English books from Africa
Recommended English books (446)
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".
251.
Smouldering Charcoal by Paul Tiyambe Zeleza EN
MalawiDescription:
This powerful first novel chronicles the lives of two families: the first, poor, working-class and ill-educated, is compared to a young politically aware college student and her journalist fiance.
252.
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
253.
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
254.
Burkina Faso255.
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
256.
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
257.
Soft Magic by Upile Chisala EN
Description:
'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.
258.
Something Torn and New : An African Renaissance by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN
KenyaDescription:
Novelist Ngugi 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 toc
259.
Song of Lawino & Song of Ocol by Okot p'Bitek EN
Description:
Two African literary works by Okot P'Bitek available together in the African Writers Series.
260.
Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree by Nicholas Mhlongo EN
Country: Africa / 
South Africa
South Africa
Description:
Imbued with a sense of place, this short story collection captures the vibrancy of Soweto and surrounds. Told with satirical flair, life and death intertwine in these tales where funerals and the ancestors feature strongly. Take a seat under the apricot tree and let a born storyteller enthral you with tales both entertaining and thought-provoking. -- Publisher's description.