AFRICAN WRITERS ON AFRICAN WRITING. By G. D Killam

An early, fascinating, revealing book focusing on African Literature. The title itself says it all - virtually all the outstanding early African writers by the early 70s, are touched upon here.

These writers include Chinua Achebe, Ayi Kwei Armah, Camara Laye, Es'kia Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, JP Clark, Okara, Ousmane, and even Nadine Gordimer of South Africa.

Many - or most of these superb writers are deceased now, but their great works live on - eg Achebe, Okara, Laye. How poignant it is now to be reading the thoughts and inspiration of the then young writers like Camara Laye, Achebe himself, Sembene Ousmane, and many others.

Decades ago, Armah's first superb novel, The beautyful ones are not yet born, came out and somewhat shocked the world. Here we read the review and early impressions of Ama Atta Aidoo in this book... Aidoo herself is one of the great early African female writers.

The essays here are generally polished, informative and illuminating - Achebe has at least three essays published here, and I was particularly impressed with how perceptive and (fairly) critical David Rubadiri was even in those days decades ago.

Lewis Nkosi (now deceased) had a reputation - since he was a young man - of being an acerbic though informed literary critic. In his essay here on SA Black writers, he hardly praises them, in fact he seems to dismiss most of them. Even the all time great Es'kia Mphahlele is not spared. I winced e.g when I read Lewis' "introduction" to Mphahlele as a writer in this book:

"In the past what had always put me off Mphahlele' s writing was a certain dullness of tone, much like the ponderous speech of a dull-witted person, so that it was often difficult to pursue the story to its ending. The gems were often embedded in a thick mud of cliche and lustreless writing ... Ezekiel would reflect in (a) clumsy manner..."

Literary fireworks

- Raphael Mokoena