- Published: 01/09/2011
- ISBN: 9781847084385
- Granta Books
- 400 pages
The Granta Book of the African Short Story
Helon Habila
Presenting a diverse and dazzling collection from all over the continent, from Morocco to Zimbabwe, Uganda to Kenya. Helon Habila focuses on younger, newer writers – contrasted with some of their older, more established peers – to give a fascinating picture of a new and more liberated Africa.
These writers are characterized by their engagement with the wider world and the opportunities offered by the end of apartheid, the end of civil wars and dictatorships, and the possibilities of free movement. Their work is inspired by travel and exile. They are liberated, global and expansive. As Dambudzo Marechera wrote: ‘If you’re a writer for a specific nation or specific race, then f*** you.” These are the stories of a new Africa, punchy, self-confident and defiant.
Includes stories by: Fatou Diome; Aminatta Forna; Manuel Rui; Patrice Nganang; Leila Aboulela; Zoë Wicomb; Alaa Al Aswany; Doreen Baingana; E.C. Osondu.
£12.99
The skill and sophistication of African authors is on display throughout this rich and rewarding book
Joan Smith, The Times
Brings together some of the most exciting voices from this generation
Daily Telegraph
It is an anthology about the agonies of love and war, about family, about longing for home, about transplantation in unaccustomed earth ... The Granta Book of the African Short Story shows, wherever and by whomever they are published, Africa has writers of depth and talent with a multitude of stories as diverse as the continent's countries, cultures and peoples
Petina Gappah, Financial Times
Helon Habila on Granta.com
Fiction
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The Online Edition
The Witch’s Dog
Helon Habila
‘The old witch, Nana Mudo, lived alone with her dog on the other side of the grove.’
Essays & Memoir
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The Online Edition
Another Age
Helon Habila
‘This snapshot of us in the foyer of the MuSoN Hall has come to symbolize a lot of things to me. Our smiles seem to say that the worst for our country is over, we are gazing beyond the camera into a new and brighter future, where we could be poets without fear of arrest, murder or exile. We had cheques worth 50,000 naira and 20,000 naira in our pockets. But above all the picture is a confirmation of my deepest dream, that of becoming a writer.’
