Tag: african fiction

So long a letter by Mariama Ba

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source – library

Mariama Ba is a Sengalese writer and activist for femmist roghts in here native country ,she struggle to get herself a good education as the feeling was at the time that girls could not get taught ,she later married a Member of parilment and got divorced from him end up bring there nine children up by herself .So long a letter was her debut novel and was described by the nigerian academic Abiola Irele the most deeply felt presentation of the female condition in african fiction .

So long a letter as the titles suggest is told in the forms of letters ,the letters are between two old friends Ramatoulaye a schoolteacher that had recently lost her husband and her best friend Aissatou .we discover via the letter there married life how they met and how they spent a long and happy marriage together til her lat husband decided to take a second wife  Binetou ,this upsets Ramatoulaye she struggles to cope with this in the male dominated society of Senegal .

On the third day ,the same comings and goings of friends ,relatives ,the poor ,the unknown ,The name of the deceased ,who was popular ,has a buzzing crowd ,welcomed in my house that has been stripped of all that could be stolen ,all that could be spoilt .mats of all sorts are spread out everywhere there is a space metal chairs have been hired for the occasion take on the blue hue of the sun .

Ramatoulaye describes the scene of her late husband Moudo funeral .

The insight in to everyday African life for a normal everyday African women is wonderful and terrifying at the same time ,the toughness of the islamic system they follow having to share a husband are things that we never really encounter here ,Ramatoulaye comes across as such a strong person ,some of Mariama own spirit seems to have rubbed off on this character .This is great starter for female African fiction and rightly deserves it place on the African writer series classic .It gave me an insight into the islamic world and multiple marriages in Africa .at 90 pages long it is an afternoon read or as I did a pocket read for those spare minutes of the day when you need a small book in your coat pocket to read .I enjoyed the style the book was written in the letter format is a clever way to let you into the head of the two main characters and is a under used format in fiction .The book was written in french and translated by Modupo Bodo-Thomas ,and was first published in english in 1981 and won the Noma awards .

Have you read this book ?

What should I read next from a African female writer ?

Tail of the blue bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes

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SOURCE -LIBRARY

Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanaian writer ,social commentator ,he was BBC radio threes writer in residence in 2005 ,he has his own web page which is full of piece of his work and spoken word performances .

Tail of the blue bird is part crime ,part social commentary ,this is a true one-off mixing the best of African fiction with crime fiction for a heady mix .the Novel centres on a rural village Sonokrom in the middle of nowhere in Ghana ,this is a place were the traditional values and customs still rule over the people of the villages .But a discovery leads to an  investigation by two outsiders from the more modern world of Accra the capital ,Kayo one of these outsiders has just returned from the UK and is a crime scene investigations ,with a scientific mind that is the complete opposite to the villagers ,the pair struggle with the case .

So we have a case in a village near Tafo that we need your help with .It is not even a case we would have bothered with, but the minister for roads and highways is sleeping with a girl from Tafo .She discovered some human matter and the minister himself called me that day to deploy some men .

As we find out the case was a favour to a minister .The man’s struggle with events that at times see unnatural almost supernatural ,flocks of birds, ghost boys ,Also the reluctant villagers add to the struggle .

The writing is wonderful Parkes manages to pull you into the men as they head to this village ,he evokes the spirit of African villages as they struggle with the old way of life and the ever-increasing modern world as mobile phones computers , western ways  creep in from the capital Accra ,but even earlier in the book we discover that Kayo struggles on his return to the capital from the UK ,as the local police don’t initially seem to keen on his CSI skills ,but later accept him and his ultra modern ideas ,even thou Kayo at times struggles with the mystery’s of Ghana’s hinterlands .

I read this for KINNA READS  GHANA WEEK ,ps sorry its late and single vol Kinna ,I would go and check her blog as she has reviewed some great African fiction in the last year .

Traveller to the east by Thomas Molfo

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source – library

Thomas Molfo was born in 1876 in Bestho now Lesotho in southern Africa ,he is considered the first African novelist ,He is best known for a later novel Chaka a story of a Lulu king .

The story centres on Fekisi a young man in the Basutoland ,,he works looking after the herds and is the chiefs son but he seeks something more .After witness some acts ariound the villages questions his postion and his village , so sets off to the east and what lies ahead,This journey she the young man witness murder and eventually convert to Christianity by the white men in the east  ,meanwhile there are sections on how the village copes when he leaves ,discussion of circumcision school where all the boys Fekisi age are taught how to be men in preparation of circumcision .

There was a feast of the boys being held .The son of the chief was coming out of circumcision school .This son was the first-born child of the chief ,the son of his first wife .He it was who would attain chieftainship and follow his father .It was feast if the heir .

Fekisi struggles with position and life .

This book is short at only 80 pages ,It encompasses a mythical feel but also a worrying christian angle ,I view from some research into the writer it was use to convert people  alongside Bunyan’s pilgrim Progress ,his wiring style is in the storytelling tradition and easy to read ,Just the second half of the book didnt grab me I may try his novel as his style and the translation where both great ,just disliked the christian propaganda at the end of the book .but the first part in the village and the journey was some of the best southern African writing I have read .there is a museum in Morjia In Lesotho and a web page on the region and its history here .the book was orginally published in episodes in a news paper It was translated by Harry Ashton .

who wants to help ?

~ winstonsdad ~ 23 Comments

I would love some people to help me out with the around the world challenge have a basic format but ideas and offers of help most welcome .THE IDEA SO FAR IS 11 CATEGORISE no order but a year-long challenge ,thinks I need help with are using mister linky ,making a button for blogs to show any help or offers of support be most welcome . here is what the categories would be –

  1. EUROPE (NORTHERN) -ie Germany ,Holland ,Sweden ,Denmark , Finland,Russia ,Poland ,uk ,Iceland ,Ireland ..
  2. EUROPE(SOUTHERN)-ie spain ,Portugal,Italy ,Greece,Turkey Balkans …
  3. AFRICA (FRENCH AFRICA) The west of africa mainly Senegal ,Cotes de Ivorie including books in other language from these areas in english.
  4. AFRICA (ENGLISH SPEAKING ) southern and eastern africa IE Kenya ,Ghana ,South Africa also books in other languages translated in to english
  5. ARABIC books from the arabic world Algeria ,Egypt etc
  6. ASIA  (Korea ,Japan and China )
  7. ASIA rest of asia
  8. AMERICAS (NORTH) US AND CANADA BOOKS
  9. AMERICAS (CENTRAL) plus Caribbean
  10. AMERICAS (SOUTH )
  11. AUSTRALIA ,NEW ZEALAND AND OCEANIA

There are categories I ve in mind and let people read in what ever order they want but one a month for challenge leaving spare month as we all have things crop up and may need time in hand .

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

I want this to be fun my personnel goal was to read books from 52 countries this year I ve nearly done that in twelve months ,its given me such a scope of books ,I just in a little way want to pass that on to other people in a fun way ,all the best stu and winston .

red dust and hard lives

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TITLE – HOUSE OF HUNGER BY DAMBUDZO MARECHERA

SOURCE – LIBRARY

This is yet another one of the wonderful heinemann african writer series .Dambudzo was a Rhodesian /Zimbabwean writer ,he grew up in a trouble family studied at university in Zimbabwe and Oxford but was expelled from both due to causing unrest he lead a turbulent life and left very little writing behind him but what he did leave is considered the best south african writing of its period ,he did in 1987 aged only 35 .the book is a 80 page novella and 9 shorter stories they stretch from his native Zimbabwe to his student days in Oxford ,a lot of the african stories are set in the ghettos of Zimbabwe and encapsulate the struggle of growing up in this war-torn and poverty stricken country ,the stories set in england mainly discuss alienation of being a african in the uk ,there is a strong sense of the tales being based in part on Dambdzo own life .sometimes they don’t made easy reading but essential I would say in the post colonial southern africa he is potraying via the stories .

I had never killed a goat before .But it was christmas .and father who had always done it was dead .He had been dead for seven years .My sister Ruth could not possibly be expected to kill the goat .It was supposed to be a man’s job .And mother was dead too .There was the two of us in the house ,Ruth and I was on sabbatical from university and christmas I had hoped would be a break from the book

the start of the christmas reunion where a brother returns home for christmas with his sister

I enjoyed this book so much Dambudzo writing style is crisp and not flowery ,he catches in Rhodesia /Zimbabwe as huge changes are afoot in his homeland and he shows it through his characters eyes ,also he captures what must have been his own experiences in london and Oxford for the uk based stories alienation and also the racist attitudes at times from the british man on the street ,also I read and thought what a great loss at his early age has been for his homeland ,the great changes since the downfall of the Ian smith regime the fresh start but now the trnany of Robert Mugabe ,such a talent writer would have surely have been  a great voice for the everyman struggling under the present regime .A wonderful collection by a talented writer .

Winston’s scores –

I ve gone for something different this time A video and song by K’naan the african rapper about the hardship of every day life in the ghettos this seems to sum up parts of this book wonderfully .sometimes we forget how hard some peoples lives are everyday .

Burma boy by Biyi Bandele

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Biyi Bandele is a Nigerian born writer who currently lives in London a playwriter as well he adapted things fall apart for the stage and is considered one of the leading voices of post colonial writing ,he has written a number of novels since the early nineties including the street ,this was his latest published in 2007 by Jonathan Cape .

The book revolves around the story of  farabiti a young thirteen year old lad that joins the army during the second world war and ends up in the jungles of Burma .Where he is involved with the adventurous army commander Wingate a maverick who lead a almost guerlia like war in Burma ,Wingate also appears at the start of the book in a prologue set in Cairo .

This strange man ,dressed in a british army uniform that hung loosely on his shrunken frame ,and wearing a major’s rank was in the grips of a fierce and crippling fever .He shivered under the blistering heat ,his teeth clattering as if he were in the deep chill of an english winter ‘s day .

an introduction to Wingate .

The story reaches a huge battle in a large fortified place called the white city . Against the hard fighting unforgiving Japanese forces .

What Biyi has done is wonderfully brought to life part of his own family history as his father also fought in the second world war in the Burma campaign ,the book brings many different voices from Nigeria as we meet other characters in the unit .The story is reasonably well paced and maybe drags in a couple of places ,but the true beauty is a heartfelt tale of the African experiences in the second world war ,which to a large degree have been overlooked in the past .

This was meant to be part of Amy reads Nigerian challenge last month but I ran out of time to review it in June ,The book’s title in the US is” the Kings rifles” .

Winston’s score –

lion cub fierce and independent like farbiti in the jungles of Burma .

The last brother by Nathacha Appanah

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Nathacha is an india born Mauritian writer she currently lives of the coast of Madagascar on a small island ,The last brother is her debut novel and in france won the FNAC fiction prize .she has written 3 other novels also winning prizes for blue bay palace ,see start as a journalist in her native Mauritius before in 98 going to france where she has worked in print media and radio .The last brother is set in the middle of the second world war we join Raj a young boy who has lost his brother distant from his hard-working father ,looking for friends and a way to deal with the loss of his brother meanwhile David arrives with 1500 Jews that have been deported from Palestine in their search for the promised land ,they arrive in Mauritius ,this is where Raj and David meet both have suffer loses and quickly they form a bond and become each others brothers so to speak ,David goes on the run from the prison camp ,where it happens Raj’s father is a guard the two boys escape through the tough swamps and landscape ,David not being in the best of health struggles .The book is a wonderfully poetic book and at just 200m pages long is what I call a weekend book one I read last saturday in a day ,Nathacha has done a great Job highlighting the plight of the people who didn’t make the promised land .

Then David made a very curious gesture .He plunged two fingers into the earth ,the laid them ,all covered in soil against his breast and ,his hand upon his beating heart said ERETZ .My mother began to weeping softly ,because she herself had probably understood that he was speaking of the promised land .

Raj sees how much the promised land means to David .

Told through Raj’s eyes you get a childlike view of the world where he is unconcerned with borders country’s and border ,just in his friend and brother David ,This book is one of the most touching books I ve read .The translation by Geoffrey Strachan is seamless as you’d expect from him .Raj and David will live with me for a long while ,the scenery of Mauritius as well .

I picture that blond child again ,his magnificent long jumping ,his good-natured face silhouetted against the sky and the foliage of the trees ,the red parakeet perched on his golden hair and I tell myself that in a minute I shall recount David’s story to my son ,so that he .too, may remember .

finis

the ending of the book !

If you’re looking for a powerful and thought provoking read instead of a supermarket holiday read I d put this on the top of your list !!!!!! .the book is in hard back FROM MACLEHOSE PRESS

LINKS –

PIECE ABOUT THE CHILDREN ON TRIP TO ERETZ

world cup or writing nigeria

~ winstonsdad ~ 14 Comments

Sorry been a while since posted one of these ,Englands poor start has put dampers on world cup a bit .

WRITER –

The most well-known Nigerian writer is probably Ben Okri a huge favourite of my self famished road is a true masterpiece of african magic realism ,now there is also Biyi Bandele that i am just reading he is based in the uk his Burma boy follows a young man in the second world war in Burma and a Nigerian N.C.O sergant ,I ve also Kachi A Ozumba on my T.B.R pile ,I ve also enjoyed Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche her collection of short stories thing around the neck .T.M Aluko has also written a number of books also Ogail Ogali has written a lot of books ,I feel Nigeria as the largest country in africa population wise has loads of stories to tell us in the future .

World cup memories –

I first remembered them in there first world cup in 94 in the usa ,a great team that managed to qualify for last sixteen after beating Bulgaria and Greece in qualifying ,they had star striker daniel Amokochai ,who later played for Everton in the premiership ,I remember their great goal celebrations ,In 98 they knocked spain out in group stages ,also had Tarbio west playing a huge defender with wonderfully coloured braids .

i m linking this to Amy reads Nigerian challenge .

Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou

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Alain is originally from the Congo but now teaches in ucla in america ,he won the Prix Renaudot for his book Memoirs of a porcupine ,he also has another book Published by serpents tail that publish this edition .he studied law in Brazzaville before moving to france and is also a poet ,he also writes poetry .Broken Glass follows broken glass a man who is broken and spends all his time in a backstreet bar in congo ,at one time a teacher that fell on bad times after a scandal at the school he taught .the boss of the bar credit gone west suggest that broken glass should talk to the regulars about their lives and make a book of it as he has heard many western writers like to drink and write .so Broken glass starts talking to the regular and find himself drawn in to the equally woeful lives .We discover bad wives ,bad husbands along the way .there are some wonderful names pampers man ,broken glass .

Let’s say the boss of the bar Credit gone west gave me this notebook to fill , he’s convinced that I Broken Glass – can turn out a book .because one day ,for a laugh ,I told him abut this famous writer that drunk like a fish ,and had to be picked up off the street when he got drunk ,which shows you should never joke with the boss .

the opening of broken glass .

This book runs at such a pass ,you can feel the speech of  this part of the world joyful and non stop ,the sentences are long but don’t seem it as you get swept along through drinks and chats to see the different lives of the regulars .I worked for a time in a pub in my distant youth and can easily identify with the people of Credit gone west ,men escaping with ,men seeking solace in drink after being  disappointed in their life,  as in the pub they are all equal ,this is such a refreshing book to read Alain Manabckou deserves his tag of being one of the writers in the 21 century to watch . he is due in london soon to be part of the lrb weeekend .

Winston’s score –

baboon colourful ,like to get drunk of fruit ,social and very african

Neighbours -the story of a murder by Lilia Momple

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Lilia Momple

Notes –

Lilia Momple is from Mozambique she trained in social services before becoming a writer she has written a number of novels ,her main influence is her grandmother how told her stories ,with fragile heros .she has lived in London and Brazil ,she was also  head of the Mozambican writers union .

The book –

The story follow three house in a village during an evening and the morning ,there is a backdrop of the new state of Mozambique finding its feet after being a portuguese colony ,as we travel round the house we find out about family histories disappointing marriages ,traitors, abuse and secrets . Narguiss is a quiet woman that wants a quiet life but has a number of issues in her life a husband that wanders .Dupont a guy that has a secret and seems to be easily lead ,this leads to a thrilling climax as worlds collide and actions have to be done .all this and the intrigue of south Africans trying to unsettle the fledgling Mozambique .

From the small verandah of her flat ,Narguiss is once again contemplating the sky where contrary to what the moulanas say must be ,not even a trace of the moon can be seen .It is clear may sky dotted with stars of such intense brightness that they give the impression of being very close by ,But Narguiss can see nothing of the moon and this makes her feel disappointed and uneasy .

The opening chapter – Moulanas -means islamic priest .

 

My view –

I love this story it had parts ,I like the end of empire new countries finding there feet ,village life which i think is the same whether its set in the world ,it shows us how similar we are in character .Lilia has a real way of telling stories ,you can see how her grandmother’s influence her story telling and the link to the oral tradition of stories .If you like a tale of family and intrigue this will be up your street .

caine prize shortlist

~ winstonsdad ~ 4 Comments

Ken Barris (South Africa) The Life of Worm, from New Writing from Africa 2009

Lily Mabura (Kenya) How Shall We Kill the Bishop? from Wasafiri No53, Spring 2008

Namwali Serpell (Zambia) Muzungu, from The Best American Short Stories 2009

Alex Smith (South Africa) Soulmates, from New Writing from Africa 2009

Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) Stickfighting Days, from Chimurenga vol 

The caine prize has been announced today set up in memory of michael caine of booker it awards a prize to best writing in africa this year there was over a hundred entries

last years was E C osundu from Nigeria

LAST YEARS WINNER

The purple violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas

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the purple violet

notes-This is another one of Heinemanns wonderful african writer series ,it is the debut novel from Neshani Andreas a Namibian ,she is trained as a teacher and currently works in the education field in Namibia ,she is working on her second novel .she was born in Wavis bay but her family originates from the northern area of Namibia that this novel is set.she also worked for five years as a teacher in this rural area of Namibia .

The book-The book is about a young married girl Kauna and told in the whole from the perspective of her best friend and confidant Mee Ali a slightly older married girl in the village they live .The book starts with Kauna seeing the one of the elder ladies in the village and telling her about her abusive relationship with her husband Shange ,she is told in no uncertain terms this is the way things are and to grin and bare it ,this discussion was meant to be private but soon becomes common knowledge in the village ,shortly after this Shange unexpectionally dies .At first people are reassuring to Mee kanua but over a period of time she becomes suspect of being a witch and causing Shanges death ,she ends up with nothing as all Shanges property reverts to his family ,Mee Ali tries to help her friend the best she can as she sees her world fall apart .

It is that time of year again .The season when our village Oshaantu ,camouflage its self in a rich green carpet and provides a breathtaking sight ,especially from our homestead,which is built on an incline .I wish time would stand still .We had goo rains this year and are promised plenty to eat .

the opening lines of the purple violet of Oshaantu .

My view – I really wanted to read this book when i saw it at the library ,as i sometime work with a relief member of staff at work that originally comes from Namibia , this book has a number of levels it a story of a close friendship between to women ,an insight into village life ,an example of how females fit into Namibian society ,which is quite low by the novel .It slotted in nicely after reading Damon Galgut book set in Namibia ,that was about city life were as this book is about rural life .

link-

An interview with Neshani Andreas

Question-

Have you read any other Namibian writers ?

The beautiful screaming of pigs by Damon Galgut

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DAMON GALGUT

Notes –

Damon Galgut is one of South Africa’s leading writers with a number of books after being published  at 17  in 1980 with a sinless season ,this is his third novel and won the C.N.A South Africa’s leading literary prize ,He has also been shortlisted for the booker in 2003 with the good doctor ,he has also written several plays .

The book –

The book revolves around Patrick Winter and his two visits to South West Africa the first as a solider ,and secondly with his mother who has recently got divorced  ,the second visit his mother is visiting Godfrey her new lover a black swapo activist ,still a taboo at the time in South africa ,we also discover that Patrick had a great love on his first posting to South West Africa ,we are lead to belive this may have been a male love ,there is a funeral of a white activist from swapo that was killed ,the themes  are love discovery ,change and new beginnings in this book .

My view –

This is an amazing book for its short length ,and tackles the changing face of Southern Africa in the early nineties ,the breaking of long-held taboos and love between couples and a mother and son ,I read this book after some one  on twitter recommend his new book but at the library it wasn’t there but this wonderful book was ,this book made me think as i work with a colleague from Nambia which is what south-west africa is now called ,and was also a great counter point to the purple violets of Oshaantu ,which i read after this book .

Links –

An  interview with damon galgut

Questions –

Have you read any South African writers ?

Have you read Damon Galgut ?

 .

nervous conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

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nervous conditions

This is considered a modern african classic ,the book follows Tambu a 14 year old  as she grows up in a changing Zimbabwe or Rhodesia as it was when the book was set .she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle Babmakuru a strict ,father figure .her brother has died ,she must get on with it .In what is a change world between african traditions and western (english) values and cultures .she manages this but shows along the away the effect on various members of her family as some want progress and other try to cling to the old ways .The is times of joy and sorrow along the way at times Tambu escapes to her garden .I loved the feel of this story and setting a society on the edge of a new post colonial age .the struggle of african and western influences on every day life in africa .Tsitsi has written a follow-up to this book which i am looking forward to reading to find out what happened to the family .

I was not sorry when my brother died .nor am I apologising for my callousness,as you may define it ,my lack of feeling .For it is not that at all .I feel many things these days when i was young and my brother died ,and there are reasons for this more than the consequence of age .therefore i shall not apologise but begin by recalling the facts …………..

the opening words of nervous conditions.