The main character of this book is subjected to a grinding series of tragedies which gradually break this small man. By the author of The Only Son and Bridge to a Wedding.
This Third Edition of Approaches to the African Novel is a child of necessity. Because of the unfortunate death of the publisher of Saros International who issued the First Edition and high demand this third, enlarged edition has become imperative. Three new essays (all previously published) are added, two expectedly on Achebe (the father of the African novel) and one on Mongp Betiís Mission to Kala which was partially anthologised in Contemporary Literary Criticism (Volume 27, 1984). Achebeís Things Fall Apart as an Igbo national epic has evoked a spate of reactions from critics of African literature especially the troika Chinweizu et al. in Toward the Decolonization of African Literature. It was also anthologised in Modern Black Literature edited by S. Okechukwu Menu (1971). The essay on Arrow of God whose structure and meaning has been largely avoided by other critics is included here for further airing. For gender balance, as the previous volume contained no essays on women writers, an essay on Flora Nwapa has been added. Since the novels discussed in this volume exclusively are on the African literature south of the Sahara, the last essay on Peter Abrahams comes in to round out this collection of essays with a study of a south African writer, for geographical balance.
“The new generation of twenty-first-century African writers have now come of age. Without a doubt Habila is one of the best.”—Emmanuel Dongala In the oil-rich and environmentally devastated Nigerian Delta, the wife of a British oil executive has been kidnapped. Two journalists—a young upstart, Rufus, and a once-great, now disillusioned veteran, Zaq—are sent to find her. In a story rich with atmosphere and taut with suspense, Oil on Water explores the conflict between idealism and cynical disillusionment in a journey full of danger and unintended consequences. As Rufus and Zaq navigate polluted rivers flanked by exploded and dormant oil wells, in search of “the white woman,” they must contend with the brutality of both government soldiers and militants. Assailed by irresolvable versions of the “truth” about the woman’s disappearance, dependent on the kindness of strangers of unknowable loyalties, their journalistic objectivity will prove unsustainable, but other values might yet salvage their human dignity.
In his debut novel, The Only Son, John Munonye sheds a light on how changing cultures under British colonialism inflicted deep conflict amongst the everyday people of Igboland.Recently made a widow and a single mother to her only child, Chiaku decides to move her family to a small remote village in east Nigeria where she hopes to instill in her son the importance of their culture's traditions and a devotion to the Igbo god Igwe. However, just as he begins to show promise in a religious career, a Roman Catholic missionary school opens up in their village. Although wary at first of the school's strange Western ways, Chiaku's son soon finds himself drawn to the teachings of the missionary priests there, sparking a conflict that threatens to split his small family apart...
The first major comparative study of African writing in western languages, European-language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa, edited by Albert S. Gérard, falls into four wide-ranging sections: an overview of early contacts and colonial developments "Under Western Eyes"; chapters on "Black Consciousness" manifest in the debates over Panafricanism and Negritude; a group of essays on mental decolonization expressed in "Black Power" texts at the time of independence struggles; and finally "Comparative Vistas," sketching directions that future comparative study might explore. An introductory e.
This book will provide empirical engagements of African women in the private and public spaces and their adaptations, alterations and and integration of the private and public spaces. This approach is contrary to most existing studies which may not necessarily provide contextual and empirical evidences of the debates about the spaces of women or interrogate both the private and public spaces in a single volume. This book will offer a novel insight into gender and power dynamics, especially as it relates to the cultural spaces, private spaces and public spaces which African women occupy and subjugate. The fourteen papers in this book critically examine the African women in different positions within the private and public spaces, the strong inhibiting presence of patriarchy, and the resistance women display to empower themselves.
This book provides balanced critical linguistic and literary representations of gender and power relations in Ghanaian and Nigerian texts, contrary to most existing literary and linguistic studies on gender that have either focused on male chauvinism or male emasculation. This text provides novel insight into gender dynamics, liberation and empowerment especially as it relates to language and power in Africa.
African literature is a vast subject of growing output and interest. Written especially for students, this book selectively surveys the topic in a clear and accessible way. Included are roughly 600 alphabetically arranged entries on writers, genres, and major works. Many entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. Africa is a land of contrasts and of diverse cultures and traditions. It is also a land of conflict and creativity. The literature of the continent draws upon a fascinating body of oral traditions and lore and also reflects the political turmoil of the modern world. With the increased interest in cultural diversity and the growing centrality of Africa in world politics, African literature is figuring more and more prominently in the curriculum. This book helps students learn about the African literary achievement. Written expressly for students, this book is far more accessible than other reference works on the subject. Included are nearly 600 alphabetically arranged entries on authors, such as Chinua Achebe, Athol Fugard, Buchi Emecheta, Nadine Gordimer, and Wole Soyinka; major works, such as Things Fall Apart and Petals of Blood; and individual genres, such as the novel, drama, and poetry. Many entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.