palmarès". academie-goncourt.fr (in French). Académie Goncourt. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
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