QUICK GLANCE
Intro:
Are you a Literature lover?
Are you tired of reading Literature that does not resonate with our time?
Do you have questions about Literature?
If so, welcome to the podcast ‘My Two cent’s worth’. The platform that discusses Literature in relation to our times.
I am uniquely Kenyan and relevantly African... hence my focus, African Literature.
In this video, I will be giving a quick glance - PART 1 on ten newly released post modern african books.
Hashtag: Postmodernist reality in African Literature.
Please listen till the end.
You will definitely have food for thought!
Let us sail in!
Body:
The first one is by a kenyan writer, Okwiri Oduor’s ‘Things They Lost’ . Have you ever read Alice in Wonderland? Exactly my thoughts! Things They Lost is an African- Alice in Wonderland, where going down the rabbit hole is uniquely different. It is such a good read exploring a child's progression through life in magical form . The story ' s plot line, though intertwined with use of emotive poems; talks about the issue of womanhood alongside the dire need for motherly love from the perception of a coming of age girl named Ayosa. It is a tale that is purely merged up with magic as a way of getting an inner look at the characters’ thought process.
Secondly is Vagabonds by Elogusa Osunde. The title itself is quite eye-catching as it foreshadows a call for attention . The novel is majorly a collection of many stories exploring various characters trapped in their own life’s predicaments and disillusionment.From mothers who find love in each other under the authoritarian society that sees their husbands abuse all the women in their lives, to young sex workers who remind themselves daily who it is they love, a tale of a renowned fashion designer who gives birth to a grown daughter and ofcourse the mention of queer love that runs rampant in the novel. The weird narration depicts the weird - the outcasted- the unwanted. Grab a read.!
The third one is Honey and Spice by Bolu. What a title! You can't believe what the subtitle in the book states; Sweet like plantain, hot like pepper‘ Who can guess the topic of concern here’? Well…the book unfolds a juicy story of a quote and quote ‘ an expert relationship dodger’ who tries to avoid the shambles of ‘situationships’, ‘players-Locally we call them ‘Team mafisi’ and heartbreaks. But alas!...the expertise came to a dead end!
The Fourth postmodern book is, You Made a Fool of Death with your beauty. This Nigerian writer Emezi; presents to us a lady character known as Feyi-who decides she wants nothing serious- but just joy to slowly heal her from the loss she had encountered. Feyi simply wants to be alive again! Haa..I know we all have that ride or die best friend who always stretches us off our walls…right? This is the same case with Feyi; who attends a rooftop party that instantly turned her life around to unimaginable possibilities of love! Ohh..please check the word order in the title!- You Made a Fool of Death with your beauty
Fifth book, Content Warning: Everything by the same Nigerian writer , Emezi. -Honestly, this is my favorite . ! It is a poetry collection that is purely crafted to speak to the human mind and soul. The poems are written in first person narration capturing an ‘I’ persona who in one way or another mirrors us, from desire to survive and abuse to survival, all in celebration of the essence of life hence a list of content warning as the title echoes. One outstanding thing about some poems is the ‘use of biblical stories and alteration of characters in the bible to create a sense of familiarity in a hypothetical sense for instance the use of Mary -mother of Joseph as an auntie; Magdalene as a seductress; Joseph as an uncle; and an angel with red wings! Wow. weird! Aside from this, there are other poems that vividly reflect our contemporary traumas and huddles such as mental illness, depression, violence inflicted by others and violence inflicted o
