South African Literature Flashcards
(17 cards)
A foundational text exploring religion, colonialism, and identity in a Kikuyu community.
The River Between by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Criticizes post-independence betrayal of revolutionary ideals, set in a fictional village undergoing political upheaval.
Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (galing sa ibang section)
Highlights migration, land ownership, and traditional Luo beliefs: Nyapol and Ochola.
The Promised Land by Grace Ogot
A gritty urban novel portraying poverty, disillusionment, and urban decay in postcolonial Kenya: Meja and Maina in Nairobi
Kill Me Quick by Meja Mwangi
It traces the life of Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu priest from a village, as he goes to Johannesburg in search of his estranged son, Absalom, and to attend to his sick sister. Kumalo’s quest makes him confront the city’s harsh realities of poverty, racial conflict, and the ruinous impacts of colonialism. The narrative turns tragic with the killing of Arthur Jarvis, a white supporter of racial equality, with Absalom as the suspect. The killing compels both Kumalo and Jarvis’s father, James, to overcome their prejudices and reconcile. While Absalom is given the death sentence, the book closes on a note of optimism for the future of South Africa as Kumalo and James join forces to heal their respective communities and work towards a more equal and equitable society.
Cry the beloved country by alan paton
It narrates the story of a young man who lost his leg and is trying to cope with his new life. Although he is wheelchair-bound, he finds some comfort in the garden, in search of some peace and acceptance. One day, he sees a locust that has lost a leg as well, and he feels a sense of identification with the insect, comforted by their common loss. This feeling of common struggle is then destroyed when the locust, but not the man, disappears rapidly into flight, reminding him of his own irreparable loss. “The Soft Voice of the Serpent” by Nadine Gordimer is a touching short story about the issues of loss, hope, and how difficult it is to face one’s own limitations.
Nadine Gordimer
David Lurie, a middle-aged English professor in post-apartheid South Africa, who is in a state of moral crisis following a sexual incident with a student. This results in his being fired from the university and moving subsequently to his daughter Lucy’s farm in the Eastern Cape. There he has to live with the stark realities of race and brutality in a new South Africa. David’s efforts to reconcile himself and find meaning in his new existence are marred by a violent assault on the farm, when Lucy is raped and the dogs are killed. Lucy, resisting the trauma, will not report the rape or abandon the farm, but instead stays on and marries Petrus, a black man who has become her business partner and neighbor. David struggles to comprehend Lucy’s decisions and his own role after the attack, fighting against his own feelings of shame and the intricacies of power and race in a country that is still coming to terms with the effects of apartheid.
Disgrace by J. M Coetzee
- The most prominent Kenyan writer; shifted from English to Gikuyu in the 1980s.
- Works include novels, plays, essays, and memoirs centered on cultural resistance and political liberation.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
- One of the first Kenyan women writers to publish fiction in English.
- Explores traditional beliefs, gender roles, and family dynamics.
Grace Ogot
Known for portraying urban life and youth struggles, especially in post-independence Nairobi.
Meja Mwangi
Contemporary writer and memoirist known for critiquing Western portrayals of Africa (e.g., How to Write About Africa).
Binyavanga Wainaina
a renowned South African and Australian novelist, essayist, and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is widely regarded as being among the best-acclaimed English language writers.
JM Coatzee of John Maxwell
was a prominent South African writer and political campaigner. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991 for her “magnificent epic writing which has been of very great benefit to humanity”
Nadine Gordimer
was a well-known South African novelist, essayist, and poet. He wrote in Afrikaans and English and was one of the major figures of the “Sestigers” movement, which opposed apartheid in his writing.
Andre Brink
was a South African writer, feminist, and political activist. She is most famous for her novel The Story of an African Farm (1883), which addressed the topics of colonialism, religion, and women’s rights.
Olive Schreiner
was a celebrated South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. He is most famous for his debut novel, Cry, the Beloved Country (1948), a moving and compelling tale of racial oppression in South Africa.
Alan Paton
Published in 1965, The River Between is set in colonial Kenya during the early 20th century.
It explores the conflict between two villages divided by Christianity and traditional Gikuyu customs, particularly the practice of female circumcision (FGM).
The novel is both political and spiritual, highlighting the challenges of cultural hybridity, leadership, and resistance.
The River Between
