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A Mask Dancing: Nigerian Novelists of the Eighties
Writers such as Festus Iyayi, Ben Okri and Kole Omotoso represent what has come to be known as the 'second generation' of Nigerian novelists. Emerging from the shadow of the 68-70 civil war, they were greatly influenced by the ensuing shifts in public and social life, especially the obscene levels of corruption which coincided with the country's second experiment in democracy under President Shagari.
Adewale Maja-Pearce argues that the failure of Nigeria is simply and squarely the failure of the Nigerian Intelligentsia. Concentrating mainly, but not exclusively on the novels of the 1980s, he traces this failure in terms of the literature itself, which is the touchstone throughout this deliberately provocative study. 'All the critical twiddle-twaddle about style and form', as D.H. Lawrence put it, is eschewed in favour of the novels themselves and the extent to which they reveal that intellectual failure.
A Mask Dancing is the first full-length study of Nigerian novelists that have come to prominence since the late 1970s. It presents a detailed critique of the major figures of the 'second generation', while also touching upon lesser-known writers.
Adewale Maja-Pearce argues that the failure of Nigeria is simply and squarely the failure of the Nigerian Intelligentsia. Concentrating mainly, but not exclusively on the novels of the 1980s, he traces this failure in terms of the literature itself, which is the touchstone throughout this deliberately provocative study. 'All the critical twiddle-twaddle about style and form', as D.H. Lawrence put it, is eschewed in favour of the novels themselves and the extent to which they reveal that intellectual failure.
A Mask Dancing is the first full-length study of Nigerian novelists that have come to prominence since the late 1970s. It presents a detailed critique of the major figures of the 'second generation', while also touching upon lesser-known writers.
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January 20, 2021
What a work! A literary tour de force. This book encompasses robust intellectual eclectic criticism of major African writers over the decades.
No writer is spared, no matter their achievements or corpus of awesome works (only perhaps Wole Soyinka). The peerless Chinua Achebe does not come out too well, though the critic is only too aware of his global reputation.
Pearce inter alia writes: "But this is hardly surprising when one considers the paucity of his (Achebe's) understanding of the contemporary society he portrayed...". The great T M Aluko, and many others are criticised in this vein too.
The towering Ngugi wa Thiong'o? He "...has at least applied with characteristic thoroughness in his more recent work, with disastrous results"... and of course Okara's celebrated work, The Voice, is a "disaster " too. As for Ekwensi's Jagua Nana's Daughter, which many of us felt was vivid and thrilling, the critic assures us it is an "unmitigated disaster".
We wince when the exalted critic continually refers to the "inept prose/writing" or "appalling style/prose" of Africa's best writers, then he proceeds to quote such examples from their work. Alas, for we mere mortals such quotes often look superb and well written!
One would have thought that our critic would laud Ben Okri, who at barely 20 years old had already published two world class novels, Flowers and Shadows; and The landscapes Within. But though Pearce acknowledges the achievement of this (now) all time great writer, he still does not believe that the works are a "success", including Okri's The Famished Road, which won the prestigious Booker Award!
The impression one would finally get probably is that the critic here expects the very highest of literary standards and enjoys evaluating the best of African writing even if they always somewhat fall short as far as he is concerned!
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