| Страници во темата: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever read any books or writings by African authors? Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever read any books or writings by African authors?".
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I have great interest in everything related to Africa as I lived and worked in Angola for a while (before and after the Angolan independence). I have read some lusophone African writers: Mia Couto (Mozmbique), Luandino Vieira (Angola), Germano Almeida (Cape Verde), José Eduardo Agualusa (Angola), Paulina Chiziane (Mozambique). I read recently an interview given by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to ‘Nouvel Obs’ and I became very interested in reading her books.
| | | | Dan Lucas 
Обединето Кралство
Local time: 16:30
Член (2014)
јапонски на англиски
A small number from the usual canon - Athol Fugard, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, J. M. Coetzee, etc. No Nadine Gordimer, surprisingly.
Ryszard Kapuscinski is also strongly associated in my mind with Africa, although of course he is not African.
Nothing recent, as you can see...
Dan
| | | | Jorge Payan
Колумбија
Член (2002)
германски на шпански
+ ...
| South African? | Mar 30, 2025 |
If Tolkien counts as such: yes, I did.
[Edited at 2025-03-30 15:19 GMT]
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Dan Lucas
Обединето Кралство
Local time: 16:30
Член (2014)
јапонски на англиски
| The Grass Is Singing | Mar 30, 2025 |
Jorge Payan wrote:
If Tolkien counts as such: yes, I did.
Doris Lessing, maybe?
| | | | Baran Keki
Турција
Local time: 18:30
Член
англиски на турски
| Not White 'Privileged?' South Africans | Mar 30, 2025 |
Dan Lucas wrote:
A small number from the usual canon - Athol Fugard, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, J. M. Coetzee, etc. No Nadine Gordimer, surprisingly.
Ryszard Kapuscinski is also strongly associated in my mind with Africa, although of course he is not African.
Nothing recent, as you can see...
Dan
The majority of the writers you've listed appear to be white and South African/Rhodesian, and have written in English, not in some exotic African language.
I believe the question intends to find out whether we've read any translation from a black African writer who wrote in their native language.
Personally, I've never read anything from Paton or Coetzee, but I wouldn't expect them to be any different from Steinbeck or some Aussie writer...
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Plenty, but I'm cheating because I'm Ghanaian. I was particularly partial to a series of young adult books called "Pacesetters" from the African Writers' Series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacesetter_Novels) which we all hungrily devoured. As an adult I don't read as much as I did when I was younger, but I did go to the bookstore not long ago where I saw plenty of titles. So many books... See more Plenty, but I'm cheating because I'm Ghanaian. I was particularly partial to a series of young adult books called "Pacesetters" from the African Writers' Series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacesetter_Novels) which we all hungrily devoured. As an adult I don't read as much as I did when I was younger, but I did go to the bookstore not long ago where I saw plenty of titles. So many books, so little time, so many competing affections. ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Шпанија
Local time: 17:30
шпански на англиски
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The only book I recall ever reading by an African author was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It was a very long time ago and I don't remember anything about it.
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Daniel Frisano
Италија
Local time: 17:30
Член (2008)
англиски на италијански
+ ...
| Probably only one end to end | Mar 31, 2025 |
"Chaka" by Thomas Mofolo, decades ago.
I must have quickly browsed Augustine at some point.
Also something about Wilbur Smith (if whites count), but I was done by page 3.
[Edited at 2025-03-31 11:25 GMT]
| | | | | I grew up in the Soviet Union | Mar 31, 2025 |
(Although most of the time I remember dates back to the perestroika). We had chrestomathies coming from all republics of the Union, from Vietnam, Cuba, China, Western, Eastern, Southern, Central, and Northern Africa, poets of Africa, etc., etc. The Soviet Union knew how to do friendship of peoples. We have a shirt made of heavy silk with beautiful embroidery, a national garment of Sierra Leone given to my father by his coursemate. He once met a guy wearing a similar shirt and made friends with h... See more (Although most of the time I remember dates back to the perestroika). We had chrestomathies coming from all republics of the Union, from Vietnam, Cuba, China, Western, Eastern, Southern, Central, and Northern Africa, poets of Africa, etc., etc. The Soviet Union knew how to do friendship of peoples. We have a shirt made of heavy silk with beautiful embroidery, a national garment of Sierra Leone given to my father by his coursemate. He once met a guy wearing a similar shirt and made friends with him in an instance by telling where he was from ▲ Collapse
| | | | Siobhán Fulton
Соединети Американски Држави
Local time: 11:30
германски на англиски
| "An African in Greenland" | Mar 31, 2025 |
By Tété-Michel Kpomassie, a Togolese author. It was originally written in French, but was available only in English in the US. I like "fish out of water" stories. A good read.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Босна и Херцеговина
Local time: 17:30
англиски на француски
+ ...
| Not many I’m afraid | Mar 31, 2025 |
I read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, awesome book and captivating writing style.
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Gerard Barry
Германија
Local time: 17:30
германски на англиски
Baran Keki wrote:
Dan Lucas wrote:
A small number from the usual canon - Athol Fugard, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, J. M. Coetzee, etc. No Nadine Gordimer, surprisingly.
Ryszard Kapuscinski is also strongly associated in my mind with Africa, although of course he is not African.
Nothing recent, as you can see...
Dan
The majority of the writers you've listed appear to be white and South African/Rhodesian, and have written in English, not in some exotic African language.
I believe the question intends to find out whether we've read any translation from a black African writer who wrote in their native language.
Personally, I've never read anything from Paton or Coetzee, but I wouldn't expect them to be any different from Steinbeck or some Aussie writer...
Interesting how you assume that a) all white South Africans or Zimbabweans are privileged and b) that being white means someone can't be properly African. If someone said that a black British or French writer wasn't properly European, they'd be accused of racism pretty fast.
| | | | Baran Keki
Турција
Local time: 18:30
Член
англиски на турски
Gerard Barry wrote:
Interesting how you assume that a) all white South Africans or Zimbabweans are privileged and b) that being white means someone can't be properly African. If someone said that a black British or French writer wasn't properly European, they'd be accused of racism pretty fast.
I knew you'd rear your ugly head soon enough... Take your fucking politics somewhere else.
| | | | Dan Lucas
Обединето Кралство
Local time: 16:30
Член (2014)
јапонски на англиски
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei wrote:
So many books, so little time, so many competing affections.
Ars longa vita brevis...
Dan
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