Rob Spillman

Bloemlezing van hedendaagse Afrikaanse auteurs met essays over literatuur en taal in diverse gebieden in Afrika.

The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing

Gods and Soldiers

Gavin

Africans set down in English, whether by birth or choice. ‘Contemporary’ is pushing it a bit, since these pieces are from the last sixty years, but the scope raises the bar. A

chebe laid the ground for Anglophone (and Francophone) African writing when he mocked the incommensurability people, who said we could not speak to each other.

Shona Tiger

Wonderful anthology with very powerful pieces from some now very familiar writers, and others who may be unknown to you as they were to me. 

Sections divided roughly by geographical region, and then by former coloniser for non-English speaking regions (🥲), namely Francophone and Lusophone Africa.

West Africa

Non-fiction

Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
“The African Writer and the English Language” (brilliant, naturally; also, famous)

Fiction

Helon Habila (Nigeria)
“Lomba” (intriguing, and well-written; a prisoner and a prison guard make a deal)

Mohammed Naseehu Ali (Ghana)
“The Manhood Test” (one of my favourites! Very funny, also sad: a man fails to make love to his wife)

Chris Abani (Nigeria)
from Becoming Abigail (TW/CW 😖 I *think* this is about abuse and incest)

E. C. Osondu (Nigeria)
“Voice of America” (rather delightful! A young man finds a penpal)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
from Half of a Yelllow Sun


Francophone Africa


Non-fiction

Patrice Nganang (Cameroon)
“The Senghor Complex” (*loud buzzing sound*)

Fiction

Alain Mabanckou (Republic of Congo)
from Broken Glass (did not enjoy The Lights of Pointe-Noire, but this was amusing)

Fatou Diome (Senegal)
from The Belly of the Atlantic

Boubacar Boris Diop (Senegal)
from Murambi, The Book of Bones (CW: about the genocide in Rwanda)

North Africa


Non-fiction

Laila Lalami (Morocco)
“The Politics of Reading” (Excellent)

Fiction

Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt)
from Woman at Point Zero (–brutal!)

Mohamed Magani (Algeria)
from The Butcher’s Aesthetic

Aziz Chouaki (Algeria)
from The Star of Algiers

Leila Aboulela (Sudan)
“Souvenirs”

East Africa


Non-fiction

Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya)
from Discovering Home

Fiction

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya)
from Wizard of the Crow

Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
“Christianity Killed the Cat” (CW: violence against an animal)

Nuruddin Farah (Somalia)
from Knots

Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti)
from The United States of Africa (very woke in 2009, but also unsettlingly trope-y)

Former Portuguese Colonies


Non-fiction

Mia Couto (Mozambique)
“Languages We Don’t Know We Know” (truly excellent essay on language and cosmology)

Fiction

Ondjaki (Angola)
“Dragonfly” (interesting!)

Jose Eduardo Agualusa (Angola)
from The Book of Chameleons (dreamy; going to read the book)

Southern Africa

Non-fiction

J. M. Coetzee (South Africa)
“The Memoirs of Breyten Breytenbach” (Mostly, I just widened my eyes)

Fiction

Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe)
“Dead Swimmers” (sad; women, and loss)

Niq Mhlongo (South Africa)
from Dog Eat Dog (oof! A student encounters the police.)

Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)
“A Beneficiary” (enjoyed this; a woman dies, and her daughter discovers something that makes her question her identity)

Marlene van Niekerk (South Africa)
from Agaat (think I’d need to read the whole book)

Zakes Mda (South Africa)
from Ways of Dying (rather fun, about a stinky Professional Mourner)

Ivan Vladislavic (South Africa)
“The WHITES ONLY Bench” (super quirky; the bench is my favourite character)

Full review: https://shonareads.wordpress.com/2021...

Dana Kraft

I've never read an 'anthology" like this before. A few of the selections were excellent and interesting, and I liked almost everything in the 'West Africa' section. I really struggled with the stuff in the second half of the book. The fiction that is just a selection from a longer work was hard for me to get interested in. Overall it was worth the effort. I'm probably a typical American in my gross ignorance of African history and culture, so this was at least a baby step in the right direction for me.

Specific favorites among the fiction were:
The Manhood Test by Mohammed Naseehu Ali from Ghana
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngoti Adichie from Nigeria
Souvenirs by Leila Aboulela from Sudan

Best nonfiction was "Languages We Don't Know We Know" by Mia Cuoto from Mozambique. I will remember these quotes:
"In these visits to the savannah, I learn sensitivities that help me come out of myself and remove me from my certainties." 
"But the word 'scientist' doesn't exist in the local language. The term chosen by the translator was 'inguetlha,' which means 'witchdoctor.'"
"Alongside a language that gives us our sense of humanity, there should be another that can elevate us to the divine."

Gods and Soldiers The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing

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