safarigirl:

My problem is that the books they write are too mature.

The deal is, I'm 17, I'm ΩØƚ about to pick up Chimamanda's Purple Hibiscus ǡŋ₫ go through it, cos I'm bound to find it hopelessly boring, I would rather read Ǟ Sidney Sheldon novel since I can't find Ǟ good enough romance writer in Nigeria. Everyone's too busy tryna win Ǟ big award. Sheldon didn't win Ǟ noble prize but he's one ☺₣ the most famous authors in history.

That's my humble opinion, please don't crush me.

I'll crush you cos I'm your mate Purple Hibiscus is definitely not boring, it moved me to tears, my lil sis of 8 years would rather pick up a secondary school novel than read children classics. If you talked about Wole Soyinka well that guy writes from the fourth realm but Chimamanda nope. You really got a big a$$ problem if you find Chimamanda's purple hibiscus boring come on, you haven't even read the book, jeez

@Ajenlekoko you know what just because you don't find these writers books moving doesn't mean they are not on point, it doesn't matter you think, just because you find their work boring doesn't make it boring. ''Just because you feel the earth is square shaped doesn't changed it from being spherical'' African writers are getting to the top of their game and thier books sell like hot cakes, anyways a prophet is not honoured in his home.

mbulela:

i find his books tortuous. Same with 100 years of solitude. for all the hype, i have struggled to go past page 100 and i have attempted it twice. 

PhysicsQED:

Don't waste your time with Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

It's just worthless hype.

I read Chronicle of a Death Foretold and it was all work with no reward. Even the supposedly interesting ambiguities of the story were just boring and uninteresting to me. I also tried to read Love in the Time of Cholera and I couldn't get through it.

Read Roberto Bolaño instead. Granted, the two authors have very different styles, but The Savage Detectives is far better than anything Marquez could have written and I can personally vouch that it is one of the most interesting fictional works I have read. Bolaño makes a lot of obscure references in that book (some of which I still haven't been able to figure out) but you don't even have to know one tenth of the people he namedrops to appreciate the book because he's just so gifted and the story is just so engaging and uniquely written.

But really, don't waste any time on Marquez. He may have won the Nobel, but there are many better writers that people should spend their time on.

mbulela:

There are some very good contemporary African writers. It depends on your taste.
As good as Ben Okri is, i find his books tortuous. Same with 100 years of solitude. for all the hype, i have struggled to go past page 100 and i have attempted it twice.
South African writers are doing very well compared to their Nigerian counterparts. there are several reasons but i find the quality of contemporary Nigerian writers lacking. For all the accolades he has worn, i have read two books of Helon Habilla and have been hugely disappointed. I read one of Seffi Atta and vowed never to repeat such a venture again. Same with Segun Afolabi. Chimamanda is good but not as good as the hype in my view.
I have several books by South African and Kenyan writers and i have been hugely impressed by the quality of the works and remain a huge fan of theirs. 

Ndipe:

From the conversations on this thread, I propose that SFEGAGO and Physics should write a book. These two seem like well read individuals. How about that?

mbulela:

Thanks for your recommendation.
I am going to seek THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES this new year.

Talking of African literature, Whale Caller by Zakes Mda seems the kind of thing you would enjoy. Although, Ways of Dying by same author is more of my kind of thing.

AjanleKoko:

South African literature, just like their music, is richer and more vast by leaps and bounds, than anything Nigeria has produced.

mbulela:

Don't even go near there.
I shudder to imagine what my life will be like without South African music. My immersion into South African music and by extension culture is one of the most fulfilling adventures of my brief life. richly rewarding.

on an unrelated note, the way you dey bone my greetings no good o,Oga.
even new year greetings, you no gree acknowledge.
na so my sin bad reach?

Ndipe:

From the conversations on this thread, I propose that SFEGAGO and Physics should write a book. These two seem like well read individuals. How about that?

SEFAGO:

Ironically,

Americans and Europeans consider Nigerians probably the greatest contributors to African literature, at least all my conversations with them suggest that this is the case. I have even met people from Hong kong who have read Chinua achebe and Chiamanda adichie.

AjanleKoko:

I'm not sure black South African authors are that well-known outside SA.

SEFAGO:

Maybe there is a reason why? Not so good literature 

Anyways, whether literary critics are wrong or not- Nigeria seems to be the home of at least West African literature and possibly African literature maybe we dont appreciate our writers well enough because what they right about if familiar to us.

I was reading Beast of no nation by Uzodinma Iweala. Book read like crap because he was just using his life experience growing up in Nigerian and reflecting it on the main character (Agu I think it is). It would make sense since most authors use their life experience to construct stories. But boring to me because I grew up and went to school in Nigeria and knew the whole drill. But would probably sound exotic and interesting to a westerner.

Infact I think this is one of the main reasons why I dont read most nigerian books, they are not exotic enough adn hit too close to home to be too interesting.

Ndipe:



Uzodinma Iweala grew up in the USA.

SEFAGO:

Yeah my bad, I was confused myself when I read the book since I always thought he grew up in the US but his book sounded like someone who grew up in Nigeria if you read it you will prolly understand. I think he must have spent sometime in Nigeria or has a friend who lived in Nigeria for extensive periods of time or must know a lot about growing up in Nigeria. His book was very reflective of that

Are you sure you've read the book? Iweala not only grew up in the USA, I doubt he was ever a child soldier. We hardly have those in Nigeria, don't you think?

SEFAGO:

Ironically,

Americans and Europeans consider Nigerians probably the greatest contributors to African literature, at least all my conversations with them suggest that this is the case. I have even met people from Hong kong who have read Chinua achebe and Chiamanda adichie.

AjanleKoko:

I'm not sure black South African authors are that well-known outside SA.

Myne White:



I agree with the poster who said Nigerians may not really appreciate books by other Nigerians since most readers seek for the unknown, or at least something different, in their book choices. But someone who can put away that bias should, in addition to other names already mentioned, look for Lola Shoneyin (Literary), Nnedi Okoroafor(Speculative), Chika Unigwe (Literary), and Chimeka Garriks (Thriller). I believe all their books are on Amazon and have also been published in Nigeria.

mbulela:

@Myne White, thanks to you i am going to look for a copy of that Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks.
I hope i can find a copy at Koko Kalango's Rainbow bookshop. that is the only decent bookshop in the whole of PH.

SEFAGO:

Hey,

AJanlekoko

http://africasacountry.com/2011/12/22/what-you-should-be-reading/

This si an interesting blog if you are looking ofr something to read that is not limited to Nigeria/Nigerians and spans the west African continent.

afroxyz:

Please does it mean that non-fiction does not sell in Nigeria or Africa? All the books mentioned are all fiction, thriller etc, itz scary for non-fiction writers like us

AjanleKoko:

Most of the books there i have never heard about, or their authors. Teju Cole, I have read his Open City. The guy seems to have gimped some kind of third-person, abstracted narrative style from somewhere. He's not too bad.

I didn't know Ngozi Iweala's son was a writer. Apparently he's 'critically acclaimed'. I read a synopsis of his Beasts Of No Nation, and knew immediately that I didn't wanna read the book. Yet another civil war novel

What kind of nonfiction do you write? How To Get Rich, or something along those lines?

einstein_e:

In this era, books compete with movies, games and social media. Gone are the days that a writer could spend ten pages exploring literary techniques and being obsessed with his own voice. For a novel to appeal to people now, it has to tell a STORY. Most Nigerian writers fail in this respect. They want to write about civil wars and poverty and bad government. They should write essays, instead. A novelist writes a story and entertains.

Myne White:

I hope you enjoy it,