Girls at War and Other Stories [Paperback]

Chinua Achebe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2010

This is the classic collection of Chinua Achebe's short fiction, written over twenty years and drawn from literary journals and magazines, to be made available to the wider public. The earliest, "Marriage is a Private Affair" (1952), dates back to his student days at Ibadan, Nigeria, while the latest, "Vengeful Creditor" and "Civil Peace" (1971), are stories of the Nigerian civil war. "Girls at War", the title story, is about the tragic effects of war on the civilian population, in particular on one girl, who sets out with high ideals which vanish as the war drags on and the need for food replaces the need for ideals. This collection provides an interesting cross-section of Achebe's work and the development of his key themes and distinctive style against the significant historical and political backdrop of Africa in the decades between 1952 and 1972.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chinua Achebe is a magical writer — one of the greatest of the twentieth century."
— Margaret Atwood

"It is a measure of Achebe's creative gift that he has no need whatsoever for prose fireworks to light the flame of his intense drama. Wothry of particular attention are the characters. Achebe doesn't create his people with fastidiously detailed line drawings: instead, he relies on a few short strokes that highlight whatever prominent features will bring the total personlaity into three-dimensional life."
— Time

"The power of majesty of Chinua Achebe's work has, literally, opened the world to generations of readers. He is an ambassador of art, and a profound recorder of the human condition."
— Michael Dorris

"He is one of the few writers of our time who has touched us with a code of values that will never be ironic. This great voice."
— Michael Ondaatje --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Twelve stories by the internationally renowned novelist which recreate with energy and authenticity the major social and political issues that confront contemporary Africans on a daily basis. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (May 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143026232
• ISBN-13: 978-0143026235
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,857,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories by a master writer, December 8, 2000

By 

Edward Bosnar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls at War (Paperback)

This is an impressive collection of short stories that covers a twenty-year period of Achebe's writing. They also cover a period of history in his native Nigeria that spans from the late colonial period to the Biafran war. In them Achebe explores various aspects of a predominant theme in his work, i.e. tradition vs. modernism in his country (as introduced by British colonial administration). The various stories offer glimpses into the lives of people from various classes and walks of life. Achebe has a concise and eloquent writing style; he has an almost singular talent for making very pertinent observations in an extremely pithy fashion. Thus, for example, in the few pages of a story like "Dead Man's Path," Achebe brings to life the problems which ensue from the drive for quick modernization, the desire to adhere to tradition and the hypocrisy of Nigeria's colonial administrators. Also impressive is Achebe's mastery of narrative styles, i.e. first person, omiscient, etc. These stories can be read on their own, or as a supplement to Achebe's similarly powerful novels.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn about Nigeria, December 6, 2004

By 

Kris (Oxnard, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls at War (Paperback)

Did you know that free schooling was only briefly offered in Nigeria? There's a poignant story about it here.

I learned a lot about Nigeria from these stories. Sometimes, the stories seemed to end a little too abruptly, but I guess that's part of the story format: it has to end sooner than a short novel, anyway.

Mr. Achebe is a fine storyteller and he has many interesting things to say about the people and customs of Nigeria. I recommend this book, but only after first reading his classic novel about 19th century Ibo tribe people, Things Fall Apart.

After reading these stories, I was both attracted to Nigeria and repelled by it (I've never been to Africa). Achebe does a good job of capturing the ambivalence aroused by Nigeria's exotic nature (to Americans) mixed with its societal dysfunctions.

Diximus.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good one, June 6, 2008

By 

Luxuriate "Recovering Shopaholic" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Girls at War (Paperback)

Very impressed. I am glad I read it again after all these years. The story of the Mad Man is very funny. I was cracking up while reading it.