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The Roots of Heaven (novel)

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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

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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

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

See also

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References

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