when her first book, "al-istifakh ou l'idylle de mes amis", was released in yaoundé in 2001 (editions clé), koundja became the first female published author in chad's history. the novel is the story of two young people who decide to marry despite their parents withholding consent because of their tribal and religious differences. the novel ends positively, with the couple living happily in france and koundja uses their marriage to symbolize the social issues plaguing chadian society since 1979, and to advocate a culture of forgiveness.