Historical fiction books from Nigeria
Recommended historical fiction books (9)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you are into historical fiction here are some historical fiction books from Nigeria for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge.
1.
Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe EN
Description:
Set in the Ibo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.
2.
Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi EN
Description:
'"Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night"' Untrustworthy, charming Fussy Joe spins stories and breaks hearts in this rollicking story set in the 'sensational city' of 1960s Lagos. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fa... continue
3.
Description:
A teenage Elvis impersonator navigates the Lagos ghetto in this “searing chronicle of a young man’s coming of age in Nigeria during the late 1970s” (Publishers Weekly). Elvis Oke dreams of escaping the sprawling, swampy, cacophonous city of Lagos, Nigeria. Beset by poverty, floods, and beatings by his alcoholic father, he ekes out a living by impersonating his famous namesake. But soon he is tempted by a life of crime. Thus begins his odyssey into the dangerous underworld of Lagos, guided by his friend Redemption and accompanied by a restless hybrid of voices including The King of Beggars, Sun... continue
4.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie EN
Description:
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • From the award-winning, bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists—a haunting story of love and war. • Recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Winner of Winners” award. With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works f... continue
5.
Lemona's Tale by Ken Saro-Wiwa EN
Description:
For a quarter of a century, Lemona has been held in a Nigerian prison, her crimes reflecting her passion and despair, her silence masking the truth. On the last day of her life she is visited by Ola, whose parents Lemona killed. To this woman Lemona recounts the events of her upbringing in poverty, the kindness of friends who took her in, and the abuse, corruption and betrayal by men which led to her downfall. though she is awaiting execution, Lemona's desire to understand the forces that shaped her life resonates throughout her story, leading Ola towards a new interpretation of her own histor... continue
6.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie EN
Description:
Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home. When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father's authority. The visit will li... continue
7.
The African Trilogy : Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, and Arrow of God; Introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie by Chinua Achebe EN
Description:
Here, collected for the first time in stunning Everyman’s Library hardcover, are the three internationally acclaimed classic novels that comprise what has come to be known as Chinua Achebe’s “African Trilogy.” With an intorduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Beginning with the best-selling Things Fall Apart—on the heels of its fiftieth anniversary—The African Trilogy captures a society caught between its traditional roots and the demands of a rapidly changing world. Achebe’s most famous novel introduces us to Okonkwo, an important member of the Igbo people, who cannot adjust as his village is... continue
8.
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta EN
Description:
Inspired by her mother's stories of war and Nigeria's folktale traditions, Under the Udala Trees is Chinelo Okparanta's deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly
9.
Yoruba Boy Running by Biyi Bandele EN
Description:
“A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker.”—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie A captivating, fictionalized retelling of African linguist and clergyman Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator. “Run, Àjàyí, run!” When Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsogùn, thirteen-year-old Àjàyí's life is split in two. Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yorùbá gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After, there was capture, slavery—and eventually release—with Àjàyí, left transfigured, unrecognizable,... continue