English books from Africa
Recommended English books (825)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you speak English here are some English books from Africa for the next part of the "Read Around The World Challenge".
451.
Snakepit : A Novel by Moses Isegawa EN
UgandaDescription:
Praised on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in the author’s native Uganda, Moses Isegawa’s first novel Abyssinian Chronicles was a “big, transcendently ambitious book” (Boston Globe) that “blasts open the tidy borders of the conventional novel and redraws the literary map to reveal a whole new world” (Elle). In Snakepit, Isegawa returns to the surreal, brutalizing landscapes of his homeland during the time of dictator Idi Amin, when interlocking webs of emotional cruelty kept tyrants gratified and servants cooperative, a land where no one–not husbands or wives, parents or lovers–is ever s... continue
452.
Snares Without End by Olympe Bhêly-Quénum EN
BeninDescription:
A novel, also a philosophical tale in which destiny entraps the innocent protagonist and holds him fast. Some readers have found an affinity in it with Camus' notion of the absurd, while others have preferred to dwell on its evocation of country life in northern Dahomey and the importance of music in the farmers' daily life. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
453.
Burkina Faso454.
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba EN
SenegalDescription:
Written by award-winning African novelist Mariama Ba and translated from the original French, So Long a Letter has been recognized as one of Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences - some wistful, some bitter - recounted by recently widowed Senegalese school teacher Ramatoulaye Fall. Addressed to a lifelong friend, Aissatou, it is a record of Ramatoulaye's emotional struggle for survival after her husband betrayed their marriage by taking a second wife. This semi-autobiographical account is a perceptive tes... continue
455.
So Vast the Prison : A Novel by Assia Djebar EN
AlgeriaDescription:
So Vast the Prison is the double-threaded story of a modern, educated Algerian woman existing in a man's society, and, not surprisingly, living a life of contradictions. Djebar, too, tackles cross-cultural issues just by writing in French of an Arab society (the actual act of writing contrasting with the strong oral traditions of the indigenous culture), as a woman who has seen revolution in a now post-colonial country, and as an Algerian living in exile. In this new novel, Djebar brilliantly plays these contradictions against the bloody history of Carthage, a great civilization the Berbers we... continue
456.
Soft Magic by Upile Chisala EN
MalawiDescription:
'soft magic.' is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. 'soft magic.' is a shared healing journey.
457.
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli EN
NigeriaDescription:
*Shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards* 'An astonishing debut, rich in both heartbreak and humour' Jendella Benson, author of Hope & Glory Stunningly honest and bursting with wit, Someday Maybe is the story of grief and resilience that you won't be able to stop talking about Here are three things you should know about my husband: 1. He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado 2. He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy 3. On New Year's Eve, he killed himself And here is one thing you should know about me: 1. I found him. Bonus fact: ... continue
458.
Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu EN
EthiopiaDescription:
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • The son of Ethiopian immigrants seeks to understand a hidden family history and uncovers a past colored by unexpected loss, addiction, and the enduring emotional pull toward home. After abandoning his once-promising career as a journalist in search of a new life in Paris, Mamush meets Hannah—a photographer whose way of seeing the world shows him the possibility of finding not only love but family. Now, five years later, with his marriage to Hannah on the verge of collapse, he returns to the close-knit immigrant Ethiopian community of Washington, DC, that defined... continue
459.
Something Evergreen Called Life by Rania Mamoun EN
SudanDescription:
"Come behind these walls that cage you something evergreen called life" After years of writing and organizing against the regime of Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese writer, journalist, and activist Rania Mamoun was finally forced to leave her country with her young daughters, taking refuge in a US city in the early throes of a pandemic. Confined to her new home, Mamoun embarked on a daily practice of writing out of which emerged these poems of loss, despair, and hope. Brought into English by Yasmine Seale with lyric agility and an ethic of care, Something Evergreen Called Life offers readers nightpier... continue
460.
Something Torn and New : An African Renaissance by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN
KenyaDescription:
Novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o has been a force in African literature for decades: Since the 1970s, when he gave up the English language to commit himself to writing in African languages, his foremost concern has been the critical importance of language to culture. Here, Ngugi explores Africa's historical, economic, and cultural fragmentation by slavery, colonialism, and globalization. Throughout this tragic history, a constant and irrepressible force was Europhonism: the replacement of native names, languages, and identities with European ones. The result was the dismemberment of African memory. ... continue