Customer Reviews

Mister Johnson

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Mister Johnson", by Joyce Cary, is a tale of an intriguing, quixotic native character, set in colonial Nigeria. Cary draws on his own experiences as a colonial official in Nigeria, drawing a rich, topical, authentic picture of the country during the early thirties. The eponymous anti-hero, referred to only as "Johnson", is a pathetic creation who sees himself as an enthusiast for Empire, a champion of progress and civilisation, with the King of England numbering among his friends. In reality, he is despised by his European boss, Rudbeck, as a member of an inferior race. Johnson's life, his attempt to to become more English than the English, is set precariously between these two extremes -- the urgings of superiority and the reality of degradation, eventually leading him to the gallows. The story's culmination, involving larceny, treachery and murder, sees Johnson emerging as a pathetic but genuinely human creation, whose plight is an illustration of a genuine human dilemma.

Please note that this is a play based on the book NOT the actual book. Hence 1 star. I had read the book many years ago and the book deserves 5 stars. I ordered it unknowingly, got the play and wrote to AMAZON who very kindly refunded me the amount. Please look for the book elsewhere since it seems to be out of print.

MISTER JOHNSON, perhaps the best of Joyce Cary's African novels, is about a man who fails to heed the reality all about him in favor of an illusory world of his own creation. Johnson is a Nigerian native; he comes to view the British colonial system, especially as represented by the incompetent road builder Rudbeck, through the prism of his African roots and experiences. Johnson tends not to filter things through the process of logical reasoning, but empirically through all his senses. The potential for disaster is great and is finally realized with the robbery and the subsequent murder he commits.

Cary narrates the story in the present tense, which gives it a strong feel of immediacy. Johnson's delusions, from his total lack of understanding of his bride Bamu, who doesn't like him at all, though he doesn't realize it; his near worship of Rudbeck; and his even thinking he is above the law because "I king of all dem country" - a laughable self-deception if it didn't carry such frightening consequences, is sad and poignant. Despite being his own worst enemy, the reader can't help but sympathize with the ever singing, joyful, optimistic, Johnson.

Spotted this on the site and thought it was the novel - the jacket is not clear it is the Broadway stage play. The jacket should be clear on the contents, as the authorship is different from the novelMister Johnson