While teaching in Nigeria many years ago, I discovered the African Writer Series novels published by Heineman and was immediately captivated. They opened up a whole new world of literature to me. After Chinu Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ followed by ‘No Longer at Ease,’ I wanted more; I needed to be educated about this amazing country. Achebe often called the ‘Father of Nigerian Literature,’ frequently weaves oral tradition with Ibo folk tales and the individual’s struggle to find a place in this ‘new world.’ Since I was born and educated in the UK, his anti-colonial sentiments showed me how naïve my attitudes were and how simplistic my understanding of Nigerian history. I needed to read more. That had its own challenges since I was working in a remote part of the country where there were few amenities and the nearest bookstore was over two hundred miles away. But I was hooked!
Achebe’s works directed me to another Ibo writer, Cyprien Ekwensi. His ‘People of the City’ was the first major novel to be published by a Nigerian. His most widely read work, ‘Jagua Nana,’ returned to the same setting of ‘People of the City,’ the capital Lagos, but boasted a much more cohesive plot. It focuses on the contradictions within the life of an aging sex worker. Almost better known for his short stories, ‘Burning Grass,’ a collection of vignettes about a nomadic Fulani family, really captivated me.
T.M Aluko, a Yoruba writer, uses similar themes in his novel ‘One Man One Matchet,’ reflecting the growing sentiment of the anticolonialism of the 1950s.
Wole Soyinka, novelist and playwright, also from the Yoruba tribe, in ‘The Interpreters,’ focuses on the oppression of the poor and abuse of the weak by the strong. He spares nobody, neither the white speculator nor the black exploiter. During my ten years in Nigeria, he, of all the writers, made me question what I was really doing there.
I discovered several female writers, which shouldn’t have surprised me but did. At the time, there were few females in academia generating creative thought and expression. Flora Nwapa is considered to be the ‘Mother of Modern African Literature’ starting with her novel ‘Efuru.’ Balaraba Ramat Yakubu writes love stories and popular fiction, in Hausa, the first African language I learned.
While earlier writers used themes of culture and tradition, the more contemporary Nigerian literature has expanded impressively and now draws from the realities of the country’s social processes, from women’s rights and feminism to post-war and post-colonial identity. Racism, class, abuse, and violence, as well as patriotism, beauty, and love, are all explored.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels have garnered universal acclaim; ‘Purple Hibiscus’ (2003) and ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ (2006). Her novel ‘Americanah’ (2013) is a book every person concerned with racism, immigration and globalization should read. Essentially a love story, it traces the lives of Ifemelu and her childhood sweetheart, Obinze. They are separated when she goes to study in America and stays with Aunt Uju, who is never short of advice on how to acculturate; “The problem is that there are many qualified people who are not what they are supposed to be because they won’t lick ass, or they don’t know which ass to lick, or they don’t even know how to lick ass.” It’s about love, loneliness, and race. But it’s also a poignant, funny, scathing look at the reality of being a new immigrant in the USA…from an African perspective.
Oyindamole Affinnih gave up her career as a lawyer to write two intriguing novels about personal relationships, ‘A Tailor-made Romance’ (2015) and ‘Two Gone…Still Counting,’ (2014). Chibundu Onuzo’s first book, ‘The Spider King’s Daughter’ (2012), portrays life in modern-day Lagos with its informal economy and class divide centered around a compelling love story. Chigozie Obioma is sometimes referred to as “the heir to Chinua Achebe.” His novel ‘The Fishermen’ (2015), is a powerful tale of grief, healing, and sibling loyalty, and was a finalist for the 2015 Man Booker Prize. His works have been translated into more than 25 languages. Ijeoma Umebinyuo, named one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s greatest contemporary poets in ‘Questions for Ada’ (2016), embodies the pain, passion, and the power of love. Lesley Nneka Arimah, the author of ‘What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky’ (2017), offers a fascinating collection of stories demonstrating rich imagination and love of language and people. Ayobami Adebayo, in ‘Stay with Me’ (2017), explores feminism and relationships. “She writes not just with extraordinary grace but with genuine wisdom about love and loss and the possibility of redemption. She has written a powerfully magnetic and heartbreaking book.” (New York Times).
As more young Nigerian debut authors rise to global prominence, the diversity and range of the country’s fiction is on full display. Elnathan John’s debut novel ‘Born on a Tuesday,’ which tackles the rise of Islamic extremism through the eyes of a homeless teenager who gets swept up in political violence, was heralded as “a stunning, important coming-of-age story” by a critic in Publishers Weekly. The treasure trove of Nigerian writers is deep, varied, and fascinating.
Among other notable writers are Helen Oyeyemi, Tejo Cole, Sarah Ladipo and Oyinkan Braithwaite, each one with their distinct voices, sharing with us insights on their cultures and a world seen and experienced through Nigerian eyes.
The country’s flourishing literary scene is giving rise to some of the most groundbreaking and boundary-pushing fiction on the continent. In the past, successful African writers often first gained renown abroad yet weren’t widely read in their homelands. But now, many of Nigeria’s promising young authors are increasingly building an audience at home, where there is a growing appetite for fiction that addresses contemporary issues.
A new wave of thematically and stylistically diverse fiction is emerging from the country, as writers there experiment with different genres and explore controversial subjects like violence against women, polygamy, and the rise of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Barrington writes mainly historical novels: Let the Peacock Sing, The Ethiopian Affair, Becoming Anya, The Baron of Bengal Street, No Room for Heroes. Passage to Murder is a thriller set in San Francisco. Magic at Stonehenge is a short story collection. Take a Priest Like You is a memoir. He has published more than 60 short stories and also blogs on his website: www.mbwriter.net.
About the Author
