The African Witch

by Joyce Cary

Book by Cary, Joyce

Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Cary now undertook his great works examining historical and social change in England during his own lifetime. The First Trilogy (1941–44) finally provided Cary with a reasonable income, and The Horse's Mouth (1944) remains his most popular novel. Cary's pamphlet "The Case for African Freedom" (1941), published by Orwell's Searchlight Books series, had attracted some interest, and the film director Thorold Dickinson asked for Cary's help in developing a wartime movie set partly in Africa. In 1943, while writing The Horse's Mouth, Cary travelled to Africa with a film crew to work on Men of Two Worlds.

Cary travelled to India in 1946 on a second film project with Dickinson, but the struggle against the British for national independence made movie-making impossible, and the project was abandoned. The Moonlight (1946), a novel about the difficulties of women, ended a long period of intense creativity for Cary. Gertrude was suffering from cancer and his output slowed for a while.

Gertrude died as A Fearful Joy (1949) was being published. Cary was now at the height of his fame and fortune. He began preparing a series of prefatory notes for the re-publication of all his works in a standard edition published by Michael Joseph.

He visited the United States, collaborated on a stage adaptation of Mister Johnson, and was offered a CBE, which he refused. Meanwhile he continued work on the three novels that make up the Second Trilogy (1952–55). In 1952, Cary had some muscle problems which were originally diagnosed as bursitis, but as more symptoms were noted over the next two years, the diagnosis was changed to that of motor neuron disease, a wasting and gradual paralysis that was terminal.

As his physical powers failed, Cary had to have a pen tied to his hand and his arm supported by a rope in order to write. Finally, he resorted to dictation until unable to speak, and then ceased writing for the first time since 1912. His last work, The Captive and the Free (1959), first volume of a projected trilogy on religion, was unfinished at his death on March 29, 1957.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

My introduction to this novel as a kid was certainly unorthodox! I had an Uncle who bought books a lot in those days and he would lend me such books regularly. One evening I was with him; we had enjoyed a wonderful African meal with our bare fingers; then he said with a smirk: "Boy, when did you last dream?" Surprised, I admitted to him that every single night I dreamt... all of my 12 years or so by then…But why sir, I enquired. "Well," he replied, bringing out a copy of The African Witch, "This great celebrated white writer authoritatively states in this work that we Africans do not dream...read for yourself…" he flicked the book open, to a certain page, and passage. I read: "The black man's sleep is like death...he does not dream..." I winced. Hence from an early age, I realised that not everything we read in books are true; and later on I again realised the negative reaction by African intellectuals to many of the works written by celebrated white writers on "Africa and Africans" Anyway, I borrowed the book from my Uncle and read it. And re-read it years later.Despite some prejudices here and there, I discovered that the African Witch is a very fine novel. Reading a work like this, it is understandable why the average African reader might not be able to identify with it and its ilk. (For example, the famous Nigerian novelist and scholar, Chinua Achebe heavily criticized Joseph Conrad over the work, Heart of Darkness) In The African Witch, the narrator is many times patronizing and even outrageous. But this does not detract from the fact that this is a well-written novel, and considering the time it was written, the author's prejudices are probably limited. For example he condemns some white characters in the work, stating that they come up short compared to other black protagonists. Again, whilst a white lady character here expresses disgust at "a black skin", another white lady confesses that she found the same black complexion attractive. Finally, as for the portions relating to the 'African Witch' herself here, the least said about this aspect, the better! At best, the descriptions of 'the witch' - her trances, her spells, her mien et al can be dubbed mere fantasy, to pander to the imaginations of a detached, Eurocentric readership. On the whole, reading this novel without a chip-on-the-shoulder mentality, one would easily concede that it is worth reading.

[Freder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to do justice to this novel in a few words. It is ambitious, dense, deep, problematic, intelligent, sharply realized across a vast terrain made up of dozens of characters; both cold and human. Its socio-political outlook is one that needs to be viewed in an historical context (in other words, it is dated in a way that will likely offend readers who cannot see beyond the Present Day). Cary has written other novels that I like better (certainly A HOUSE OF CHILDREN and THE HORSES' MOUTH) ... but none better realized or more complex. Of particular interest are the sequences showing Christianity being subsumed, adapted and corrupted into a completely different tradition. The characters are all complex and well-developed, especially in that none of them are particularly likable, none are purely good and only one (of course I mean Coker, the quasi-Christian juju preacher) is purely bad. Well worth the reading, and despite is aged socio-political stance, I do believe it is still successful in the conversations that it ought to spark.

[F Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joyce Cary can spin a yarn, and does so here in a work informed by his experience in Nigeria while in the British Foreign Service. The characters are vividly depicted and each imbued with individuality while representing a broader type. Racism is pervasive--overt, subtle, official, conflicted, according to the nature of the individual character. It is clear that Cary has sympathy for the Africans, but it is not clear what his own attitude is in terms of racism. Perhaps reading the rest of his African novels, Aissa Saved, The American Visitor, and Mr. Brown will shed additional light on that matter.

[Raphael Mokoena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is actually set long before (ie pre-war) Nigeria...set during the Colonial rule which is obvious from the contents of the book, characters etc.Very well written if controversial