Camara Laye (January 1, 1928 – February 4, 1980) was a writer from Guinea. His most well-known works are The African Child (L'Enfant noir), a novel based loosely on his own childhood, and The Radiance of the King (Le Regard du roi). Both novels are among the earliest major works in Francophone African literature. Camara Laye later worked for the government of newly independent Guinea, but went into voluntary exile over political issues. == Early life == Camara Laye was born in Kouroussa, a tow…