Jagua Nana

by Cyprian Ekwensi

Bold, moving, entertaining and controversial, this is the great novel of 1960s Lagos life - with one of the most unforgettable heroines in literature. Jagua Nana, no longer young but still irresistible, lives a life of hedonism in Lagos: men, parties, fights, wild nights in the Tropicana with her handsome young boyfriend Freddie. Rushing from one experience to the next in search of something she can't quite grasp, Jagua finds herself embroiled in shady politics, caught up in village feuds and a source of drama wherever she goes. In this vivid depiction of 1960s Nigeria, everyone is hustling and everyone is on the make - and a woman like Jagua must find her own unconventional path to fulfilment.

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Nigeria, African Literature, Classics, 20th Century, Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi was a novelist famous for his Jaguar Nana series and many others. He wrote for children under the name C.O.D. Ekwensi.

Reviews

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams don't have expiration dates, just people who give up on them. Ask 45 year old Jagua Nana. A sex worker living the fast life in 1950s Lagos. A life where every night is a movie & the set is often the Tropicana, her favorite club with all the high rollers & the best in High-Life music.

Her dream is to marry & have children with her 25 year old boy toy, Freddie, but first he has to leave his life as a teacher in Lagos to go study law in England, because Jagua needs a man in her life who can keep her Jagwa. His teacher's salary can't help her stay Jagwa, which is the life she was born to live, so her loyalties belong to the men who come along & help her pay her rent, keep her fly & keep her movie running.

Things go awry, because Jagua doesn't realize the one up Freddie has on her: Multiple long-term visions. Jagua has one long-term vision & lives life on the fly outside of that, which is not good when your opponent, so to speak, is a brilliant & polished young man like Freddie. A man whose kindness has been treated by Jagua as a weakness, unfortunately.

Jagua Nana is a novel that shows the sometimes tragic consequences of money being your moral compass. A novel of people wasting years of their life, & sometimes losing their lives, chasing faulty dreams, because they never slowed down to learn who they really were. A novel that showcases the magnetic attraction of toxicity. A novel that showcases how the value of home should never be lost on its residents.

What may be more important than all of those themes is that Jagua Nana's lack of readership is puzzling. This 1961 novel is very good & has aged tremendously. There's no way this novel should have qualified for #2BooksUnder50Reviews Challenge.

Jagua Nana has the energy & pacing of a thriller & is a novel that never let's up from the first page to the last. Plus it has a protagonist that should be an icon in the world of literature.

Jagua Nana was an OG City Girl who mastered the art using what she had to get what she wanted. A woman who had everyone around her deeper in their feelings than WAP.

***********************************************

This is my second book for the #2BooksUnder50Reviews Challenge and my book from the 1960s for the #10Books10Decades Challenge. Links will be provided for both challenges below. Feel free to participate!

#2BooksUnder50Reviews Challenge: https://www.instagram.com/p/B66rz8JAlkq/

#10Books10Decades Challenge: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yyRMdg2ya/

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few major works of fiction anchored on professional
prostitutes/prostitution exist in African literature. Chika Unigbe’s
On Black sisters’ street is already something of a classic, and some
years ago SA's Futhi Ntshingila published Shameless. But Ekwensi
published his own work well over 50 books, a book which acquired a
measure of notoriety when it was well known and well distributed.
Jagua Nana is actually a very well written book, as Ekwensi was an
acknowledged dexterous story-teller even if some self-styled critics
tended to undermine him. Here he presents a magnificent picture of a
veritable, shameless, calculating and ruthless African prostitute.
Jagua has sunk low - well below the nether rungs of degeneracy, and
she lives within her own rules. A cardinal rule for her is to regard
sex as an easy route to quick money, and the richer the clients the
better; especially "white" clientelle who apparently hold the keys to
lots of money. And local "big men" politicians too. She sleeps and
milks them all, but still has an eye on her own marital and romantic
future - she fastens her claws on young promising Freddie. It does not
matter that he is like 20 years younger than she is. There are plenty
of events, twists and turns, most of it prurient, but what does it
matter? Jagua has set out her stall, and prostitution for her is life.
Even when she is forced back to the rural areas (village) where she
continues providing sex for men, including pertinent aristocracy. At
last even at her age, she gets pregnant! Does it matter that she would
not know the biological father of the child? Sadly (perhaps) she loses
the child; but at least by a stroke of great fortune, she finds out
that she has a fantastic unexpected horde of money, and of course she
has no qualms helping herself to it. She can now become a very
important merchant of sorts, and de-emphasize selling her aging body
all over the place. We hope so anyway!

[Mena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This sure wasn't Chinua Achebe. Ekwensi's kind of scandalous, but in a really great way - Jagua Nana is an incredible character: impulsive, jealous, sensual but with a weirdly understandable/justifiable moral code and sense of self. Lagos was pretty crazy in the 60s, apparently (not that that's changed) and although the story was pretty intense, it had a number of humorous and poignant moments (especially its ending).

[PS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a hidden gem of Nigerian literature. Jagua Nana is an unforgettable character. rtc

[Freddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character Jagua Nana is written so dynamically - her character keeps evolving throughout the story and her highs and lows are so engaging. This novel talks about class struggles through multiple characters and by making a female sex worker in 1960s Nigeria the protagonist, it is able to explore additional layers of intersectionality related to class issues.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of new releases, be it ARCs sourced through NetGalley or the numerous shiny new hardbacks I buy from IRL bookshops on a regular basis. Goodreads has definitely exacerbated my "problem" of always wanting to read the top new book everyone is talking about and reviewing, but it's only recently (I've used this site for over four and a half years now!) that I've felt increasingly disillusioned with brand new releases of contemporary fiction. Each and every time I get sucked in by the hype on here and in reviews read elsewhere (I'm looking at you, The Sunday Times) and go in with expectations which are often way too high, and time and time again I end up disappointed that I wasted valuable reading time on a book I'll inevitably forget in a week or so.

All of this to say that in times like these I'm more and more often turning to modern classics; these books that have stood the test of time seem like more of a surefire bet when the newer books disappoint. Penguin Modern Classics are a go-to for me - they're readily available in Waterstones, have aesthetically pleasing covers which appeal to the photographer in me and I honestly can't name many I've felt letdown by. So, enter Cyprian Ekwensi's most notable work, Jagua Nana, which I bought on a classics purchasing spree last week.

The setting is 1960s Lagos and our protagonist is a Nigerian prostitute in her mid 40s, the eponymous Jagua Nana (pronounced Jag-wa, so called because she's as classy and good looking as the car itself). The city is in political turmoil, a fact that is of little importance to Jagua until she gets embroiled in two opposing political campaigns through two customers. Trouble seems to follow Jagua, be it village feuds or romantic drama, however the book never descends into melodrama, and despite some of the questionable decisions she makes I always found myself rooting for her. The earlier sections follow Jagua as she attempts to pin down a young client, Freddie, to be in a relationship with her as she simultaneously encourages him to travel to England to study law, while the later parts are less tightly focused and detail the fallout of relationships and alliances formed in earlier parts of the narrative and come to a head amidst the local elections.

A memorable read following a female protagonist who seemed ahead of her time and is unlike any other I've encountered in a book. This is one I'll be returning to in the future for sure, and I'd be interested in checking out more of Cyprian Ekwensi's work as well as some other PMCs by other African authors.

[Alasdair Ekpenyong · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All de young men in Lagos dem talk sweet sweet--like you doin' now, Freddie. But when dem get a gal on de bed, you never see dem again. And if dem give de gal belly, she mus' carry de belly alone, and dem will run and lef' her. So I use to fear."

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Note, I'm going to publish this same review for all three novels discussed, because reading them in parallel helped me understand them more deeply. As usual I celebrate serendipitous co-readings.)

I have just finished three novels about displacement, countries in transition, and how human relationships change in such times. One set in Nigeria in the 1950s (Jagua Nana by Cyprian Ekwensi), one in the contemporary Czech Republic (Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar) and one in an unnamed country, Greece, England, and the US (Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, in an uncertain time but probably about now. Each novel is also at least in part a road trip; they contain one or more journeys of varying length and means of transit, from lorry and canoe to spaceship and motorcycle to science fiction doorways. Each book ends with a return to childhood home, but in very different ways. I enjoyed each of them, and appreciate their very different styles and atmospheres.

I would have to say that Hamid's is the most accomplished. I can't make an informed judgement about Ekwensi. He writes in a fairly simple style, with his points spelled out, but this may be a purposeful decision that draws on traditional storytelling methods. As his protagonist is a relatively unschooled woman driven by her passions, this works pretty well. Kalfar has good control of his novel until the last twenty or thirty pages, when as a first-time novelist he tries to cram in four novels worth of overwrought philosophizing in the form of endless questions; he was perhaps poorly served by an editor who didn't rein him in. I imagine he'll cringe when remembering these pages in future years, because he does have a lot of promise and I look forward to more from him. Of the three, he is the one who I will be most likely to choose more of, once it arrives.

Hamid is extensively reviewed so I'm not going to say much here, other than I was surprised by his rather optimistic story. It is a reminder that there are still many good people trying to do good things, and that we are a creative species. In the end, though, it was not a book I would press on people, saying 'you have to read this.' I would say in fact that it is in the end mostly a story about a relationship. It offers a lyrical reading of the subtle changes in that relationship, and is also optimistic about how two caring people can develop and care for a deep love.

Published in 1961, Jagua Nana is about a newly independent Nigeria trying to establish self-government. This is told through the eyes of a woman who has moved from rural Nigeria to Lagos in search of intensity: freedom to live in the moment, especially at the Tropicana bar. She ends up living on men, although she also falls for a young teacher struggling to climb upwards via an education in England. Eventually two of her lovers enter a deadly struggle for election to the Lagos Council. In the middle of the novel she travels back to the countryside in a gesture meant to capture the young teacher. There, she manages to reconcile two warring factions using her sexual allure. Back in Lagos, however, she fails in trying to reconcile the two candidates. Modernity has driven men to a level of lust for power and money that cannot be constructively solved.

Ekwensi is successful in conveying her outsized sexuality and its effect, and also in portraying a wide variety of Lagos and country men: conforming to Western middle class models, political boss, young criminal, wise elder, smart leader trying to negotiate the changing world, pious and righteous rural man who condemns city life, etc. He made a good literary choice in deciding to portray this struggle from the view of a woman driven by short term and self-interested goals, who is largely immune to the issues the men are in conflict over. In the end, though, she is captured by tradition and must go home to care for her aging mother. Against her will, she finds some peace (but is still driven by her obsession with activity and change). We leave her a bit more mature, but uncertain whether her passions will again overwhelm her sense. We have no doubt that Lagos is in trouble.

I don't want to say too much about the plot of Spaceman of Bohemia, because it is much more dependent on its plot than is Jagua. But there are plenty of ideas as well, many circulating around the experience of the Czechs under the Russians. Complicity, retribution, reconsideration.

Again there is a careful examination of a developing relationship, between the astronaut and his wife. The outcome is different but feels as complete and natural as in Exit West. Well done.

Kalfur handles the parallels between his spaceman's situation and that of the religious reformer and martyr (?) Jan Hus well; it underlines the importance of Czech history and the consequences of our decisions that are depicted throughout the novel. It doesn't feel forced until the very end, when the similarity of what is decided makes sense, but the prose about it is a bit much. Also at the end, there is another parallel with Jagua, a questioning of whether the city/civilization/science/intellectual life is, on balance, worth it. Or do they always corrupt; are we better off on the land?

I really like Spaceman and recommend it, despite the meltdown in the last few pages. There is plenty here to chew on and a great story to enjoy. Plus, you will love Hanus.

[Henry Ozogula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the first novels published by any black African writer, and shows what an exciting writer Cyprian Ekwensi was. Even from the very first chapter, our interest is aroused. The main character Amusa, is both a journalist and leader of a music band (what a combination). Early in the morning, an attractive young lady (Aina) visits him in his room. Amusa, though he had been enamoured with her a night earlier, has apparently moved on quite coldly; the woman, naive in her own way becomes inarticulate - and the next thing we hear is that she has gone elsewhere to steal clothing, and a mob wants to stone her to death! In the same chapter, we are briefly introduced to Amusa's landlord who comes across as a young (younger) man too... and he already has MANY wives living in the same house ! Hence from the beginning we take in the zest, the "immorality" of the city in question... and of course we want to read on. Let it never be suggested that Mr Ekwensi was not a very good writer....

[Chrisnaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jagua Nana is an interesting rollick of a read, a snapshot of life and of bustling Lagos through the eyes/actions of the titular Jagua Nana that is ultimately hampered by an unravelling of the second half coupled with tepid prose and the strange undertones of patriarchy.

There's a strange perverseness at view, a mocking celebration of the punishment of a woman who dared to transgress traditional views of femininity. Her past is a couple of sentences that are used to write Jagua off, she has always been different, always been too aware of her sexual power, always invited the male gaze. There's no meaningful exploration as to how she developed from being a pastor's daughter into being a fixture of Lagos clubbing. She was always "different". It's not really Jagua as a person that Ekwensi is interested in. It is the concept of Jagua, present of a "fallen woman" that Ekwensi seems interested in exploring and the consequences of being a “fallen woman” rather than Jagua’s past or Jagua’s character.

Jagua is childless, presumably Ekwnesi’s way of showing her failure in being a woman (ugh). She can never become a mother, a marker of traditional femininity, because her past has fully claimed her. Her first client was an Englishman, and it's hard to not read this as Ekwensi using this as a symbol of the corruption of Nigerian society by the colonising West. She is forever marked by her history as a prostitute, something which Ekwensi views as a everlasting stain on the soul. When Jagua misses her father’s funeral as she is entertaining clients, it serves as a somewhat unrealistic indictment of Jagua’s lifestyle, the depth she has fallen to due to her sin. This is not an exploration of the patriarchy or of Nigerian womanhood but rather a sadistic celebration of how the expression femininity is ground down. It all feels rather disgusting in hindsight.

Jagua shows herself to be smart and charismatic such as in her rally speech. However, this illustration seems more to show Jagua's capability of deception. Her textiles business falls apart not because of external society but because she is too aware of her own sexual prowess to be content with selling fabric. Her sexuality, her body is a tool with which to titillate the reader.

The writing is nothing spectacular. The colour of the cover hides the fact the novel is curiously bereft of sensory depiction, a bleaching of nature which at times disguises the vivacity of Lagos, which feels antithetical to Ekwensi's aim to capture Lagos's grimy bubbling cosmopolitan nature. The plot increasingly falls apart in the latter half of the novel, a scattered timeline that breaks under the pressure of having to punish all of Jagua's sins.

It was definitely an interesting start into Nigerian literature, and hopefully I get to read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (which gave its name to my favourite Roots album) soon. But I wouldn't say it was an enjoyable start. While Jagua Nana sparkled at times, it was ultimately held back by an authorial mind that weighed too much and an authorial voice that weighed too little.

[Patrycja Krotowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
"Jagua Nana" to była prawdziwie spontaniczna i bardzo afrykańska lektura w ramach #bookiswiata, bo książka ta została napisana przez nigeryjskiego powieściopisarza w latach 60. ubiegłego wieku, a kupiłam ją za funciaka w Daily Deals na Kindle'a. I jestem totalnie zaskoczona tym, jak bardzo bezpruderyjna, skandaliczna i frywolna jest tytułowa bohaterka. Angielskie opisy portretują ją jako "an ageing high-lifer and habitue of the seedy club Tropicana", natomiast w polskich opisach (książka została wydana przez PIW w 1976 roku (!)) przeczytacie, że Jagua Nana to "wielka kurtyzana i wspaniała ladacznica". Nie można odmówić jej tego, że faktycznie jest jedną z najbardziej wyrazistych bohaterek w literaturze. Jagua to starzejąca się prostytutka, która nie do końca wie, kim jest i czego chce, dość porywcza, równie zazdrosna, popędliwa. Wzbudza zainteresowanie zarówno mężczyzn ("obecnie" jest w związku z młodszym od siebie, przystojnym Freddie'em), jak i kobiet - bo "Jagua" oznacza kosztowność, ekskluzywność, pożądanie - na wzór amerykańskiego jaguara. Świetnie ubrana, odważna zarówno w swoim wyglądzie jak i zachowaniu, żyje swoją swobodną codziennością i doświadcza przedziwnych wydarzeń. Serio, w tej książce dzieją się jakieś kosmiczne rzeczy - ktoś z kimś się bije, jakiś lud porywa kogoś innego, kobiety zabiegają o faceta, kłamstwa mnożą się jak grzyby po deszczu, ktoś wszczyna agitacje polityczne, ktoś zostaje politykiem. No, cuda niewidy. Jest też sporo seksizmu w tej książce, który zdaje się, że był (jest?) elementem tej społeczności (no, co tu dużo ukrywać, Jagua jest prostytutką, więc mężczyźni nie do końca przyglądają się jej wnętrzu). Można tę książkę też odczytywać jako satyrę polityczną. Można porównywać obyczajowość mieszkańców Lagos z obyczajowością białego człowieka (motywy wyjazdów do Europy też są obecne). Krótka jest to książka, bo angielska wersja, którą czytałam, ma niecałe 200 stron. Krótka, ale intensywna. Językowo jest też bardzo ciekawie, bo angielski bohaterów nie jest "poprawnym" angielskim (wersja angielska to wersja oryginalna). To łamana angielszczyzna z naleciałościami afrykańskimi, bazująca na wymowie, dość dialektowa, która tworzy niezwykły klimat Lagos lat 60. Czytałam, że w polskim tłumaczeniu tego nie ma - co jest niepożałowaną stratą, bo ten język jednak stanowi ogromny walor. No, fajny to eksperyment literacki - zdecydowanie coś innego, coś klasycznego, coś niełatwego językowo, ale przy tym tak egzotycznego fabularnie. No i tak okładka!!

[Mónica Espinoza Cangahuala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the story and writing very much. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to explore Nigerian and African literature. Also if you are interested in multiculturalism. Perhaps I am in the minority yet I think Jagua Nana is not a heroine but an antihero. She brings about her own undoing, tragedy, exacerbates problems for herself and those around her.

Lessons and musings after reading it:
- Don't pin your hopes and dreams on others. Especially men. No one will save you but yourself.
- Slow and steady wins the race
- Doesn't matter if you're young or old we all suffer and have a hard life. Don't assume someone has it better than you.
- Nigerian politics seems the same as Aruban politics. But ours is vanilla compared to them.
- Having many lovers or just one is no ones business and neither will get you further ahead in life, economics or happiness.

[Adam Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to read fiction by African authors. This one wasn't the best but if you want a slice of life in Nigeria in the mid-Twentieth century, it's an interesting archetype study of a woman in Lagos.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

She had not finished admiring herself in the mirror. JAGWA. She gave herself the title now, whispering it and summoning up in her mind all the fantastic elegance it was supposed to conjure. JAGWA. It was like an invocation.

Jagua Nana is an interesting character - a woman whose beauty remains hypnotic way into her 50s, with a sharp mind and natural talent that allow her to do just about everything she sets her mind to. Make it in Lagos by herself? Done. Become a high-profile businesswoman and fashion icon? Done. Seduce the 20-something neighbour? Done. Resolve a family feud and almost become an actual queen? Done. Participate in politics and electrify crowds of thousands with her first speech? Done.

Yet Jagua falters. Ekwensi has not marked her for success, or even basic happiness. Instead the reader watches her take a few steps towards a goal, appear to achieve it, then turn back to chase a very specific high - herself. Jagua appears to be drunk on herself, or rather the possibility of herself, concentrated into the title bestowed on her: Jagwa, a woman as glamorous as a Jaguar car. Jagwa-the-title means beauty, fashion and style, and Jagua-the-woman is absolutely devoted to it. It's what brings her back to Lagos, to Tropicana, to men with money. Her tragedy is that no other person she meets can match her devotion to Jagwa, nor fully understand it.

[Iyanuoluwa Adenle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's a next life, I (might) want to be Jagua Nana. The sluttiest version lol. An improved upon version of Jagua . I love how she makes mistakes and owns up to them. She isn't perfect and she is truthful to herself.

I looked at the year the book was first published (1961). Excellent writing never turns dust. And how is it that Nigeria's politics hasn't gotten any better in all these years? Cyprian Ekwensi!

[Edward Aribisala · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in high school in the 60s, this was the scandalous book that we boys exchange for 3 other novels. Well written and believable . This was the Nigerian atmosphere just after the independence. He had a follow up, "Jaguar Nana's Daughter" . May Cyprian's soul rest in peace .

[Gbolahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this multiple times as a kid in the 80s and 90s, loved it, loved it, love it!
I should get my hands on it again soon one of these days, Thank God for Kindle.
Hell of a classic.

[Belinda Carvalho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting read and full of twists and turns. It tells the crazy story of Jagua, a sometimes prostitute in 1960's Nigeria (Lagos) who lives by her wits and manages to survive. Jagua is infatuated with a younger man called Freddy, they have a dysfunctional relationship and this is the main story. Their love is not meant to be and this pattern is similar for a lot of Jagua's wants and desires.
She also dreams of being an independent woman but can't quite get that far.
My favourite section by far was Jagua's visit to Bagana and Krimenah, her involvement in tribal life was bizarre but also great fun. I liked the dialect in the book, it was full of beautiful , rich language.
It is a book at an interesting point in time, Nigeria was finding its feet after colonialism and I think Jagua represents this really. It's a vibrant book and it transported me to a totally different world!

[Maniki_021 · Rating 3 out of 5]

very short, loved the story but would have worked better as a short story.

[Mbali (flowahh_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5*

[Jake Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book at a small used bookstore and bought it on a whim. A West African novel about a prostitute from a traditional background, whose fame draws her into all walks of life in Lagos. As she pursues her own ambitions through the use of the men she connects with, you see the state of education, politics, and colonialism present at the time. It’s an intriguing story with a glimpse into life in Nigeria in the 60’s.

[Nagla Elfaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really feel like I was transported to 1950s Lagos in this book which is a welcome escape from a lockdown! One thing that troubled me was the hyper-sexualised descriptions of women’s bodies, it was clearly written in the male gaze

[Erinayo Adediwura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder about the reasoning behind the very unexpected plot twist towards the end of the book. This was a solid read, I mostly enjoyed it, and I genuinely think it is definitely worth picking; even just to explore the illustrious, fierce, and adventurous woman known as JAGUA!

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigerian popular fiction. The first part is very amusing, the second not very focused. Not a masterpiece but very entertaining. Very good for female adult readers.

[Ruru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally Jagwa-ful, lmao. It took me forever to pick this book, and my God, it was a delight from start to finish.

Well written. Exciting, humorous and fun. full of life. not serious and serious at the same time. On romance, friendship, familial love, survival, loss, grief and healing.

The dialogue is rich and the language consistently took me out lmao.
I'm sure the writer himself was dying of laughter through the process of writing this book.

I like how Jagua Nana is humanised, beyond her being a sex worker, and appreciated for the multifaceted and complex person she is. A woman in her mid 40s, bold, autonomous, a dreamer, godly. with a burning desire and a full heart.

A brilliant and truly inspiring story. Thank you, Cyprian Ekwensi.

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going blind into this I had no idea what to expect and found myself constantly torn between really disliking the main character adn pitying her.
It wasn't until I finished that I could form proper ideas about the book and I think it is a very interesting protrayal of a woman in her mid-forties trying to maintain her freedom/independence in Lagos while also craving love and attention from men. Aside from her personal story we also get to see the difference between country life and city life and Lagos politics.
For a short book it contains a lot without focusing on it.
I really enjoyed the book, even though I struggled with some of the pidgin English the characters speak among each other.

[Karolina Góras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historia o niezależnej kobiecie - pracownicy seksualnej, która poszukuje szczęścia. Uwiodła mnie hisotria, która poznajemy razem z naszą bohaterką. Na poczatku niewiele wiemy o samej Jagua - jedynie to, że jest kobietą po 30. Ale przeżywając razem z nią jej rozterki życiowe dowiadujemy się kim ona jest. W powieść wpleciona jest kutlura Nigerii, co jest wielkim walorem tej ksiązki. Klasyka literatury nigeryjskiej.

[Chris Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent noir-style tale of Lagos, centering on Jagua Nana, who is one of the strongest female characters I've read in a while. A lot of fun to read--cements Ekwensi's status for me as one of the most entertaining Nigerian authors out there.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1961, Jagua Nana is a boldly sensuous, unabashed, observation of the urbanisation of rural post-World War II Nigeria and her society. The 1950s Lagos is vividly depicted through the eyes of the eponymous Jagua Nana—a brassy ageing woman of the night men who end up falling for a younger ambitious lover whose worldview differs from hers.

Living the fast-paced hedonistic life of the day, Jagua gives readers a glimpse into the years before Nigeria's independence: the nightlife and jazz music, its politics, and the brazen corruption and disregard for human dignity that envelopes the former Nigerian capital.

The contradictions of her lifestyle and desires throughout also reflect the themes about the pursuit of instant gratification and pleasure vs. honest hard work and respectable success as well as female independence and desirability vs. traditional societal mores and virtue, subjects that still resonate with modern readers of the present.

This picaresque novel by Ekwensi, whose body of work oft "looked at the world through female eyes" and tend to focus on "the rapid urbanisation of the new Africa", is quite an underrated classic today.✨Having only chanced upon this book sometime back myself, it is now a personal favourite and one that I’d highly recommend checking out.