Often when one thinks of African writing, it is often about fiction. African fiction is widely celebrated globally, with the traffic enabled by highly publicized Western prizes, forums, workshops, residencies, etc. One can then be forgiven for thinking that all Africans write is fiction and the occasional poem. The truth is that there is an […]
Archive | Reviews
RSS feed for this section
#WeLoveBooks | Silence is My Mother Tongue by Sulaiman Addonia
2018 has been a rich harvest for African fiction. Just when we thought the year couldn’t yield any more gems, Sulaiman Addonia’s Silence is a Mother Tongue comes out and wows us with one of the most lovable female characters we’ve seen in African fiction this year. Set in an East African refugee camp, the […]
Demons in the Villa | Excerpt from Ebenezer Obadare’s Pentecostal Republic
Pentecostal Republic takes a hard look at the influence of pentecostalism in Nigerian politics. Prof. Obadare is a sociologist, who studies civil society in Africa. In this exhilarating book, he credits the challenges of Nigerian politics and state practices to the ways in which Pentecostalism frames the action and vision of political leaders and intellectuals. […]
#WeLoveBooks | Feeling and Ugly by Danai Mupotsa
Welcome back to our weekly updates on new book finds. Feeling and Ugly by Danai Mupotsa is a gem. Feeling and Ugly was published earlier this year by Impepho Press, an independent South African publishing company run by three women—Vangile Gantsho, Sarah Godsell, and Tanya Pretorius. As poets, thinkers, and activists, Gantsho, Godsell, and Pretorius […]
#WeLoveBooks | Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela
Any plans to read a book this weekend? Ditch that novel you’ve been thinking about and check out Leila Aboulela’s short story collection Elsewhere, Home. It was published by Grove Atlantic earlier this year. The collection contains 13 stories about the imagination of home as loss and desire. Aboulela is an endearing storyteller. There is a […]
#WeLoveBooks | Edwardsville by Heart by Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún
Reading poetry can sometimes feel like taking a journey through the sound and form of language. But when poetry itself becomes about travel, something magical happens. Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún’s debut poetry collection, titled Edwardsville By Heart, is just that: a magical meeting place of travelogue, memoir, and poetry. The poems are essentially travel stories crafted out of […]
#WeLoveBooks | Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
If you’ve ever hankered for fresh, new writing, here is a book you should have on your #TBR list. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a star in the making, and his debut book, which was officially published yesterday, is getting the attention of critics. The collection of 12 short stories is titled Friday Black. He mixes […]
Welcome to Brittle Paper, your go-to site for African writing and literary culture. We bring you all the latest news and juicy updates on publications, authors, events, prizes, and lifestyle. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@brittlepaper) and sign up for our "I love African Literature" newsletter.
