I am reading Fualkner and McCarthy but they are both American and I want some more diversity in my reading. I like the characters and the feeling of their stories and the philosophical undertones
Many African authors have written wonderful books. Also, I don’t know what Faulkner you’ve been reading, but he’s not just one of the best writers ever; he’s also one of the worst. If you have read The Sound and The Fury, that’s one of his worst. If you have read The Hamlet, that’s one of his best. As I Lay Dying is just a long, long, long shaggy dog story with a pretty good punchline. Intruder in the Dust and Sanctuary are just kind of dumb. But for Faulkner, I would say: The Hamlet, Old Man, and maybe Soldiers’ Pay would be good.
Anyway. African authors:
Chinua Achebe (Nigeria): Things Fall Apart — it’s a mystery why he never got a Nobel Prize. It definitely should have happened.
Kaouther Adimi (Algeria): Our Riches — a kind of poetic love letter to Algeria. Wonderful book.
NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe): Glory, and We Need New Names — I feel sure she’s going to have a Nobel Prize herself before long.
Paulina Chiziane (Mozambique): The First Wife — a hilarious introduction to a very different society.
Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria): Second Class Citizen — wonderful and awful, melodrama, a very different look at Nigerian and British society. One of my favorites.
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Uganda): Let’s Tell This Story Properly — a series of interlocked stories, the first set about Ugandans who have moved to the UK, the second set about Ugandans who have gone home again afterwards. Wonderful stories, I thought.
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Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Many African authors have written wonderful books. Also, I don’t know what Faulkner you’ve been reading, but he’s not just one of the best writers ever; he’s also one of the worst. If you have read The Sound and The Fury, that’s one of his worst. If you have read The Hamlet, that’s one of his best. As I Lay Dying is just a long, long, long shaggy dog story with a pretty good punchline. Intruder in the Dust and Sanctuary are just kind of dumb. But for Faulkner, I would say: The Hamlet, Old Man, and maybe Soldiers’ Pay would be good.
Anyway. African authors:
Chinua Achebe (Nigeria): Things Fall Apart — it’s a mystery why he never got a Nobel Prize. It definitely should have happened.
Kaouther Adimi (Algeria): Our Riches — a kind of poetic love letter to Algeria. Wonderful book.
NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe): Glory, and We Need New Names — I feel sure she’s going to have a Nobel Prize herself before long.
Paulina Chiziane (Mozambique): The First Wife — a hilarious introduction to a very different society.
Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria): Second Class Citizen — wonderful and awful, melodrama, a very different look at Nigerian and British society. One of my favorites.
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Uganda): Let’s Tell This Story Properly — a series of interlocked stories, the first set about Ugandans who have moved to the UK, the second set about Ugandans who have gone home again afterwards. Wonderful stories, I thought.