Under African Skies: Modern African Stories [Hardcover]

Charles R. Larson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

Stories from a number of African nations, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal, are presented here, along with biographical information on the writers and textual notes by Chinua Achebe, Camara Laye, Bessie Head, Ousmane Sembene, and other notable authors."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edited by a scholar with a long-standing interest in African literature, this is a collection of 26 stories by African writers from Somalia to South Africa. It includes such stalwarts of African literature as Amos Tutola, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, and Chinua Achebe, who have been publishing since the 1950s and '60s. But it also includes younger writers such as Ben Okri, winner of the 1991 Booker Prize for his novel The Famished Road, and the South African Mandla Langa. In his introduction Charles Larson notes that "the most extraordinary aspect of African literature . . . has been its resiliency" in the face of censorship, exile, imprisonment, torture, and even death. This collection reaffirms that extraordinary strength.

From Library Journal

Editor Larson continues his work on modern African literature (e.g., The Emergence of African Fiction, 1972) with this impressive collection of short stories from sub-Saharan Africa. Published between 1952 and 1996, some translated from French, Portuguese, and Arabic, these stories share a common outrage against Africa's decay, whether from oppressive colonialism and corruption or the repression of tradition and ignorance. These are not folk tales about great chiefs but heart-rending stories about ordinary people?maids, insurance salesmen, fathers, and mothers?trying to make a life for their families, caught up in the political and spiritual struggle for Africa. Larson accompanies each story with a brief biographical sketch of the authors, many of whom have experienced exile, imprisonment, and execution because of their writing. An excellent introduction to African literature and an important complement to any African American collection. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Ellen Flexman, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L., Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T); 1st edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374211787
• ISBN-13: 978-0374211783
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity and Commonality, May 17, 2006

By 

Friederike Knabe (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Under African Skies: Modern African Stories (Paperback)

The talent of story telling is widespread in Africa. Oral history is part of the makeup of the multitude of societies that have evolved in Africa over millennia. Through colonial times the traditions of story telling has continued, preserving the rich culture and history of the communities. Published works of African writers were small in numbers in comparison to other continents and literary training the privilege of very few. With the wave of African countries' independence, the situation of African fiction authors did not improve much. Obstacles were numerous, from political difficulties to lack of a paying audience in the African market. Larson contends that the "most extraordinary aspect of African literature [during the last fifty years] is its resilience." His introduction to this collection of African short fiction of the last few decades summarizes the challenges and the triumphs of many African writers. He describes his difficulty of selection among the many and varied writers from across the continent.

Twenty six writers from seventeen countries are introduced, including internationally well-known authors like Chinua Achebe, Sembene Ousmane and Ken Saro-Wiwa. Others, locally recognized, in their country of origin or, too often, of exile, deserve a much wider larger audience. The stories, roughly arranged chronologically, range from the very personal vignette to the magical realism of a place or person. Early works might address the domestic-master relationship, such as Es'kia Mphahlele's delightful "Mrs. Plum" or the moving story of "The Black Girl" by Ousmane. Landscapes can be important backdrops or become essential elements that lure the innocent into their realm. "The Complete Gentleman" changes into everything but that once he enters the forest. Conflict and devastation are touched upon as they haunt the living such as in Ben Okri's story "A Prayer from the Living". While the styles vary from one author to the next, we also find commonalities and parallels in the events described: personal tragedies, war, heroism and defeat. Taken together, the book builds a tapestry of African realities with the dreams and the magic woven in. It reads like one complex literary work with many individual and diverse chapters.

Each author is briefly introduced by Larson and their writing placed into context of their life and literary career. Thereby the author instilled some curiosity in the reader to read more of one or the other writer. The book, published in 1997/8, maintains its importance today as an excellent overview of African literary talent. Don't stop there, however. There is a rich field out there to explore. [Friederike Knabe]

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The bitter fruits of imperialism, May 24, 2006

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Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Under African Skies: Modern African Stories (Paperback)

There's a nagging irony in reading these stories. Africa, the home of our species, must now lament the return of her descendants as conquerors and oppressors. Larson, who has compiled other collections of African writing, presents us with a litany of more than two dozen expressions of frustration and helplessness. That's not to say these tales are merely depressing reading. The authors are too human and witty in their expressive narratives to be so limited. Larson has assembled the works of writers equal in their talents with authors from any culture. Grace Ogrot, Ben Okri, Bessie Head and Ken Saro-Wiwa, may all be placed in balance with those in the "Western" ranks.

The powerful stories by these articulate writers, however, don't offer much in the way of humour. Living in Africa today is no laughing matter. Before the collapse of apartheid and the turning out of colonial powers, it was even worse. Most of these stories represent those times and conditions. Of them all, Ken Saro-Wiwa's "Africa Kills Her Sun" may be the most poignant and compelling. The title imparts much at the outset. It's the story of a robber facing execution and certainly seizes the reader. That's particularly true when you recall the author would be facing his own martyrdom only a few years later. It's also symptomatic of the tone of the collection with its depiction of government corruption and arbitrary use of power.

On the other hand, if you are interested in the African woman's view of life, which of these should you place first in your reading queue? Yvonne Vera's "Why Don't You Carve Other Animals"? Nurrudin Farah's "My Father, the Englishman and I"? Or Mzamane Nhlapo's "Give me a Chance"? Each will lead you to a facet of women's lives in Africa. There's an added fillip when you realise two of those writers are men. Women writers have much to say, but have struggled "manfully"[?] to gain a place in the pantheon of African authors. Besides Vera, there's Ama Ata Aidoo, Veronique Tadjo, and Sindiwe Magona. Their contributions to this gathering bring a fresh and evocative voice to African writing.

It's indicative of the African scene that several of these writers were living in exile at the time these stories were first published. Another aspect of this collection is the number of "non-English-writing" authors have a strong representation. In the "West" it's too easy to overlook the plethora of languages permeating Africa - with French and Portuguese translations appearing here. The clash of cultures includes religion, as well. Islam is a major force in Africa and it and Christianity remain in subdued conflict with traditional gods. From these are derived food taboos, family relations and medicinal practices. Only lately have we outside our home continent become aware of the benefits of them. We overlook how many people rely on these social factors for survival - and who are forced to abandon them under external pressures. What happens when a family comes under the domination of a fanatical Christian convert? Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Kenyan story "A Meeting In the Dark" offers some valuable insight into what the West has imposed there.

If forced to choose a "favourite" among these tales, it would likely be Es'kia Mphalele's "Mrs Plum". Told from the view of Mrs Plum's servant girl, Karabo - also known as "Jane" - it deals with the complex interactions between black Africans and whites living in but loathing the culture apartheid created. There are three "big things" in Mrs Plum's life. Karabo isn't one of them, but she will be. As the longest story in the collection, Mphalele's tale is able to delve more deeply into the issues through his character. He also uses Karabo to explain many elements in the daily lives of South Africans. Apartheid may be gone, but it's hard to believe Karabo's life is any more fulfilled than it was when this was written. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Ontario]

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Work, May 14, 2003

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sleep dreprived law student (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under African Skies: Modern African Stories (Paperback)

I have always been wary of collections of stories written by multiple authors - I am afraid that they will be lacking in content as the editor attempts to create some sort of image of the type of author he/she is collecting. This is emphatically not the case here.
While I was initially struck by the alien nature of the cultures from which these stories come - I am a Brooklynite through and through - this did not stop me from devouring UNDER AFRICAN SKIES: MODERN AFRICAN STORIES. (Here I feel I should note that I read this book as part of a discussion based seminar this past year I spent at Trinity College. My classmates provided me with great insight, but most of the joy I found in reading this work stemmed from the superb quality and provocative nature of these stories.) Although it would be an over statement to say that every single story in this collection is great, some - including Alexander Kanehgoni's EFFORTLESS TEARS - are among the best short stories I have ever encountered. I say "encountered" and not "read" because you do not simply read many of these stories, you experience them both intellectually and emotionally. Buy this book, let it speak to you - do not be discouraged by cultural barriers - you will not be disappointed.
In a final note, I would like to concur with the "A reader from New York City" that this book should not be read in a single sitting. Each story should be read more than once: there are layers of meaning that simply cannot be grasped without careful reading and re-reading. This is not to say that the work cannot be enjoyed without careful study, but that it becomes more enjoyable the more time you devote to it.