Customer Reviews

A Good Man in Africa

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

William Boyd, a terrific writer who knows Africa quite well (..he was brought up there), really cuts loose with 'A Good Man in Africa'. He completely deconstructs the psyche of the pompous, self-righteous and arrogant British colonial rulers (diplomats) of Africa during the 1960s. However I think even the most right wing British will not be offended with this book since his leading characters are so over-the-top buffoons and prigs it is obvious the author is writing a purely fictious comic novel, in the Tom Sharpe-esque tradition (but better written), rather than intentionally being cruel.

The story is about the travails of a junior British diplomat who is stuck in a nowhere African country and, despite wanting to succeed in his job/life, completely makes an ass out of himself. This is made easier by having a nitwit boss, a local mistress with a social disease, and the knack of always putting his foot in his mouth. The book is often laugh-out-loud funny. And the author has done a marvellous job in structuring the book; it is well-paced and literate.

Bottom line: surely among William Boyd's best works.

There are few enjoyments in life better than a direct, unfettered comedic form told in literary style - here is an example. No pretense, no glossing over the low points of life - however base - but never yieldng in style. It is possible to be really funny and intelligent at the same time. A great run-through of the British pretense for class and superiority - there is absolutely nothing superior in the end that has anything to do with these British Foreign Service types pretending to be somebody in third world Africa. Morgan Leafy's pretensions and attempts to satisfy his inner cravings - inevitably ending in disaster and ever plunging disgrace - often foiled by the good Dr. Murrary (who is everything Leafy should be but is not) are hilarious. Boyd's descriptions of Leafy's drunken bumblings and the horrible hangovers that ensue are just plain funny. The social commentary on British attempts at understanding - much less improving - the "colonial" cultures they presume to lead is priceless. Sad that this great and funny read is out of print - but well worth tracking down a copy in the "used" section.

One of the great comic set pieces of contemporary fiction, A Good Man in Africa tells the story of Morgan Leafy, a minor English diplomat whose posting to a small African country rapidly accelerates into disaster. Leafy, an overweight Londoner in his thirties is quite unsuited to life in the tropics, dividing his time between heavy drinking and romantic dalliances, unwisely including his bosses' daughter, the wife of a prominent local politician and a prostitute called Hazel, with results that not even Morgan, in his worst nightmares, could ever have predicted. Blackmailed and desperate, he is forced by circumstances to try to bribe one Doctor Alex Murray, an upstanding Scottish physician, the novel's unyielding face of moral probity and Morgan's hated nemesis. The slide has begun, and it does not end until events take an unexpected twist in the closing pages. A Good Man In Africa is a marvellous, rare kind of book. Hilarious, with fine characterization and a well paced plot, it combines the intelligence of classic fiction with ground-level punch. Due in part to a weak screenplay and some of the worst miscasting in the history of cinema it did not work well as a film, but the novel remains a classic of twentieth century modern fiction.

I began disliking the main character in this plot - Morgan - largely beause he was rude about the Welsh - too much of that in the world today. But as the book progressed I liked him more and more.
So many wonderful funny almost farcical situations which made me laugh outloud (a lol experience). Morgan gets into scrapes and digs himself deeper into the mire. The excellent thing is, and this why I began to like him, he eventually resigns himself to the outcomes, throws in the towel and takes it all on the chin. Pure freedom comes for him even though he's still in the poo.
Another great book from William Boyd, which strips away the myth of the British having any dynamic role abroad, meddling in the affairs of other countries. It all ends in tears for the establishment , and they bloody well deserve it too.
Boyd knocks the tired old hierarchies of British society: public school, accents - the usual bull. The irony is that the only person who even tries to gets things done is the working class boy made good (well almost). The humour comes when Morgan fails at everything.
I recommend this book.

It is easy to see why this book won two important literary awards. Boyd has produced a highly readable, literate, darkly comic story of the British colonial experience. The characters are superbly developed and believable, the plot is extremely well paced and engaging, and the strengths and weaknesses of the human character are fully explored. A great piece of literature, very highly recommended. Boyd's many other novels, including An Ice Cream War, The New Confessions, Brazzaville Beach, The Blue Afternoon, and Any Human Heart are equally terrific. Boyd is clearly one of our most talented contemporary writers of fiction.

This is one of my top ten favorite books. It will have you nearly crippled with laughter. It's unfortunate it is out of print, but it's worth tracking down. I found myself rationing myself so I would only read 10 pages at a time, because I didn't want it to end. Great great read.

"A Good Man in Africa" takes place in West Africa - it might very well be either Nigeria or Ghana, as the writer has resided in both these countries. The story in itself is rather trivial but nonetheless presents a picture of incompetent British administration in a former colony. The performance of the staff in the British administration in Nkongsamba does probably not differ much from what you still find with many other white experts or diplomats. The main character Morgan Leafy is able to make a mess out of most, even his own life. The problems are often triggered by a complete incompetent superior (Fanshave) as is often the case in British representations.
The Africans are described rather stereotyped either as the corrupted politician Adekunle or as incompetent servants. This view on Africans could be a subject for different interpretations in itself.

I've read several of his books and they are all great. His character development is especially strong.

It took me several pages of reading to get into the rhythm of this novel. It was: "Wait a minute!" After that, the satire and irony kept me chuckling to the end.
Humor in the face of awful government, awful people, awful motives (think British colonialism here)is daunting. Heard it all before? Well, you'll hear it again and again. Enjoy what had to happen and you wish, in many ways, it never had.

I have read quite a few of William Boyd's novels and A Good Man in Africa is the best except for his great opus The New Confessions. This is not surprising: A Good Man in Africa was Boyd's first novel, and first novels are often a good bet because the hurdle to get them published is that much higher. The plot is set in an imaginary west-African country in the 1970s. Morgan Leafy, the main protagonist, is a consular official who must battle petty foreign-office rivalries, impenetrable African politics, and his own over-active sex drive. Pretty soon he is caught in the cross wires of a bribery plot, a dead body that can't be moved until the shaman arrives, and the animosity of his boss's posh daughter for having spurned her at the wrong moment - and it must all be tackled in a Santa Claus outfit. A Good Man in Africa has no heroes or villains: this is pure comedy, especially about a bunch of officials out at sea in a place that, for all their colonial antecedents, they don't begin to understand. The book rises to true comic heights, and the last few chapters had me laughing to tears. It also rings true. Boyd grew up in west Africa, and it shows. And it has a psychological message that makes this well worth reading beyond the good laughs.