african novels

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Features, Fiction, For Readers Seeking Inspiration, For The Little Book Lover (LBL), Lit Scene, News April 27, 2020

Prof. Ato Quayson’s Lockdown Recommendations

After weeks of trying to stream the pandemic away, maybe you’re realizing that there is nothing like a good novel to truly escape the constraints of time and space. Your “To Read” stack is glaring at you from its neglected spot on the shelf while your old friends are crying out to be read again, […]

Panashe Chigumadzi’s Harare Novel is Feminist in Every Way

There seems to be no end to all the good fiction being written about Zimbabwe—Bulawayo’s We Need New Names, Gappah’s The Book of Memory, Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare and recently The Maestro, The Magistrate and The Mathematician. Sweet Medicine, Panashe Chigumadzi’s debut novel is the latest in a growing body of fictional works that represent […]

Dear Ms. Paper: How Do I Stop Hating on My Successful (African Writer) Friend

Dear Ms. Paper: One of my writer friends just made the long list of a prestigious literary prize. We both live in Lagos and have been friends for years now. When she told me about the longlist, I tried to sound excited. I even posted congratulatory messages on social media. But, if I have to […]

Life and love interrupted | Review of Saah Millimono’s Boy Interrupted | by Ikhide Ikheloa

For several decades, the issue of wars, child soldiers and other gory dysfunctions became such a staple of African literature that the pejorative poverty porn was born. There are occasional hiccups, but African literature seems to have survived the stereotyping and seems to be coming of its own; indeed African literature is enjoying a renaissance […]

African Literature on Instagram Vol. 1

It’s been such a hectic week. I can’t wait to have a relaxing weekend. I have family visiting from out of town, so I’m envisioning delicious dinners and great conversations. Wishing you all a lovely weekend! Meanwhile, to keep things fun here at Brittle Paper, here are pictures of African novels sourced from Instagram. Enjoy! […]

My African Book Diary | The Unlovable Serial Killer

I made the mistake of reading Broken Monsters while my husband was away for a few days playing out-of-town shows. Bad idea. Broken Monsters is a disturbing and scary piece of work. I couldn’t go back to sleep not because I feared that a ghost would pop out of the shadows. I just couldn’t get the picture […]

The Very Tricky Problem of Deflowering an African Novel Virgin

If we begin counting from late 19th century when novels written in African languages were being published in South Africa, we could say African novels have been in existence for over a hundred years. That’s a lot of novels! So what do you do when someone who has never read an African novel asks you to make […]

Dear Ms. Paper: I Want to Kill My (Tribalist) Editor!

Dear Ms. Paper: My editor hates me. And I can tell it’s because she harbors intense hatred for my ethnic group. It’s obvious in the way she enjoys pointing out spelling mistakes for no other reason than to shame me. In my last email, I called her out for daring to accuse me of writing in cliché’s and […]