F The Full List of Novels Read (35/54) - Beyond Achebe: Reading the Continent

The Full List of Novels Read (35/54)

Beginning in 2016, I decided to read a novel by an author from every country on the African continent (a parallel effort includes reading and writing about a poem from every country).  I know there is plenty of great non-fiction (much of it listed on my comprehensive Africa reading list) too but for now I will stick with the good stuff.

I've also started including a link to my prior "Poet of the Week" selections for various African countries--something to keep you occupied until I read a book from that country.

Coincidentally, in searching for novels I came across an amazing effort by writer Ann Morgan who read a novel from EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! Her complete list is here. It's invaluable with a country like the Comoros where there is no published English fiction.

General (Multiple Countries):
West with the Night by Beryl Markham : My review is here and more information about the incomparable writer is here.
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski. This book is on my GOFO Africa Reading List. I put a couple of choice quotes from the book's foreword here.

*In the future, I will add a section on influence of India in African literature as well

MAGHREB

Algeria
What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra. My review is here.
Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade by Assia Djebar. FUTURE READ.
Poet of the Week from Algeria: Moufdi Zakaria: Kassaman (We Pledge)

Libya
Confines of the Shadow: My review is here.
Poet of the Week from Libya: Fatima Mahmoud: What Was Not Conceivable
Poet of the Week from Libya: Ashur Etwebi: Politics and Writing a Poem
Poet of the Week from Libya: Khaled Mattawa: East of Carthage: An Idyll

Mauritania
The Desert and the Drum.  My review is here.

Morocco
Leaving Tangier: My review is here.
Poet of the Week from Morocco: Muhammed Bennis: Love is Eternity's River
Poet of the Week from Morocco: Ali Squali Houssaini: Moroccan National Anthem
Poet of the Week from Morocco: Hassan El Ouazzani: Elegy for Love

Tunisia
Lion Mountain by Mustapha Tlili. My review is here.
Talismano by Dr. Abdelwahab Meddeb. My review will be here.


LUSOPHONE

Angola
Luuanda by Tania Macedo. FUTURE READ.
Transparent City.  My review will be here.
Good Morning Comrades
Human Love
Poet of the Week from Zaire (DRC)/Angola: Makuzayi Massaki: Regressado, Yes I Am

Cabo Verde
The Last Will and Testament of da Silva. My review is here.

Equatorial Guinea (Spanish)
By Night the Mountain Burns. My review is here.

Guinea-Bissau
The Ultimate Tragedy.  My review will be here.

Mozambique

Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto. My review is here.
Poet of the Week from Mozambique: Noémia de Sousa: If You Want to Know Me

Sao Tome and Principe
Equator.  My review will be here.

FRANCOPHONE
Benin
The Viceroy of Ouidah My review will be here.

Burkina Faso
American Spy.  My review is here.
The Parachute Drop. My review will be here.

Cameroon (British too, German too)
Houseboy. My review is here.
Behold the Dreamers.  My review is here.
Poet of the week from Cameroon: Mbella Sonne Dipoko: A Poem of Villeneuve St. Georges

Central African Republic

Chad
Told by Starlight in Chad. My review will be here.

Comoros
The Kafir of Khartala: My review is here.

Congo, Republic of the
Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou. FUTURE READ.

Cote d'Ivoire
Allah is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma. This novel could just as easily have been filed under Sierra Leone or Liberia but I stuck it here since the author is Ivorian. And if we want to get all philosophical about things, most of these books could be filed under multiple countries since the borders are really an artificial colonial construct. My review is here.

Djibouti

Transit by Abdourahman Waberi. My review is here.
The Land Without Shadows by Abdourahman Waberi. FUTURE READ.

Gabon
Segu
Epic of Sundiata

Niger

Senegal
So Long a Letter: My full review is here.
Poet of the Week from Senegal: Senghor: Black Woman
Poet of the Week from Senegal: Leopold Senghor: Et nous baignerons mon amie

Seychelles (British too)

Togo (British and Germany too)
An African in Greenland by Kpomassie. My review is here.

BRITISH
Botswana
We are All Blue
The #1 Ladies Detective Agency
Badass Librarians of Timbuktu
Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni: Love That

Egypt
The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. Magnificent story about colonial Egypt and family. No review as I read these long before I started on this quest.
Poet of the Week from Syria/Egypt: Khalil Mutran: Boycott

Eswatini
Gambia

Ghana
Ghana Must Go: My review is here.
Homegoing.  My review is here.
Transcendent Kingdom.  My review is here.
Poet of the Week from Ghana: Atukwei Okai: III (Everyone Dreams of Kissing You)

Kenya
The Zanzibar Chest by Aiden Hartley. One of my favorite books ever. Not technically fiction but it sure reads like it. My review is here.
One Day I Will Write About This Place: My review is here.
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alex Fuller. I never wrote a review on this one.

Lesotho (and Dutch)

Malawi
The Jive Talker or How to Get a British Passport: My review is here.
Poet of the Week from Malawi: Frank Chipasula: A Love Poem for my Country

Mauritius (also french and dutch)

Nigeria
Arrow of God by Achebe (I've read all of his novels but this one was my favorite) : My review is here.
I Do Not Come to You By Chance: My review is here.
The Fishermen: My review is here.
Americanah: My review is here.
Every Day is For the Thief: My short review is here. My kindle highlights are here.
Poet of the Week from Nigeria: Wole Soyinka: In the Small Hours

Sierra Leone (in the future compare with Liberian literature)
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. My review is here.

South Sudan
There is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan FUTURE READ.

Sudan
Lyrics Alley.  My review will be here.
What is the What? I never wrote a review for this one.
Poet of the Week Muhammed Al-Faituri from Sudan: A Scream

Tanzania
The Gunny Sack by M.J. Vassanji. My review is here.

Uganda
All our Names: My review is here. THIS IS THE GREAT AFRICAN NOVEL. One of the best books I've ever read.
To Stop a Warlord (technically a memoir but it reads like a novel). My review is here.

South Africa (Dutch too)
My Traitor's Heart: Read this but never wrote a review.
Bring Me My Machine Gun: Read this but never wrote a review.
The Promise: My review is here.

Zambia
The Old Drift:  My review will be here.
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller.  I read this years before I started writing reviews.
Poet of the Week from Zambia: Gwendoline Konie: In the Fist of Your Hand

Zimbabwe
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. I read this years before I started writing reviews.
We Need New Names: My review is here.
They Are Coming: My review is here.

BELGIAN
Burundi (German too)
Small Country. My review is here.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
A Bend in the River (1979) by V.S. Naipaul. My review is here.
Dancing in the Glory of Monsters by Jason Stearns. Not fiction but it reads like--my review is here.
Poet of the Week from the Congo: Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard: Impuissance
Rwanda (German too)
Everything is Yours, Everything is Not Yours: My review is here.

ITALIAN
Eritrea (British too)
Gratitude in Low Voices.  My review is here.

Ethiopia (Italy tried but failed)
In Praise of Savagery: My review is here.
Beneath the Lion's Gaze. My review is here.
The Shadow King.  My review is here.

Somalia (British too)
Warrior: Life and Death Among Somalis. My review is here.
The Insanity of God.  My review is here.
The Fortune Men.  My notes are here.
AMERICAN
Liberia
She Would Be King. My review is here.

GERMAN
Namibia (but also South African)

A
Algeria 1
Angola
B
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
C
Cabo Verde
Cameroon
Central African Republic (CAR)
Chad
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Cote d'Ivoire
D
Djibouti
E
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
Ethiopia
G
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
K
Kenya
L
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
M
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
N
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
R
Rwanda
S
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
T
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
U
Uganda
Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Africa Reading Lists:
Heinemann African Writers Series Wiki Entry
Where to find Heinemann African Writers Series for a Price

Africa is a Country reading lists:
http://africasacountry.com/2011/12/what-you-should-be-reading/
http://africasacountry.com/2013/07/winter-reading-list/
http://africasacountry.com/2013/07/summer-reading-list/
http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2015/05/16/the-2015-sunday-times-alan-paton-award-shortlist/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Ronge_Fiction_Prize
http://www.caineprize.com/
http://prize.etisalat.com.ng/about-the-prize/

CONVERSATION

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