Masterpieces of 20th Century African Novels

[Ben Jackson]

More or less it's my opinion too. "Devil on the Cross" was attempt (a little bit too simplistic in its content) of blending of novel form with oral tradition. Short stories were more or less banal, "Weep not, Child" - typical Bildungsroman without special merits and last part of his memoirs - interesting factotum. But "A Grain of Wheat" - IMHO - is really his achievement, very solid from formal point of view and interesting from the point of view of its topic.

Agree with you on Weep Not Child. Just a simple story but not great. I just remembered my mother read Weep Not Child sometime around 1982/83, two years before she left High School. She always says it's one of her favourite books.

Concerning masterpieces in African novel from the last century, which novel from Africa, published in the last century, will you consider a monument/masterpiece? I know that some of us haven't read so much from the continent, especially classics from the last centuryy (myself included), but based on the novels you have read, name the novels you can consider an African monument.

 

[Leseratte]

Agree with you on Weep Not Child. Just a simple story but not great. I just remembered my mother read Weep Not Child sometime around 1982/83, two years before she left High School. She always says it's one of her favourite books.

Concerning masterpieces in African novel from the last century, which novel from Africa, published in the last century, will you consider a monument/masterpiece? I know that some of us haven't read so much from the continent, especially classics from the last centuryy (myself included), but based on the novels you have read, name the novels you can consider an African monument.

I found Weep Not Child has parts that are very similar to the first book of his biography, Dreams in a Time of War: a Childhood Memoir. I prefer the latter.

 

[alik-vit]

Agree with you on Weep Not Child. Just a simple story but not great. I just remembered my mother read Weep Not Child sometime around 1982/83, two years before she left High School. She always says it's one of her favourite books.

Concerning masterpieces in African novel from the last century, which novel from Africa, published in the last century, will you consider a monument/masterpiece? I know that some of us haven't read so much from the continent, especially classics from the last centuryy (myself included), but based on the novels you have read, name the novels you can consider an African monument.

Oh, sorry, but I have very limited knowledge and didn't read some key works (key works for master narrative on African literature of 20th century, I mean). Buy I love my recollections about some early novels by J. M. Coetzee (In the Heart of the Country, Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Muchael K), The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka or even The Famished Road by Ben Okri. On the other hand, I was not impressed by only one Chinua Achebe's novel, which I have read - Arrow of God.

 

[tiganeasca]

I have too many great works still to read and am no doubt forgetting some, but these are the ones that occur to me off the top of my head:

Karel Schoeman, This Life (South Africa)

Boris Boubacar Diop, Doomi Golo (Senegal)

D.O. Fagunwa, Forest of a Thousand Demons (Nigeria)

Amadou Beyrouk, The Desert and the Drum (Mauritania)

Jose Luandino Vieira, Luuanda (Angola)

Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Ambiguous Adventure (Senegal)

Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God (Nigeria)

Naguib Mahfouz, Children of Gebelaawi (Egypt)

Bessie Head, The Collector of Treasures (Botswana)

Ahmadou Kourouma, The Suns of Independence (Cote d’Ivoire)

Yes, I know. I am omitting Coetzee, Gordimer, Couto, Farah, Sembene, and others. Of these named writers, I simply have yet to read the one work of theirs that so impresses me that I believe it belongs on this list. I am not saying that the work isn't out there--just that I haven't found it yet. (And with Gordimer's output, it may take some time!).

 

[Page Turner]

I don't know if it's a masterpiece, but I really liked Alan Paton's Too Late the Phalarope. I was later disappointed by Cry the Beloved Country, which is the author's much better known novel and supposed masterpiece.

 

[Liam]

I think Ibrahim al-Koni's The Animists/The Fetishists definitely ought to qualify as a masterpiece (unless we're talking sub-Saharan African literature ONLY). I mean, African literature written in Arabic is like... its own vast category.

 

[Ben Jackson]

I don't know if it's a masterpiece, but I really liked Alan Paton's Too Late the Phalarope. I was later disappointed by Cry the Beloved Country, which is the author's much better known novel and supposed masterpiece.

Too Late is considered an underrated masterpiece, as it didn't have much impact/influence on African Novel like Cry, the Belved Country.

 

[Ben Jackson]

I think Ibrahim al-Koni's The Animists/The Fetishists definitely ought to qualify as a masterpiece (unless we're talking sub-Saharan African literature ONLY). I mean, African literature written in Arabic is like... its own vast category.

Arabic works from North Africa are considered part of African Literature. Arabic works from Middle East aren't.

As an African, when we talk about masterpieces in African Novel, we normally talk about novels by Achebe, Ben Jelloun, Gordimer, Coetzee, Brink, Mahfouz, Sembene, Armah, Farrah, Djeber, Dib, Ngugi and the rest of them. Personally I haven't read so much (I will think of a year to read many African novel classics), but based on the on the ones I have read:

?? Palm wine Drinkard, Sozaboy, Interpreters, Famished Road, TFA, Arrow of God
?? Palace Walk, Thief and the Dogs (will write the review of this one soon)
?? Cry the Beloved Country, July's People, Life and Times of Michael K, A Dry White Season, Tsotsi, A Question of Power
?? Sleepwalking Land
?? A Grain of Wheat
?? God's Bit of Wood
?? Beautyful One's are not Yet Born
?? Pillar of Salt

 

[Ben Jackson]

In 2002, a list of 100 greatest African Books of the last century was unveiled by a group of African Literary experts. These works explored clash of cultures and ideologies and effects of colonialism on the natives and failures in post-independent African socketies. But since we're discussing novels, I'll only post novels from the last century which has received acclaim and has tremendous influence on African Novel. I will post this in four parts.

?? Waiting for the Barbarians, Life and Times of Michael K, Disgrace--- J M Coetzee
?? Arrow of God, Things Fall Apart-- Chinua Achebe
?? Cairo Trilogy, Children of Gebelawi--- Naguib Mahfouz
?? Beautyful One's Are not Yet Born- Ayi Kwei Armah
?? Fortunes of Wagrin--- Hampadou Ba
?? So Long a Letter--- Mariama Ba
?? A Dry White Season, Rumours of Rain--- Andre Brink
?? African Child --- Camara Laye
?? Season of Migration to the North--- Tayeb Salih
?? Fantasia: Algerian Calvacade--- Assia Djebar
?? The Conservationist, Burger's Daughter, July's People--- Nadine Gordimer
?? Life: A Novel--- Sony Labou Tansi
?? A Grain of Wheat, Devil on the Cross, Petals of Blood--- Ngugi Wa Thiongo'I
?? Sleepwalking Land--- Mia Couto
?? Ambiguous Adventures--- Cheikh Amadou Kane
?? Maps--- Nurundinn Farrah

 

[Ben Jackson]

Part Two

?? Another Country--- Karel Schoeman
?? The Sand Child, Sacred Night--- Tahar Been Jelloun
?? Nedjma--- Kateb Yacine
?? Forest of a Thousand Demons--- D O Fagunwa
?? Nervous Conditions--- Tsitsi Dangaremgba
?? The Famished Road--- Ben Okri
?? Old Man and the Medal, Houseboy--- Ferdinand Oyono
?? Utopian Generation--- Pepetela
?? Poor Christ of Bomba--- Mongo Beti
?? Joys of Motherhood, Second-Class Citizen--- Buchi Emecheta
?? Beggar's Strike--- Aminata Sow Fall
?? Abyssinian Chronicles--- Moses Isegawa
?? Butterfly Burning---- Yvonne Vera
?? Suns of Independence--- Ahmadou Kourouma
?? Last Harmattan on Alusine Dunbar--- Syl Cheney-Coker
?? The Concubine--- Elechi Amadi
?? Woman at Point Zero--- Nawal El-Sadawi
?? Radiance of the King--- Camara Laye
?? Miramar--- Naguib Mahfouz
?? Last Will and Testament of Senor Da Silva--- Germano Almeida
?? Two Thousand Seasons--- Ayi Kwei Armah
?? Sozaboy--- Ken Saro-Wiwa

 

[kpjayan]

I am again resorting to one of those 'list-makers' ...

Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century​

Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century | Columbia University Libraries

library.columbia.edu

Of the 70 of those fictions ( Creative Writing), I've read a mere 15 of them. Definitely under read on African Literature..

 

[Ben Jackson]

I am again resorting to one of those 'list-makers' ...

Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century​

Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century | Columbia University Libraries

library.columbia.edu

Of the 70 of those fictions ( Creative Writing), I've read a mere 15 of them. Definitely under read on African Literature..

Can you name the books?

 

[Ben Jackson]

Part Three

?? Young Man of Sand---- William Sassine
?? The Map of Love--- Ahdaf Soueif
?? Murambi: Book of Bones--- Boubacar Boris Diop
?? Zayni Barakat--- Gamal al-Ghitani
?? Bones--- Chenjerai Hove
?? Riwan, or Sandy Track--- Ken Bugul
??/?? Chaka--- Thomas Mofolo
?? The Big Mansion--- Mohammed Dib
?? A Sparrow from the East--- Tawfiq Al---Hakim
?? House of Hunger--- Dambudzo Marechara
?? Our Sister Killjoy--- Ama Ata Aidoo
?? Anthills of the Savannah--- Chinua Achebe
?? The Graduate--- Grace Ogot
?? Mine Boy--- Peter Abrahams
?? Mayombe--- Pepetela
?? Maru---- Bessie Head
?? Efuru--- Flora Nwapa
?? Secrets--- Nurundinn Farrah
?? People of the City--- Cyprian Ekwensi
?? A Simple Past---Driss Charibi
?? So Vast the Prison--- Assia Djebar
?? As the Crow Flies--- Veronique Tadjo
?? This Earth, My Brother--- Kofi Awoonor
?? An Instant in the Wind--- Andre Brink
?? Bleeding of Stone--- Ibrahim Al-Koni

 

[kpjayan]

Can you name the books?

Oh, it is there in the link... But, here are the fiction list..

Abnudi, `Abd al-Rahman	Egypt	al-Mawt `ala al-asfalt	Atlas
Achebe, Chinua	Nigeria	Arrow of God	Heinemann
Achebe, Chinua	Nigeria	**Things Fall Apart	Heinemann
Aidoo, Ama Ata	Ghana	Anowa	Longman
Almeida, Germano	Cape Verde	O testamento do Sr. Napumoceno da Silva Araújo	Ed. Caminho
Armah, Ayi Kwei	Ghana	The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born	Heinemann
Bâ, Amadou Hampâté	Mali	L'étrange destin de Wangrin	Union générale d'éditions
Bâ, Mariama	Senegal	**Une si longue lettre	Nouvelles éditions africaines
Ben Jelloun, Tahar	Morocco	La nuit sacrée	Seuil
Beti, Mongo	Cameroon	Le pauvre Christ de Bomba	Présence africaine
Brink, André	South Africa	A Dry White Season	Penguin
Bugul, Ken	Senegal	Riwan, ou le chemin de sable	Présence africaine
Cheney-Choker, Syl	Sierra Leone	The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar	Heinemann
Chraibi, Driss	Morocco	Le passé simple	Gallimard
Coetzee, J.M.	South Africa	Life and Times of Michael K	Secker & Warburg
Couto, Mia	Mozambique	**Terra sonâmbula	Ed. Caminho
Craveirinha, José	Mozambique	Karingana ua Karingana	Academica
Dadié, Bernard	Côte d'Ivoire	Climbié	Editions Segiers
Dangarembga, Tsitsi	Zimbabwe	**Nervous Conditions	Women's Press
Dib, Mohammed	Algeria	Algérie, La grande maison, L'incendie, Le métier à tisser	Le Seuil
Diop, Birago	Senegal	Les contes d'Amadou Koumba	Présence africaine
Diop, Boubacar Boris	Senegal	Murambi ou le livre des ossements	Stock
Djebar, Assia	Algeria	**L'amour, la fantasia	J.C. Lattes
Emecheta, Buchi	Nigeria	The Joys of Motherhood	Alison and Busby
Fagunwa, Daniel O.	Nigeria	Ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale	Nelson
Farah, Nuruddin	Somalia	Maps	Pan Books
Fugard, Athol	South Africa	The Blood Knot	Simondium Publishers
Ghitani, Jamal al-	Egypt	Zayni Barakat	GEBO
Gordimer, Nadine	South Africa	Burgher's Daughter	Jonathan Cape
Head, Bessie	South Africa	A Question of Power	Heinemann
Honwana, Bernardo	Mozambique	Nos matamos o cão tinhoso	Academica
Hove, Chenjerai	Zimbabwe	Bones	Baobab Books
Isegawa, Moses	Uganda	Abessijnse Kronieken	Uigeverij De Bezige Bij
Jordan, Archibald Campbell	South Africa	Ingqumbo yeminyanya	Lovedale Press
Joubert, Elsa	South Africa	Die Swerdjare van Poppie Nongena	Tafelberg
Kane, Cheikh Hamidou	Senegal	L'aventure ambiguë	Editions Juillard
Khosa, Ungulani Ba Ka	Mozambique	Ualalapi	AEMO
Kourouma, Ahmadou	Côte d'Ivoire	Les soleils des indépendances	Le Seuil
Laye, Camara	Guinea	L'enfant noir	Plon
Magona, Sindiwe	South Africa	Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night	David Philip Publishers
Mahfouz, Naguib	Egypt	**The Cairo Trilogy	Maktabet Misr
Marechera, Dambudzo	Zimbabwe	House of Hunger	Heinemann
Mofolo, Thomas	Lesotho	**Chaka	Morija Sesuto Book Depot
Monenembo, Tierno	Guinea	Un attieké pour Elgass	Le Seuil
Mutwa, Vusamazulu Credo	South Africa	Indaba, My Children	Blue Crane Books
Ngugi wa Thiong'o	Kenya	Caitaani Mutharaba-ini	Heinemann
Ngugi wa Thiong'o	Kenya	**A Grain of Wheat	Heinemann
Niane, Djibril Tamsir	Senegal	Soundjata ou l'épopée mandingue	Présence africaine
Nyembezi, Sibusiso	South Africa	Inkinnsela yaseMgungundlovu	Shuter and Shooter
Okigbo, Christopher	Nigeria	Labyrinths	Heinemann
Okri, Ben	Nigeria	The Famished Road	Spectrum Books
Oyono, Ferdinand	Cameroon	Le vieux nègre et la médaille	Editions Juillard
P'Bitek, Okot	Uganda	Song of Lawino	Heinemann
Pepetela	Angola	A geração da utopia	Dom Quixote
Saadawi, Nawal El	Egypt	Woman at Point Zero	Zed Books
Salih El Tayyib	Sudan	Season of Migration to the North	Heinemann
Sassine, Williams	Guinea	Le jeune homme de sable	Présence africaine
Sembene, Ousmane	Senegal	Les bouts de bois de Dieu	Le livre contemporain
Senghor, Léopold Sédar	Senegal	**Oeuvre poétique	Le Seuil
Serote, Mongane	South Africa	Third World Express	David Philip Publishers
Shabaan, Robert Bin	Tanzania	Utenzi wa vita vya uhuru	East African Literature Bureau
Sony Labou Tansi	Congo	La vie et demie	Seuil
Sow Fall, Aminata	Senegal	La grève des battus	Nouvelles éditions africaines
Soyinka, Wole	Nigeria	Death and the King's Horsemen	Spectrum
Tchicaya U Tam'si	Congo	Le mauvais sang - feu de brousse - à trisse-coeur	P.J. Swald
Tutuola, Amos	Nigeria	The Palm-wine Drinkard	Faber
Vera, Yvonne	Zimbabwe	Butterfly Burning	Baobab Books
Vieira, José Luandino	Angola	Nós os do Makulusu	[União dos Escritores Angolanos]
Vilakazi, B.W.	South Africa	Amal'eZulu	Witwatersrand University Press
Yacine, Kateb	Algeria	Nedjma	Le Seuil

 

[Ben Jackson]

Part Four

?? Fragments--- Ayi Kwei Armah
?? The Repudiation, Journal of Sleeping Woman--- Rachid Boudjedra
?? Midaq Alley--- Naguib Mahfouz
?? Ethiopia Unbound--- Joseph Casley Hayford
?? In the Heart of the Country--- J M Coetzee
?? Call of the Curlew--- Taha Hussein
?? The Interpreters--- Wole Soyinka
?? Xala, The Black Docker--- Ousmane Sembene
?? Kill Me Quick--- Meja Mwangi
?? Yaka--- Pepetela
?? In the Eye of the Sun--- Ahdaf Soueif
?? The Translator--- Leila Aboulela
?? Gifts--- Nurundinn Farrah
?? My Son's Story---- Nadine Gordimer
?? Batouala--- Rene Maran
?? Diary of a Country Prosecutor--- Tawfiq Al-Hakim
?? Changes: a Love Story--- Ama Ata Aidoo
?? Tarshish Hallucination--- Hassouna Mosbahi
?? Search Sweet Country--- Kojo Laing
?? The Voice--- Gabriel Okara
?? Paradise--- Abdulrazak Gurnah
?? No Longer at Ease--- Chinua Achebe
?? Bound to Violence--- Yambo Ouologuem

Many of these books were published by African Writers Series, an idea initiated by Achebe and e-commerce sites like Amazon.

 

[Ben Jackson]

Oh, it is there in the link... But, here are the fiction list..

​

Abnudi, `Abd al-Rahman	Egypt	al-Mawt `ala al-asfalt	Atlas
Achebe, Chinua	Nigeria	Arrow of God	Heinemann
Achebe, Chinua	Nigeria	**Things Fall Apart	Heinemann
Aidoo, Ama Ata	Ghana	Anowa	Longman
Almeida, Germano	Cape Verde	O testamento do Sr. Napumoceno da Silva Araújo	Ed. Caminho
Armah, Ayi Kwei	Ghana	The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born	Heinemann
Bâ, Amadou Hampâté	Mali	L'étrange destin de Wangrin	Union générale d'éditions
Bâ, Mariama	Senegal	**Une si longue lettre	Nouvelles éditions africaines
Ben Jelloun, Tahar	Morocco	La nuit sacrée	Seuil
Beti, Mongo	Cameroon	Le pauvre Christ de Bomba	Présence africaine
Brink, André	South Africa	A Dry White Season	Penguin
Bugul, Ken	Senegal	Riwan, ou le chemin de sable	Présence africaine
Cheney-Choker, Syl	Sierra Leone	The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar	Heinemann
Chraibi, Driss	Morocco	Le passé simple	Gallimard
Coetzee, J.M.	South Africa	Life and Times of Michael K	Secker & Warburg
Couto, Mia	Mozambique	**Terra sonâmbula	Ed. Caminho
Craveirinha, José	Mozambique	Karingana ua Karingana	Academica
Dadié, Bernard	Côte d'Ivoire	Climbié	Editions Segiers
Dangarembga, Tsitsi	Zimbabwe	**Nervous Conditions	Women's Press
Dib, Mohammed	Algeria	Algérie, La grande maison, L'incendie, Le métier à tisser	Le Seuil
Diop, Birago	Senegal	Les contes d'Amadou Koumba	Présence africaine
Diop, Boubacar Boris	Senegal	Murambi ou le livre des ossements	Stock
Djebar, Assia	Algeria	**L'amour, la fantasia	J.C. Lattes
Emecheta, Buchi	Nigeria	The Joys of Motherhood	Alison and Busby
Fagunwa, Daniel O.	Nigeria	Ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale	Nelson
Farah, Nuruddin	Somalia	Maps	Pan Books
Fugard, Athol	South Africa	The Blood Knot	Simondium Publishers
Ghitani, Jamal al-	Egypt	Zayni Barakat	GEBO
Gordimer, Nadine	South Africa	Burgher's Daughter	Jonathan Cape
Head, Bessie	South Africa	A Question of Power	Heinemann
Honwana, Bernardo	Mozambique	Nos matamos o cão tinhoso	Academica
Hove, Chenjerai	Zimbabwe	Bones	Baobab Books
Isegawa, Moses	Uganda	Abessijnse Kronieken	Uigeverij De Bezige Bij
Jordan, Archibald Campbell	South Africa	Ingqumbo yeminyanya	Lovedale Press
Joubert, Elsa	South Africa	Die Swerdjare van Poppie Nongena	Tafelberg
Kane, Cheikh Hamidou	Senegal	L'aventure ambiguë	Editions Juillard
Khosa, Ungulani Ba Ka	Mozambique	Ualalapi	AEMO
Kourouma, Ahmadou	Côte d'Ivoire	Les soleils des indépendances	Le Seuil
Laye, Camara	Guinea	L'enfant noir	Plon
Magona, Sindiwe	South Africa	Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night	David Philip Publishers
Mahfouz, Naguib	Egypt	**The Cairo Trilogy	Maktabet Misr
Marechera, Dambudzo	Zimbabwe	House of Hunger	Heinemann
Mofolo, Thomas	Lesotho	**Chaka	Morija Sesuto Book Depot
Monenembo, Tierno	Guinea	Un attieké pour Elgass	Le Seuil
Mutwa, Vusamazulu Credo	South Africa	Indaba, My Children	Blue Crane Books
Ngugi wa Thiong'o	Kenya	Caitaani Mutharaba-ini	Heinemann
Ngugi wa Thiong'o	Kenya	**A Grain of Wheat	Heinemann
Niane, Djibril Tamsir	Senegal	Soundjata ou l'épopée mandingue	Présence africaine
Nyembezi, Sibusiso	South Africa	Inkinnsela yaseMgungundlovu	Shuter and Shooter
Okigbo, Christopher	Nigeria	Labyrinths	Heinemann
Okri, Ben	Nigeria	The Famished Road	Spectrum Books
Oyono, Ferdinand	Cameroon	Le vieux nègre et la médaille	Editions Juillard
P'Bitek, Okot	Uganda	Song of Lawino	Heinemann
Pepetela	Angola	A geração da utopia	Dom Quixote
Saadawi, Nawal El	Egypt	Woman at Point Zero	Zed Books
Salih El Tayyib	Sudan	Season of Migration to the North	Heinemann
Sassine, Williams	Guinea	Le jeune homme de sable	Présence africaine
Sembene, Ousmane	Senegal	Les bouts de bois de Dieu	Le livre contemporain
Senghor, Léopold Sédar	Senegal	**Oeuvre poétique	Le Seuil
Serote, Mongane	South Africa	Third World Express	David Philip Publishers
Shabaan, Robert Bin	Tanzania	Utenzi wa vita vya uhuru	East African Literature Bureau
Sony Labou Tansi	Congo	La vie et demie	Seuil
Sow Fall, Aminata	Senegal	La grève des battus	Nouvelles éditions africaines
Soyinka, Wole	Nigeria	Death and the King's Horsemen	Spectrum
Tchicaya U Tam'si	Congo	Le mauvais sang - feu de brousse - à trisse-coeur	P.J. Swald
Tutuola, Amos	Nigeria	The Palm-wine Drinkard	Faber
Vera, Yvonne	Zimbabwe	Butterfly Burning	Baobab Books
Vieira, José Luandino	Angola	Nós os do Makulusu	[União dos Escritores Angolanos]
Vilakazi, B.W.	South Africa	Amal'eZulu	Witwatersrand University Press
Yacine, Kateb	Algeria	Nedjma	Le Seuil

I have read the list before, about six years ago.

What I was actually asking what that you should name the list of books you've read from the list and the favourites among the one's you read.

The problem about this list of 100 books is that some of those books in that list have been out of print. Some have also fallen into level of obscurity, like Richman of Pietermaritzburg by Nyembisi Sibusiso and Indaba my Children for example.