African Short Stories [Paperback]

Chinua Achebe (Author), C.L. Innes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0435905368 | ISBN-13: 978-0435905361 | Publication Date: August 13, 2008

Chinua Achebe has joined with C.L. Innes, co-editor of "Okike," to select stories of excellence from the writings of the last twenty-five years. While many of the established names such as Sembene Ousmane, Ngugi, and Bessie Head are to be found, the collection is refreshing for the inclusion of work by the wide range of writers who have made the emerging field of African fiction something to follow.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'A fine anthology, well selected, well ordered, and altogether a pleasure to read. The editors have chosen twenty stories by twenty different writers from all over Africa, grouping them geographically into four different sections: West, East, North and Southern Africa... They have done a particularly good job of balancing the work of lesser-known, younger writers with established figures: David Owoyele as well as Adhebe, Abdulrzak Gurnah as well as Ngugi, Ahmed Essop as well as Nadine Gordimer and Bessie Head.'"
World Literature Today


"'There is indeed wonderful writing in the collection'."
New York Literary Supplement


"'A highly recommended book for teachers to use as an introduction (a) to the short story and (b) to Africa.'"
The Times Educational Supplement, Edward Blishen

"'...African Short Stories is a worthy showcase of recent African writing...""
Africa Events

About the Author

Chinua Achebe was born in 1930 in the village of Ogidi in Eastern Nigeria. After studying medicine and literature at the University of Ibadan, he went to work for the Nigerian broadcasting company in Lagos. Things Fall Apart, his first novel was published in 1958. It sold over 2,000,000 copies, and has been translated into 30 languages. It was followed by No Longer at Ease, then Arrow of God (which won the first New Statesman Jock Campbell Prize), then A Man of the People (a novel dealing with post-independence Nigeria). Achebe has also written short stories and children's books, and Beware Soul Brother, a book of his poetry, won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1972.Achebe has been at the Universities of Nigeria, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and among the many honours he has received are the award of a Fellowship of the Modern Language Association of America, and doctorates from the Universities of Stirling, Southampton and Kent. He followed Heinrich Boll, the Nobel prizewinner, as the second recipient of the Scottish Art's Council Neil Gunn Fellowship. In 1987, he was recognised in Nigeria with the Nigerian National Merit Award - the country's highest award for intellectual achievement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Longman (August 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435905368
• ISBN-13: 978-0435905361
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > African

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Introduction to African Literature, September 20, 1999

By 

"lalalarue" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Short Stories (Paperback)

This is a great collection of stories. Too often the artistic talent in Africa is overloooked because of the turmoil in some parts of the land. This book is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the African people and their lives that one cannot get from headlines.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good selection, January 28, 2010

By 

B. L. Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: African Short Stories (Paperback)

This book contains a good selection of stories written by esteemed African writers from various regions of Africa. The book is divided by these regions: East Africa, Northern Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa. Most of the stories are good little reads and offer insight into African culture. Overall a good book.