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Io, venditore di elefanti. Una vita per forza fra Dakar, Parigi e Milano
A landmark bestseller in Italy, I Was an Elephant Salesman gives a nameand a face to the thousands of anonymous African street vendors in cities acrossEurope. Through the voice of a thinly veiled first-person narrator, Pap Khoumaoffers us a chilling, intimate, and often ironic glimpse into the life of an illegalimmigrant. Khouma invents a life for himself as an itinerant trader of carvedelephants, small ivories, and other "African" trinkets, struggling tomaintain courage and dignity in the face of despair and humiliation. Constantly onthe run from the authorities, he finds insight into the vicissitudes of law andpolitics, the constraints of citizenship, national borders, skin color, and theoften paralyzing difficulties of obtaining basic human needs. His story reveals acontemporary Europe struggling to come to terms with its multiracial, multireligious, and multicultural identity.
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First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 19, 2020
The story was definitely impactful and straightforward to show the direct truths of immigration in Italy and the realities they would face. What really blows my mind is how these "laws" are in place to be of more assistance and the conditions don't improve at all, possibly even worsening for this community. I wouldn't have picked this up on my own if it weren't for my professor BUT I'm still glad (yet pained) to have read the story.
August 5, 2023
Interessante romanzo che racconta una delle tante vite arrivate in Italia con la speranza di migliorare il proprio status. L'ho trovato emotivamente impegnativo, tra le pagine si legge tutta la sofferenza e il dolore che il protagonista ha vissuto sulle sue spalle.
January 20, 2026
This very thinly fictionalized version of the Senegalese author's migration to Italy in the early to mid 1980s became a bestseller in Italy in 1990. The author narrated his experiences to an Italian author he knew, and these were typed up and reshaped into this book. The basics are all pretty familiar -- as a younger son in a family, he found opportunities lacking in Senegal and resolved to make his way to an unknown better life in Germany. His journey ultimately takes him to the Ivory Coast and France and Italy, but never Germany.
It's somewhat interesting to consider his (at this point) 40-year-old account of a desperate hand-to-mouth life of an undocumented migrant in the pre-internet, per-cell phone era of Europe. He and his brethren would track down friends of friends of cousins in distant cities, with addresses and phone numbers scribbled down. Housing was difficult to come by, and they all lived in constant fear of police, confiscation of goods, and deportation orders. They made their living buying junky "African" trinkets in bulk from more prosperous contacts, and then selling them at beaches, pizzas, caffes, etc. (It's hard to imagine making a living like that, but presumably the appeal to native Italians for then-exotic items like carved wooden elephants was enough to sustain a small industry.)
The book covers something around two years, culminating in the passage of a law in 1986 that more or less normalized the legal status of migrants like the author. It's quite effective at conveying the precariousness of this life and mental strain (including the feelings of shame of being a vendor), as well as the moments of fellowship -- however it all gets rather repetitive and definitely reads as memoir rather than story or fiction. Readers with a specific interest in migration to Italy or the experience of African migrants to Europe may want to check it out, but it's otherwise of limited interest. A more interesting (and recent) fictional treatment of similar themes can be found in Amara Lakhous's A Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio.
It's somewhat interesting to consider his (at this point) 40-year-old account of a desperate hand-to-mouth life of an undocumented migrant in the pre-internet, per-cell phone era of Europe. He and his brethren would track down friends of friends of cousins in distant cities, with addresses and phone numbers scribbled down. Housing was difficult to come by, and they all lived in constant fear of police, confiscation of goods, and deportation orders. They made their living buying junky "African" trinkets in bulk from more prosperous contacts, and then selling them at beaches, pizzas, caffes, etc. (It's hard to imagine making a living like that, but presumably the appeal to native Italians for then-exotic items like carved wooden elephants was enough to sustain a small industry.)
The book covers something around two years, culminating in the passage of a law in 1986 that more or less normalized the legal status of migrants like the author. It's quite effective at conveying the precariousness of this life and mental strain (including the feelings of shame of being a vendor), as well as the moments of fellowship -- however it all gets rather repetitive and definitely reads as memoir rather than story or fiction. Readers with a specific interest in migration to Italy or the experience of African migrants to Europe may want to check it out, but it's otherwise of limited interest. A more interesting (and recent) fictional treatment of similar themes can be found in Amara Lakhous's A Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio.
May 4, 2023
A story from a perspective I have never read before. It shades light on the role of (illegal) immigrants in Italy in the 1980s and today. I really liked the narrator’s voice and the insight. Yet, a lot of scenes feel repetitive as they try to convey the frustrating reality of hiding and running from the authorities. Very straightforward, understandable style, also suitable for non-native speakers. Read it in a few hours.
3.5 🌟
3.5 🌟
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June 15, 2025A loosely fictionalized account of the author's experiences as a seller of trinkets in Italy during the mid and late 1980s, before the explosion of immigration from Africa. Engaging and touching, its depiction of the hazards of life as an undocumented immigrant felt sadly apropos given the situation.
November 16, 2025
This work cultivates a sense of empathy and (perceived) understanding for the many street salesmen one encounters in Europe; in particular, I was marked by Khouma's language about coexisting feelings of pride and shame regarding his livelihood. The protagonist describes his life's events in a factual narrative style, with only a few punctuated displays of strong emotion/reflection. While not always the most engaging read, I think the format itself spoke to the drudgery of the protagonist's unanchored and uncertain existence as an illegal traveling worker.
Themes that stuck out to me:
1. The immediate community formed by sharing national origin when you find yourself out of familiar waters, at least for the Senegalese community described by Khouma. It was astonishing how much sacrifice and collaboration went into sustaining the protagonist's community, and further satisfying to see him transition from a young beneficiary to a community leader over the decades.
2. The conflicting feelings of earning money in a career that most people detest. The protagonist confesses he feels shame and guilt when pestering people to check out his wares, but also pride when he feels degraded when people offer 'hand-out money' as if he were a beggar. He sees it as an unsavory, but ultimately legitimate, career that is absolutely distinct from begging; ultimately, he is providing goods in exchange for money like countless other professions.
Themes that stuck out to me:
1. The immediate community formed by sharing national origin when you find yourself out of familiar waters, at least for the Senegalese community described by Khouma. It was astonishing how much sacrifice and collaboration went into sustaining the protagonist's community, and further satisfying to see him transition from a young beneficiary to a community leader over the decades.
2. The conflicting feelings of earning money in a career that most people detest. The protagonist confesses he feels shame and guilt when pestering people to check out his wares, but also pride when he feels degraded when people offer 'hand-out money' as if he were a beggar. He sees it as an unsavory, but ultimately legitimate, career that is absolutely distinct from begging; ultimately, he is providing goods in exchange for money like countless other professions.
March 6, 2019
This book was read for my Cultural Foundations II class at NYU.
I found this book to be very insightful into a world that I knew from one perspective. I greatly enjoyed not only the story, written with such simplicity, but also the knowledge I gained from. My class even had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Pap Khouma about this book and ask specific questions, which furthered my understanding about his perspective and the general role immigrants play in Italian society, a country that I have been visiting my whole life, but this perspective I was completely unaware of.
I found this book to be very insightful into a world that I knew from one perspective. I greatly enjoyed not only the story, written with such simplicity, but also the knowledge I gained from. My class even had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Pap Khouma about this book and ask specific questions, which furthered my understanding about his perspective and the general role immigrants play in Italian society, a country that I have been visiting my whole life, but this perspective I was completely unaware of.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews