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Gods and Soldiers: The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing

by Rob Spillman

A wide-ranging anthology of contemporary African writing

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A wide-ranging anthology of contemporary African writing

Edited by Rob Spillman, this collection brings together thirty approaches to African identity across a broad linguistic and geographic span, from Arabic-speaking writers in the north to Zulu-speaking writers in the south. Its fiction moves among urban settings such as Cape Town and Luanda, conflict-affected settings including Zimbabwe and Somalia, and surreal landscapes connected to oral storytelling traditions. The contributors include J. M. Coetzee, Chimamanda Adichie, Nuruddin Farah, Binyavanga Wainaina, and Chinua Achebe. Some pieces were previously unpublished when the anthology appeared in 2009, giving the volume a snapshot of writing from that period.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers exploring contemporary African fiction across regions and languages
  • Readers interested in literary anthologies with varied approaches to identity and place
  • Readers seeking work by the named contributors alongside other writers

Themes

African identityUrban lifeConflictOral storytelling traditionsRegional and linguistic diversity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A one-of-a-kind collection showcasing the energy of new African literature

Coming at a time when Africa and African writers are in the midst of a remarkable renaissance, Gods and Soldiers captures the vitality and urgency of African writing today. With stories from northern Arabic-speaking to southern Zulu-speaking writers, this collection conveys thirty different ways of approaching what it means to be African. Whether about life in the new urban melting pots of Cape Town and Luanda, or amid the battlefield chaos of Zimbabwe and Somalia, or set in the imaginary surreal landscapes born out of the oral storytelling tradition, these stories represent a striking cross section of extraordinary writing. Including works by J. M. Coetzee, Chimamanda Adichie, Nuruddin Farah, Binyavanga Wainaina, and Chinua Achebe, and edited by Rob Spillman of Tin House magazine, Gods and Soldiers features many pieces never before published, making it a vibrant and essential glimpse of Africa as it enters the twenty-first century.
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