Great African Reads - Archived | Five Favorites: mahriana's five favorites Showing 1-3 of 3 (original) (raw)

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message 1: by Mahriana (last edited Jul 09, 2012 09:43AM) (new)

Mahriana Rofheart | 81 comments I won't attempt to list the five (most) important works of African literature that I've read. Instead, I'm listing five books that made the most significant impression on me when I read them. They opened up a new way of thinking or reading for me, or presented me with something different at the time I read them. That's what makes them favorites. As such, I also have the year I first read them for context.

1. Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga (read: 2002)
2. C'est le soleil qui m'a brûlée, Calixthe Beyala (read: 2003)
3. The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born, Ayi Kwei Armah (read: 2004)
4. Le ventre de l'Atlantique, Fatou Diome (read: 2006)
5. The Return of the Water Spirit, Pepetela (read: 2008)

And I feel bad leaving off things by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (both literature and essays) and Frantz Fanon, not to mention all the other fascinating works of criticism, theory, and history I've read. But you've got to limit it somehow . . .

Marieke | 2459 comments It's hard to pick just five!

i can't believe i have not yet read Nervous Conditions. i'm probably going to make myself a Must Read list based on these short 'n' sweet lists.

Mahriana Rofheart | 81 comments Yeah, read Nervous Conditions! ;) It really made an impression on me when I first read it, but I've read it again since, and I still find something new to think about it. So, that's always a good sign.

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