African Literature

[Ben Jackson]

To celebrate my country's Independece, here are ten finest authors and their key works:

20th Century:
Soyinka (dramatist, Death and the King's Horseman, Ake)
Achebe (Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God)
Christopher Okigbo (Poet, Labyrinths)
Buchi Emecheta (Novelist, Second Class Citizen, Joys of Motherhood)
Ola Rotimi (Dramatist, God's Are Not to Blame, Holding Talks, Ovoramwen Nogbaisi)
Femi Osofisan (Dramatist, Who's Afraid of Tai Solarin, Women of Owu)
J P Clark (Poet, Collected Poems)
Gabriel Okara (Poet, Collected Poems)
Cyprian Ekwensi (Novelist, Jagua Nana, People of the City)
Elechi Amadi (Novelist, The Concubine, Sunset in Biafra)

21st Century:
Adichie
Teju Cole (Novelist, Essayist, Open City, Known and Strange Things)
Chris Abani (Novelist Graceland, Becoming Abigail)
Ben Okri (his main works are in this century despite writing his first works towards the end of the last century, Novelist, Famished Road, In Arcadia, Dangerous Love, Songs of Enchantment)
Helen Oyeyemi (Novelist, Yelllow Yellow)
Chigozie Obioma (Orchestra of Minorities, The Fishermen)
Nnedi Okorafor (Novelist, fantasy works, Zahrah the Windseeker)
Seffi Atta (Novelist, Everything Good'll Come, Swallow)
Tade Ipadeola (Poet, Sahara Testaments)
Helon Habila (Novelist, Waiting for an Angel, Oil on Water).

Haven't read some novels in this list yet, but there are some famous writers this country has produced.

 

[Patrick Murtha]

^ It is a fine, extensive record of accomplishment.

I always liked this from Okri: “Literature doesn’t have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer. His Falstaff, for example, is very African in his appetite for life, his largeness of spirit. The characters of Turgenev are ghetto dwellers. Dickens characters are Nigerians.”

 

[Ben Jackson]

^ It is a fine, extensive record of accomplishment.

I always liked this from Okri: “Literature doesn’t have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer. His Falstaff, for example, is very African in his appetite for life, his largeness of spirit. The characters of Turgenev are ghetto dwellers. Dickens characters are Nigerians.”

Agree with you, Pat. Literature is very universal, the characters everything. The only difference is the names of the characters but the attitude is translatable to every country. Dickens' characters seems like Nigerians.

Nigerian Literature is the finest from the continent despite South Africa having two Nobel Laureates and we having just one. Nigerian literature doesn't have the problem of post-apartheid literature South Africa had. Even Gordimer said something similar in an interview saying Nigerian literature is more broad-minded than South Africa. There are so many names I didn't include here, due to the fact that I haven't read them. Contemporary literature boast of talents like Elnathan John, Igoni Barrett (author of Blackass), poets like Uche Nduka (a brilliant poet with influences from Zbigniew Herbert to Celan), Niyi Osundare, another beautiful poet, Ahmad Yerima, an amazing playwright, amongst others. There's also Bernardine Evaristo, who's a Brit Nigerian that won the Booker in 2019 for Girl, Other. We have a prize (NLNG Prize for Literature), recognize literary works annually, a year for each literary genre (this year is poetry, the winner will be decided this October).

Our literary culture might not be as rich and grand as France, England, Russia, US, Germany, Italy, Ireland or even Austria, Spain or Japan, but within the continent, Nigeria's leading country.

 

[Ben Jackson]

As we have entered the New Year, here are some classic African Non-Fiction books published in the last century you can read

?? Male Daughters, Female Husbands (1987)--- Ifi Amadiume
Nigeria philosopher boldly argues the notion of gender as constructed in Western Feminist discourse.

?? Accumulation on a World Scale (1974)--- Amin Samir

Egyptian Marxist economist, Samir analysis process of capital accumulation

?? Origins of African Nationalism (1969)--- Mario Pinto Andrade

Mozambique politician takes a look at the structure and development of African Nationalist sentiments, intellectual and sociological foundations of African nationalism

?? In My Father's House (1992)--- Kwame Anthony Appiah
This work, blending personal essays and philosophy, explores the identity of been African.

?? Unity and Struggle (1968)--- Amilcar Cabral

Collection of essays, speeches and writings of freedom fighter of Guina Bissau who fought for independence of his country.

?? African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality (1974)---- Cheikh Anta Diop

This work by one of Africa's foremost historian and anthropologist argues that civilisation started with black people in Ancient Egypt.

?? African Philosophy (1974)--- Paulin Hountondji

This philosophic work explores the nature and future of Africam Philosophy and how it can become an appendage to world philosophy.

?? History of the Yorubas (1901)--- Rev Samuel Johnson

A monumental work in African history, this famous history book narrates the history of the Yoruba tribe, located in the South-Western part of Nigeria, and structure kf its native society.

?? Facing Mount Kenya (1938)--- Jomo Kenyatta

This is an anthropological study of Kikuyu people in Kenya written by Kenya's first president.

?? Native Life in South Africa (1916)--- Sol Plaatje

This work exposes the plight of black South Africans under white Government.

?? Citizen and Subject (1996)--- Mahmood Maudani

Offers a look at the wrongs of post-colonial African society.

?? The Colonizer and the Colonised- Albert Memmi

A look at the psychological relationship between colonizer and the colonized

?? The Soul of White Ant (1936)--- Eugene Marais

A look at the structure and life of ants with psychological and scientific insight.

?? Invention of Africa (1987)--- V.Y Mudimbe

Discusses, with philosophical intelligence, the meaning of being African.

?? Beyond the Masks (1995)--- Amina Mama

A brilliant work on black psychology, exploring key theoretical issues in race and gender.

 

[Leseratte]

As we have entered the New Year, here are some classic African Non-Fiction books published in the last century you can read

?? Male Daughters, Female Husbands (1987)--- Ifi Amadiume
Nigeria philosopher boldly argues the notion of gender as constructed in Western Feminist discourse.

?? Accumulation on a World Scale (1974)--- Amin Samir

Egyptian Marxist economist, Samir analysis process of capital accumulation

?? Origins of African Nationalism (1969)--- Mario Pinto Andrade

Mozambique politician takes a look at the structure and development of African Nationalist sentiments, intellectual and sociological foundations of African nationalism

?? In My Father's House (1992)--- Kwame Anthony Appiah
This work, blending personal essays and philosophy, explores the identity of been African.

?? Unity and Struggle (1968)--- Amilcar Cabral

Collection of essays, speeches and writings of freedom fighter of Guina Bissau who fought for independence of his country.

?? African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality (1974)---- Cheikh Anta Diop

This work by one of Africa's foremost historian and anthropologist argues that civilisation started with black people in Ancient Egypt.

?? African Philosophy (1974)--- Paulin Hountondji

This philosophic work explores the nature and future of Africam Philosophy and how it can become an appendage to world philosophy.

?? History of the Yorubas (1901)--- Rev Samuel Johnson

A monumental work in African history, this famous history book narrates the history of the Yoruba tribe, located in the South-Western part of Nigeria, and structure kf its native society.

?? Facing Mount Kenya (1938)--- Jomo Kenyatta

This is an anthropological study of Kikuyu people in Kenya written by Kenya's first president.

?? Native Life in South Africa (1916)--- Sol Plaatje

This work exposes the plight of black South Africans under white Government.

?? Citizen and Subject (1996)--- Mahmood Maudani

Offers a look at the wrongs of post-colonial African society.

?? The Colonizer and the Colonised- Albert Memmi

A look at the psychological relationship between colonizer and the colonized

?? The Soul of White Ant (1936)--- Eugene Marais

A look at the structure and life of ants with psychological and scientific insight.

?? Invention of Africa (1987)--- V.Y Mudimbe

Discusses, with philosophical intelligence, the meaning of being African.

?? Beyond the Masks (1995)--- Amina Mama

A brilliant work on black psychology, exploring key theoretical issues in race and gender.

If my memory doesn´t betray me, N´gugi makes a reference to Jomo Kenyatta in his school memories as a national hero.

 

[MichaelHW]

To celebrate my country's Independece, here are ten finest authors and their key works:

20th Century:
Soyinka (dramatist, Death and the King's Horseman, Ake)
Achebe (Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God)
Christopher Okigbo (Poet, Labyrinths)
Buchi Emecheta (Novelist, Second Class Citizen, Joys of Motherhood)
Ola Rotimi (Dramatist, God's Are Not to Blame, Holding Talks, Ovoramwen Nogbaisi)
Femi Osofisan (Dramatist, Who's Afraid of Tai Solarin, Women of Owu)
J P Clark (Poet, Collected Poems)
Gabriel Okara (Poet, Collected Poems)
Cyprian Ekwensi (Novelist, Jagua Nana, People of the City)
Elechi Amadi (Novelist, The Concubine, Sunset in Biafra)

21st Century:
Adichie
Teju Cole (Novelist, Essayist, Open City, Known and Strange Things)
Chris Abani (Novelist Graceland, Becoming Abigail)
Ben Okri (his main works are in this century despite writing his first works towards the end of the last century, Novelist, Famished Road, In Arcadia, Dangerous Love, Songs of Enchantment)
Helen Oyeyemi (Novelist, Yelllow Yellow)
Chigozie Obioma (Orchestra of Minorities, The Fishermen)
Nnedi Okorafor (Novelist, fantasy works, Zahrah the Windseeker)
Seffi Atta (Novelist, Everything Good'll Come, Swallow)
Tade Ipadeola (Poet, Sahara Testaments)
Helon Habila (Novelist, Waiting for an Angel, Oil on Water).

Haven't read some novels in this list yet, but there are some famous writers this country has produced.

What sort of style does Soyinka have? All I know about him is that he may or may not wear a whig But is his work sad, or funny or epic? Poetic? He won the Nobel rize, but there has been little focus on him where I used to live in Norway. He is not debated, nor can I recall ever seeing a poster for one of his plays anywhere?

 

[Ben Jackson]

If my memory doesn´t betray me, N´gugi makes a reference to Jomo Kenyatta in his school memories as a national hero.

Yeah, Ngugi mentioned Kenyatta's ideologies in interviews as one of his key influences.

 

[Ben Jackson]

What sort of style does Soyinka have? All I know about him is that he may or may not wear a whig But is his work sad, or funny or epic? Poetic? He won the Nobel rize, but there has been little focus on him where I used to live in Norway. He is not debated, nor can I recall ever seeing a poster for one of his plays anywhere?

I did wrote a short intro in Wole Soyinka thread. But I will try to be brief.

Soyinka, whose works are influenced by Yoruba myths which in turns is somewhat influenced by Greek myth (or as he says in his essay Myth Literature and African World, he draws a parallel between Greek and Yoruba myths), with Ogun, the god of Iron and Thunder as the center of his creation, works can be categorised into two: The understandable, comical and accessible works like Jero Plays and Lion and the Jewel, and the complex, philosophical ones like Death and The King's Horseman, Madmen and Specialists. His dramatic works have diverse influences range from Shakespeare, Euripides, Brecht, Beckett. His first two novels are modernisitic in nature like The Interpreters and A Season of Anomy. Same can also be said of his poems, which are highly symbolic and allusive. His series of memoirs, which collectively portrays a Nigerian's experience from colonial period to the end of the century, are in five volumes: Man Died, his prison memoir, Ake, his memoir on his childhood, Isara, his memoir on his father's generation which began from 1920-1943, Ibadan, his memoir on his teenage life and young adult which ended with Western crisis in 1965, and You Must Set forth at Dawn, which began in 1957 and ended with his return to Nigeria in 2002. One of Africa's finest writers without any doubt.

I think if you want to start reading his works, I will recommend you start with his memoir Ake, which is very enjoyable.

 

[MichaelHW]

I did wrote a short intro in Wole Soyinka thread. But I will try to be brief.

Soyinka, whose works are influenced by Yoruba myths which in turns is somewhat influenced by Greek myth (or as he says in his essay Myth Literature and African World, he draws a parallel between Greek and Yoruba myths), with Ogun, the god of Iron and Thunder as the center of his creation, works can be categorised into two: The understandable, comical and accessible works like Jero Plays and Lion and the Jewel, and the complex, philosophical ones like Death and The King's Horseman, Madmen and Specialists. His dramatic works have diverse influences range from Shakespeare, Euripides, Brecht, Beckett. His first two novels are modernisitic in nature like The Interpreters and A Season of Anomy. Same can also be said of his poems, which are highly symbolic and allusive. His series of memoirs, which collectively portrays a Nigerian's experience from colonial period to the end of the century, are in five volumes: Man Died, his prison memoir, Ake, his memoir on his childhood, Isara, his memoir on his father's generation which began from 1920-1943, Ibadan, his memoir on his teenage life and young adult which ended with Western crisis in 1965, and You Must Set forth at Dawn, which began in 1957 and ended with his return to Nigeria in 2002. One of Africa's finest writers without any doubt.

I think if you want to start reading his works, I will recommend you start with his memoir Ake, which is very enjoyable.

It sounds like there is some enterainment value to what he writes? Magical and mythical element? I was afraid that he would be intellectual like Homi K Bhabha (whose writings are completely unitelligeable), or Joyce and Hancke, who are so dry and dull that you feel a sudden urge for Joycian absynthe at the very thought of opening their books. That something is technically a masterpiece does not always mean that you even want to look at it. But what you write is not what I expected, so I will do as you say.

 

[MichaelHW]

As we have entered the New Year, here are some classic African Non-Fiction books published in the last century you can read

?? Male Daughters, Female Husbands (1987)--- Ifi Amadiume
Nigeria philosopher boldly argues the notion of gender as constructed in Western Feminist discourse.

?? Accumulation on a World Scale (1974)--- Amin Samir

Egyptian Marxist economist, Samir analysis process of capital accumulation

?? Origins of African Nationalism (1969)--- Mario Pinto Andrade

Mozambique politician takes a look at the structure and development of African Nationalist sentiments, intellectual and sociological foundations of African nationalism

?? In My Father's House (1992)--- Kwame Anthony Appiah
This work, blending personal essays and philosophy, explores the identity of been African.

?? Unity and Struggle (1968)--- Amilcar Cabral

Collection of essays, speeches and writings of freedom fighter of Guina Bissau who fought for independence of his country.

?? African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality (1974)---- Cheikh Anta Diop

This work by one of Africa's foremost historian and anthropologist argues that civilisation started with black people in Ancient Egypt.

?? African Philosophy (1974)--- Paulin Hountondji

This philosophic work explores the nature and future of Africam Philosophy and how it can become an appendage to world philosophy.

?? History of the Yorubas (1901)--- Rev Samuel Johnson

A monumental work in African history, this famous history book narrates the history of the Yoruba tribe, located in the South-Western part of Nigeria, and structure kf its native society.

?? Facing Mount Kenya (1938)--- Jomo Kenyatta

This is an anthropological study of Kikuyu people in Kenya written by Kenya's first president.

?? Native Life in South Africa (1916)--- Sol Plaatje

This work exposes the plight of black South Africans under white Government.

?? Citizen and Subject (1996)--- Mahmood Maudani

Offers a look at the wrongs of post-colonial African society.

?? The Colonizer and the Colonised- Albert Memmi

A look at the psychological relationship between colonizer and the colonized

?? The Soul of White Ant (1936)--- Eugene Marais

A look at the structure and life of ants with psychological and scientific insight.

?? Invention of Africa (1987)--- V.Y Mudimbe

Discusses, with philosophical intelligence, the meaning of being African.

?? Beyond the Masks (1995)--- Amina Mama

A brilliant work on black psychology, exploring key theoretical issues in race and gender.

You appear to be familiar with African fiction. I need some help. Is there an African writer who died before 1953 who deals with social problems in short stories? Relationship with colonial powers, or even family issues? It is something that I am lacking in my net radio station. I can find stories by anglo-american adventure writers, missionaries or white south Africans. But not something from the perspective of the native African population.

 

[Ben Jackson]

You appear to be familiar with African fiction. I need some help. Is there an African writer who died before 1953 who deals with social problems in short stories? Relationship with colonial powers, or even family issues? It is something that I am lacking in my net radio station. I can find stories by anglo-american adventure writers, missionaries or white south Africans. But not something from the perspective of the native African population.

To be honest, I don't know any African writer that fits this description of yours.

And I'm a Nigerian, which is the reason why I'm familiar with African Literature.

 

[MichaelHW]

To be honest, I don't know any African writer that fits this description of yours.

And I'm a Nigerian, which is the reason why I'm familiar with African Literature.

It is actually a little sad that no such writer comes to mind. Because during the colonial period many Africans would have been concerned about such issues. So either these people did not have a medium through which to channel this, a paper, a book etc, or these texts have been suppressed. Is there a survey somewhere of anti-colonial magazines in this period, perhaps? Some of them might be in Britain or the Us, where future leaders like Marcus Garvey, Nkrumah, Gandhi etc were educated.

 

[Leseratte]

This is an interesting question, Michael. I had a quick look, it seems that most African countries became independent between 1940-1970 and most of their writers started also to write more in the middle of 20 C. You probably will find someone if you look at the lists of bios of African writers, but it doesn't seem to be the rule.

 

[MichaelHW]

This is an interesting question, Michael. I had a quick look, it seems that most African countries became independent between 1940-1970 and most of their writers started also to write more in the middle of 20 C. You probably will find someone if you look at the lists of African biographies, but it doesn't seem to be the rule.

All of the colonial leaders that were educated in the west were part of organizations, many of which had published magazines, which by now will have expired copyrights and be posted online at the major libraries and archives. Some of these magazines may have published some fiction. If we look at an occult horror writer like aleister crowley you will see that he was published in university magazines before he became a novelist (He was crazy from an early age. The style does not change).

I will make a little search, and see if someting pops up.

Edit: I was right, scholars are debating this. Here are a few well known anti-colonial magazines.

I found 4 anti-colonial publications

• The African Times, Launched in July 1912,
• New Times and Ethiopia News, founded by feminist Emeline Pankhurst (1936-56)
• The Illustrated Weekly of India (1880-1993)
• The Caravan (still active)

Between 1931-1945, Yomo Kenyatta wrote for various English anti-colonial magazines, including fiction.

 

[Leseratte]

All of the colonial leaders that were educated in the west were part of organizations, many of which had published magazines, which by now will have expired copyrights and be posted online at the major libraries and archives. Some of these magazines may have published some fiction. If we look at an occult horror writer like aleister crowley you will see that he was published in university magazines before he became a novelist (He was crazy from an early age. The style does not change).

I will make a little search, and see if someting pops up.

Edit: I was right, scholars are debating this. Here are a few well known anti-colonial magazines.

I found 4 anti-colonial publications

• The African Times, Launched in July 1912,
• New Times and Ethiopia News, founded by feminist Emeline Pankhurst (1936-56)
• The Illustrated Weekly of India (1880-1993)
• The Caravan (still active)

Between 1931-1945, Yomo Kenyatta wrote for various English anti-colonial magazines, including fiction.

And as Ben stated Kenyatta was a reference for Ngugi, for example.

 

[Ben Jackson]

All of the colonial leaders that were educated in the west were part of organizations, many of which had published magazines, which by now will have expired copyrights and be posted online at the major libraries and archives. Some of these magazines may have published some fiction. If we look at an occult horror writer like aleister crowley you will see that he was published in university magazines before he became a novelist (He was crazy from an early age. The style does not change).

I will make a little search, and see if someting pops up.

Edit: I was right, scholars are debating this. Here are a few well known anti-colonial magazines.

I found 4 anti-colonial publications

• The African Times, Launched in July 1912,
• New Times and Ethiopia News, founded by feminist Emeline Pankhurst (1936-56)
• The Illustrated Weekly of India (1880-1993)
• The Caravan (still active)

Between 1931-1945, Yomo Kenyatta wrote for various English anti-colonial magazines, including fiction.

Most newspapers during the colonial period preached against colonialism. I did remembered West African Pilot, launched around 1936/37 by Nnamdi Azikiwe, when he returned oversees. And there was some newspapers in Tunisia and Algeria (can't remember the names of the papers as there in Arabic, a language I don't understand). Most of these papers though doesn't publish fiction, only anti-colonial essays and articles.

 

[Ben Jackson]

This is an interesting question, Michael. I had a quick look, it seems that most African countries became independent between 1940-1970 and most of their writers started also to write more in the middle of 20 C. You probably will find someone if you look at the lists of bios of African writers, but it doesn't seem to be the rule.

There's a book called History of African and Carribean Literature by Abiola Irele. The book talks about some African writers that was writing around colonial epoch like Huberto Ogunde, a Nigerian playwright who penned some plays about anti-colonial period, and Calsey Hayford, an Ethiopian writer who wrote Ethiopian Unbound around 1912.

Agree with you, my dear, on African writers writing more around the epoch (1940-1970).

 

[MichaelHW]

Most newspapers during the colonial period preached against colonialism. I did remembered West African Pilot, launched around 1936/37 by Nnamdi Azikiwe, when he returned oversees. And there was some newspapers in Tunisia and Algeria (can't remember the names of the papers as there in Arabic, a language I don't understand). Most of these papers though doesn't publish fiction, only anti-colonial essays and articles.

Wonderful, I will google. If Kenyatta published fiction others may have done so in the same or similar magazines? Do you think the cost of digtizing old magazines may have had an effect on how much some contributers became known, not only abroad, but in their own countries? Nigeria, oddly, is not short of funds, it is just very unfairly distributed. But countries like Ghana or Senegal, or benin, would not be able to pay for any digital databases. Then the former colonial powers should offer to buy copies of such old sources for their own library databases. A copy and a scan is the same. Then they could just make two digital files, one for the old colonial power and one for the library in the poorer countries. The database could then be operated from the former colonial power, and either integrated in websites in Benin or wherever, or simply placed at the huge portals like those at the Library of Congress (chronicling america), gallica or the british newspaper archive at the british library.

 

[Leseratte]

It also depends maybe (just guessing) how much of these materials the colonizers as much as the new African nations still want to keep. There may well be an occult resistance story there made up of less known writers, as the ones we know and part of who are getting international awards today.

But I found this sample of a paper that brings some earlier names of South African writers.

The Continuity of Black Literature in South Africa before 1950 on JSTOR

Tim Couzens, The Continuity of Black Literature in South Africa before 1950, English in Africa, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Sep., 1974), pp. 11-23

www.jstor.org

 

[MichaelHW]

It also depends maybe (just guessing) how much of these materials the colonizers as much as the new African nations still want to keep. There may well be an occult resistance story there made up of less known writers, as the ones we know and part of who are getting international awards today.

But I found this sample of a paper that brings some earlier names of South African writers.

The Continuity of Black Literature in South Africa before 1950 on JSTOR

Tim Couzens, The Continuity of Black Literature in South Africa before 1950, English in Africa, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Sep., 1974), pp. 11-23

www.jstor.org

The 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s are gone. I think many of the despots and powerful people in various former colonies today have a different power base. They can look at these decades with the same distance as the rest of us. I do not think there are many people left who would be threatened by what might be uncovered. They could make documentaries and unite the country in front of the TV. Most of the colonial powers are busy apologizing for past atrocities. Politicians love this: "Dear Nigerians, you were not given enough respect for your part in the Songhai empire in the late middle ages. On behalf of the people of Europe, I bow my head in shame, as I reluctantly sign this 50 billion dollar oil pipe agreement. etc"