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Whats Your Best African Novel - Literature (2) - Nairaland

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African Novel Reviews. / African Novel / Best African Author: Wole Soyinka or Chinua Achebe? (2) (3) (4)

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Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Nobody: 6:03pm On Sep 05, 2007
@Orikinla
I agree with you. I also enjoyed reading 'The slave girl'.It had a mature story line.
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by vikiviko(m): 1:23pm On Sep 07, 2007
Things Fall Apart
No longer Ar Ease
The African child
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by beneli(m): 2:36pm On Sep 07, 2007
The African Child,
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by GL(f): 6:52am On Sep 24, 2007
it's been such a long time since i read an african novel. i love Cry, beloved country. i remember the Concubine, bottled leopard etc, i really loved those books. does anyone know of some nigerian books with hausa setting. i came across some of them a very long time ago, like 12 or 13 years ago, and have been asking about them since but no one seems to know these books. there was a young boy in the story who was taken away for slavery,


btw, where do u guys get these books nowadays?
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by olawale03(m): 11:29pm On Oct 07, 2007
they are four:THINGS FALL APART 2 JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD 3 A RIDE ON THE WHIRLWIND 4 THE SLAVE GIRL.these novels adumbrate the beauty of african language in the milieu of fiction.though they are more or less Faction
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by tonia2000(f): 12:12pm On Oct 08, 2007
The concubine ----Elechi Amadi,The lonely Londoners---Samuel selvon
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by jkpretty(f): 12:13pm On Oct 08, 2007
Things fall apart

No longer at ease

Arrow of God--- all by Chinua Achebe (loved the proverbs in it)


The gods are not to blame----Ola Rotimi (its a play though)

The palm wine Drunkard - --- (dunno -forgotten)
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by jiddah: 3:53pm On Oct 08, 2007
well "Things fall apart",now thats a classic,well read by all,loads of others,but one of my favourite is "The Second Class Citizen" by Buchi Emecheta,and of course "God's Bits of Wood" By Sembene Ousmane
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Bothwell: 4:29pm On Oct 26, 2007
Half of A Yellow Sun  author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Well Written and intoxicating
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by almondjoy(f): 5:42am On Nov 02, 2007
Tell Freedom--------------------------Peter Abrahams
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by ademiife(m): 8:55am On Nov 02, 2007
mine is: the stillborn -by zainab alkali,

there are others jostling for supremacy though in my mind's archive; i have novels like: no telephone to heaven, angel of death, tell freedom, weep not child, the concubine, helon habila's waiting for an angel, and few others.

quite ludicrous some are listing plays as their best african novel! i guess they couldn't resist the temptations,
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Ndipe(m): 11:25pm On Nov 02, 2007
So Long a Letter

The African Child
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by abawa(m): 11:48pm On Nov 02, 2007
Any day all the time THE MAN DIED leaves the most lasting impressions on me.
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by uchetobi(f): 11:14am On Nov 06, 2007
The concubine, weep not child and things fall apart, cant decide d one I like best. Fabulous books all three
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Bothwell: 5:41pm On Nov 06, 2007
Half Of A Yellow Sun  - author - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

well written and intoxicating story
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Gwazah(m): 4:41pm On Nov 07, 2007
The Black Hermit BY Ngugi wa Thiong'o
The trials of brother Jeroboam by prof Whole Soyinka
African night entertainment
this books got me crazy! Dam it bull shit!!!!!!!!!!
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by sweetberry(f): 4:42pm On Nov 07, 2007
Triumph of the water lily by Stella Osammor
O LE KU by Akinwumi Isola
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by biggerboy(m): 5:18pm On Nov 07, 2007
'ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmole' is da best
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Ndipe(m): 1:19am On Nov 09, 2007
For those of you who choose "The African Child" as your favorite African novel, you might be interested in checking out the link. It is a poignant ending of the relationship between Camara Laye and Marie. Here is the link

http://www.westafrik.com/victimes/camara_marie_lorofi.html
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by tubaby: 10:10am On Nov 13, 2007
My favourites african novel are The Stillborn by Zainab Alkali and The Concubine by Elechi Amadi
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by cisse7575(m): 11:13pm On Nov 18, 2007
I have read many, in fact too many to be listed, The gods are not to blame by Olarotimi, The African Child by Camara Laye, The joys of Motherhood , All are very much interesting,
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by cisse7575(m): 11:23pm On Nov 18, 2007
Writing a novel is easy but writing a great novel requires works.

It is not easy when you write, when you see your pencil or pen dancing furiously on the paper, or your fingers, busy dancing the break dance on the keyboard.

I use a simple and a straight forward style, that's one thing that let me achieve the maximum results. When you write your novel, it requires lot of works. "The Soul Of An African Man, is a story with tensions, suspense, compelling and well written," says the editor.

I thank God that I accomplished my mission on the novel even though it still remains some few weeks for it to appear on the Amazon. The first time I re-read my craft, I'm so much happy because there I could read my voice, hear it speaking directly to me,

Every creative writers communicate without misconceptions to the audience by voice. Every human being has an innate drive to express themselves as well as finding meaning in life. Whether his aim is to be a well known author or not, he knows what he's writing. Creative works are a way for impulse to manifest into form.

"Voice" is within you from the day you were brought to bed. It's not what you search for afar or closer, it frequently squeezed out in you as you grow up. Some units of languages which mean something and can be spoken or written are the writers' medium for sharing ideas, beliefs, questions and realizations.

Voice in the creative writing can be interpreted as perspective or personality. It's different from style which is something you can develop latter to create effects. So each writer that want to be a successful in the field has to read omnivorously. He's to read like mad. He's to read anything, anything that comes his way as well as writing anything that his mind (voice) convey to him. No erasing no cancellation of words. This will enhance his creative ability as well as hearing his own voice coming through and much more audible each moment it does.

Though it may not have a reasonable meaning the first time you get started. Good writing depends on practice, like sport; the more you practice the more creative you become. Voice is creative writing. It's a hiding talent of every creative writer that needs to be brought out by cultivating the habit of reading. Yes, by cultivating the habit of reading and writing! Writing anything that comes to his mind.

Voice is like a child sent to school; the more he attends class, the more he has to learn. So also is voice; the more the practice the more the voice comes out in pounds. Bringing one's voice out completely requires many commitments.

Voice needs inspirations. The saying that inspiration is needed to be waiting for is totally erroneous. It's kept many jobs undone. The more you write the more your voice brings out the inspiration in you.

Though it is sometimes very difficult, if not impossible, to know what to put down on paper. The use of memory can be key to discovery of voice. Because memory blended, refracted and transformed and making the creation of fiction easy. Let's take a case of individual's personality which largely shaped by early experience as well as early impression made on a person from newborn babyhood onwards will contribute to the shape and texture of imagination.

Write everyday even if it's only a letter. Voice simply means a way of writing that's all your own.

Thanks for reading this smiley

1 Like

Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by princesa(f): 6:05pm On Feb 18, 2008
the slave boy (i dnt really know if that is the name it has an hausa setting)

one week one trouble

akin the drummer boy

the virtous woman(laila, dnt knw if thats the name and it has an hausa setting)

the new man

Bottled Leopard (made me pick interest in litreature)

Joys of motherhood

The African child

so many i cant rem., Nigeria is most talented.
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by meexteriox(m): 10:31pm On Feb 18, 2008
Honestly, i wouldn't want to pick among great African writers who have all paid their dues in the literary world.
But asked to choose, CHINUA ACHEBE'S - Things fall apart is da bomb.
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by zukkie4eva(f): 12:33pm On Feb 19, 2008
- Without a Silver Spoon
- The second chance
- The Virgin
-The Concubine

. . . i wonder why they can't make them into movies. Can't our movie producers translate these books to motion pictures just like Pride & Prejudice, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist e.t.c.??. . . ***I wish i were a movie producer*** cool
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by ibrahiem(m): 8:47pm On Feb 22, 2008
an african night entertainment
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by osat02: 11:32am On Feb 25, 2008
Mine is "things fall apart" by the greatest of the story tellers-Achebe, While W.S books are a must read for its descriptive power
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Chigotex(f): 6:02pm On Feb 25, 2008
Anowa by Ama Ata Aidoo

Things fall apart by Chinue Acheba

Ake by wole soyinka

Last of the Strong ones (forgotten the author -though female)

So long a letter by Maria Ma' Ba

Why a cage bird sings Maris Angelou

and Many others
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by NaJaHaJe(f): 4:26am On Feb 26, 2008
Reading thru the posts made me nostalgic. cry cry cry cry

I can't begin to list them all because i think i'll be here for a long while.

Big up to the likes of CHINUA ACHEBE who helped the nigerian literature cross da continent into western civilisation.
Things like this make me proud to be a Nigerian Woman. grin
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by Pepeye(f): 3:05pm On Mar 04, 2008
Arrow of God
Arrow of God
Arrow of God

Beautiful ones are not yet Born
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by kunlenki(m): 12:07pm On Mar 08, 2008
Mine is Achebe"s Things Fall Apart. OKONKWO
Re: Whats Your Best African Novel by malaika(f): 10:50am On Mar 13, 2008
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