Kuoh-Moukoury, Thérèse 1938–

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Kuoh-Moukoury, Thérèse 1938–

PERSONAL: Born February 7, 1938, in Yaoundé, Cameroon; daughter of Jacques Kuoh-Moukouri (an administrator and author). Education: Attended Institut des Hautes Études d'Outre-Mer (Overseas Territories' Institute for Higher Studies), France; earned law degree.

ADDRESSES: Home—Paris, France; and Cameroon. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Modern Language Association of America, 26 Broadway, 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10004-1789.

CAREER: Writer, lawyer, and consultant. Has practiced law as a children's magistrate. Communications and organizational consultant to private companies; also consulted with international organizations and governments in Africa. President, Union of African and Madagascan Women.

WRITINGS:

Rencontres essentielles (novel), 1956, Harmattan (Paris, France), 1995, introduction by Cheryl Toman, Modern Language Association of America (New York, NY), 2002, translated with an introduction by Cheryl Toman as Essential Encounters, 2002.

Les couples dominos, Julliard (Paris, France), 1973, published as Les couples dominos: aimer dans la différence, Harmattan (Paris, France), 1983.

Also author of poems, short stories, and journal articles.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Profil d'un homme: Alexandré Douala Manga Bell ("Profile of a Man: Alexandré Douala Manga Bell"), a novel based on the biography of Bell.

SIDELIGHTS: A native of Cameroon who has spent much of her life in France, Thérèse Kuoh-Moukoury is an attorney and author whose first novel, Rencontres essentielles, was one of the first works of fiction written and published in French by a Sub-Saharan, African female writer. Originally released in 1956, it was not translated into English until 2002, when it was published as Essential Encounters. The story is about an African couple whose relationship is torn apart when they are unable to have a child. This plot is used, however, to illustrate the social problems resulting from changing ways of life in Cameroon as it evolves from a rural to an urban society.

Kuoh-Moukoury is also the author of short stories, poems, and articles. An attorney fighting for children's rights, she is gravely concerned with social problems, and has lectured widely on these important issues. She is also the author of the sociological study Les couples dominos, which concerns the problems confronted by married couples of mixed race.