African literature

[FiveBells]

I am very interested to hear recommendations for African literature (in English). It's an area I have only skimmed on in the past, but would like to investigate more deeply this year. Books I have read include 'Disgrace' by Coetze, the Cairo Trilogy by Mahfouz and a few of the Ladies Detective Agency books - I am sure there are others but I am typing off the top of my head ;)

Any hot tips?

Marking my place-I'll have a rummage through my books and try to get back to you! Purple Hibiscus springs to mind-based in Nigeria, other stuff by Mahfouz (did a dissertation on him a billion years ago), but I have many more!

More North African or everywhere?

I am reading 'The other side of the truth' by Beverley Naido. It is Nigerian and very good. I want to read 'Journey to jo'berg' by the same author,which looks like a brilliant read too.

Jo'bUrg, sorry.

Ooh, not heard of those, will have a look. I am interested in all of Africa (that should narrow it down ). What I have read seems weighted towards the very north and south, however.

In a similar vein to "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" is "Baking Cakes in Kigali"

There is also one set in DRC called I think "Tumbleweed Bible"

Look here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African_writers_by_country
for a list of authors.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan author, has been expected to win a noble prize.

That was Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

'Journey to jo'burg' was banned in South Africa until 1991. It's a childrens book but i am like you and fascinated in all african literature.
Last night i finished a book by Diana Evans '26a' Which was set here but written wonderfully about a Nigerian family,the mother is terribly homesick for africa. The family move back for a few years.

A good book about travelling through the Congo is 'Blood River' written by a Telegraph journalist who retraced the route Stanley took when he tracked down Dr Livingstone. Not really fiction, but worth reading, as is A Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, also about the Congo.

Sorry, that should be 'Heart of Darkness'-my inner pedant won't let me get titles wrong!

Conrad - of course! That'll go on the list. Marcopront, the book you're thinking of is The Tumbleweed Bible, I have read that one. It was great, though an American writer I think, it was very evocative of the Congo

Poisonwood Bible, not Tumbleweed!!! That'd be a book set in the Deep South, I imagine

Baking Cakes in Kigali was good - by Zambian author, Gaile Parkin

also Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimanda N Adichie (who wrote Purple Hibiscus, mentioned upthread)

sorry, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

oh and thanks to this thread, I have just downloaded Adachie's book of short stories, The Thing around your Neck, to my Kindle

excellent reviews

"umlungu in khayelitsha" - v readable (white) journalist's take on his expereince living in a Cape Town township.

Dark Star Safari? "Dont' lets go to the Dogs tongiht" - Rhodesian (as was) childhood, fairly traumatic, v good read.

A Dry White Season, Cry the Beloved Country. Anything by Nadine Gordimer

Yes yes to Purple Hibiscus & Half of Yellow Sun; also Things fall apart - Chinua Achebe, classic and apparently great inspiration to Adichie. And triple yes to the Poisonwood Bible -not technically African writer, but definitely one of my favourites

Buchi Emecheta - can't quite remember what I read (long time ago) but very powerful. Heinemann publishers used to do a great series of African writers, so that would be a good place to start exploring too

Doris Lessing is another classic writer; and also just remembered Nervous Conditions by a Zimbabwean writer

In a different vein, just re-reading Dervla Murphy's The Ukimwi Road (she's Irish, but one of the most straight talking travel writers; plus be prepared to be awed by 60 year old cycling from Kenya to Zambia)

For some history of apartheid, Cry Freedom, or Donald Wood's own account 'Biko'

oh yes,Dervla Murphy, what a woman! South from the Limpop?

who was it, Michael Asher who wrote about trekking across the sahara following Nile from/to its source with his new wife? just googled, "two against the sahara", a v inspirational read.

will check out those other books, Purple Hibiscus etc.

Purple Hibiscus seems popular :), will put all these titles through the old Amazon search tonight. Thanks people!

Also try Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese, set in a hospital in Ethiopia. Very involving story of two surgeon brothers adopted at birth, and also paints an interesting historical picture of the revolution there.

Ben Okri? His first book, Flowers and Shadows, is good and an easier read than some of the more mystical novels that followed although I loved The Famished Road and looking forward to re-reading it as my next book.

Another one for "Heart of Darkness". Also, is you like J.M. Coetzee, try his earlier novel "Waiting for the Barbarians".

Also, try Andre Brink - the English translation of his Afrikaans novel "Kennis van die Aand" (published abroad as "Looking on Darkness") was written in the 70's and was the first Afrikaans book to be banned in South Africa during apartheid as he used the language of the apartheid era against itself. More recent stuff includes "The Blue Door" and "Other Lives"

Both Andre Brink and J.M. Coetzee lectured me at university in South Africa, and they're incredibly inspirational men, they taught me a lot.

YY to Cry Freedom and Cry the Beloved Country. The latter literally makes me weep.

More ideas - thank you!

All I read at the moment is African literature - so very glad to find this thread.

My recommendations would be:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus, The thing around your neck.
Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart (this is a masterpiece in my opinion and part of a trilogy but have not read the other two yet).
Elechi Amadi - The Concubine
Ayi Kwei Armah - The beautiful ones are not yet born
Paul Bowles - The Sheltering Sky (this is north african/saharan based)
Ryszard Kapuscinski - The shadow of the sun. (written by a Polish foreign correspondent about the people /situations he encountered in Africa)

If you look on Amazon there is the Heinemann African Writers Series, which is a selection of work by African writers.....currently working my way through it myself!