If you want to enjoy African literature, you have to accept African medicine and African magic as real. Not as real in the sense of magical realism either, but as true. I’ve been willing to do this so far, and was willing to continue doing so with Grace Ogot’s novel The Promised Land, but I wonder just how far most readers would go along. I wouldn’t be … Continue reading The Promised Land by Grace Ogot
Three things make The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura, translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell, particularly Japanese. The first is the overall sense of social isolation that the characters live in. I can’t claim to be an expert in Japanese literature, but what I’ve read of it always features characters who face the world on their own, even when they have families. Even when the … Continue reading The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura
I loved this book, but I’ve no idea where to begin or what to say about it. Fall back on plot summary, you say. Well…….. The Wizard of the Crow is about the probably crazed ruler of a fictional African nation, his underlings, their attempt to build a tower that will reach up to heaven called “Marching to Heaven,” and the ruler’s subsequent illness which … Continue reading Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
I know this comment will make me look like a snob but I’m going to make it anyway. It was so nice to read two stories that were so well written. I’ve read a wide range a short stories for the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge. But it’s been a while since I read two stories that featured such good writing. At the risk … Continue reading Christa Wolf vs. Grace Ogot
May Contain Spoilers 