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African Novel in English

M Keith Booker author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:James Currey

Published:21st May '98

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

African Novel in English cover

In this volume Keith Booker provides an introduction to eight African novels written in English. The rise to global prominence of African literature, and particularly of the African novel, has been seen by many as a vital development in contemporary world culture. Keith Booker examines are: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart; Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood ; Ayi Kwei Armah's The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born; Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy; Nadine Gordimer's Burger's Daughter; Alex la Guma's In the Fog of the Seasons' End; Ngugi wa Thiongo's Devil on the Cross and Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions. Booker uses these works to illustrate the scope and variety of the African novel and the aesthetic, cultural and political concerns that have motivated African authors. The text concludes that Americans and Europeans have every reason to study the African novel, and in so doing they will become familiar with one of the mostpowerful cultural forces in the late-20th-century world. North America: Heinemann

Even in its title, Booker's text makes no tall claims about bringing additional information to our scholarly understanding of African literature. His introduction will provide an intelligent undergraduate with a historical and political background of the African novels they are reading in class without having to do additional research elsewhere... Booker's style is direct and simple, and therefore quite appealing to teachers engaged in representing African literature to an audience of students. -- Huma Ibrahim * AFRICAN STUDIES QUARTERLY *
... a remarkably successful attempt at a very daunting project, that is to provide the uninitiated with a comprehensive survey of the African novel. Booker's text is clearly aimed at students or persons with little or no knowledge of creative writing produced in Africa. -- Felicity Hand * WASAFIRI *
... an excellent job of introducing an important and rapidly growing body of literature. It will be particularly useful for undergraduates, but postgraduates and lecturers getting to grips with the subject will also find it a valuable resource. -- Patrick Williams * JOURNAL OF MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES *

ISBN: 9780852555521

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 314g

240 pages