Sunday, January 12, 2014

African Literature

I have decided that I need to read more African literature. Especially since my local bookstore has gotten a huge shipment of Heinemann African Writers Series books. At five cedis a piece these books are a bargain. I think a lot of people in the US have the mistaken impression that Africa is a continent largely devoid of literature. But, this is simply not true. Furthermore due to the colonial legacy of British rule over much of the continent a large number of African writers have produced their work in English. So today I purchased five books by African writers for a total of 25 cedis. Below is a list of the books I purchased.

Shimmer Chinodya, Harvest of Thorns, 1989.

Bessie Head, A Woman Alone, 1990.

Jack Mapanje, (ed.), Gathering Seaweed: African Prison Writing, 2002

Lilia Momple, trans. Richard Barlett and Isaura de Oliveira, Neighbors: The Story of a Murder, 1995.

Yvonne Vera, (ed.), Opening Spaces: Contemporary African Women's Writing, 1999.




2 comments:

Nina said...

This reminds me I ought to go to UG bookshop sometime soon!

J. Otto Pohl said...

Nina:

I didn't get these books at the UG shop. EPP books over across the street and above the Max Mart has a much better selection and cheaper prices. That is where I got the AWS books. I believe they are more expensive at the UG shop.