Gods and Soldiers: The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing

by Rob Spillman (Editor), Chinua Achebe, Boubacar Boris Diop

A one-of-a-kind collection showcasing the energy of new African literature

Coming at a time when Africa and African writers are in the midst of a remarkable renaissance, Gods and Soldiers captures the vitality and urgency of African writing today. With stories from northern Arabic-speaking to southern Zulu-speaking writers, this collection conveys thirty different ways of approaching what it means to be African. Whether about life in the new urban melting pots of Cape Town and Luanda, or amid the battlefield chaos of Zimbabwe and Somalia, or set in the imaginary surreal landscapes born out of the oral storytelling tradition, these stories represent a striking cross section of extraordinary writing. Including works by J. M. Coetzee, Chimamanda Adichie, Nuruddin Farah, Binyavanga Wainaina, and Chinua Achebe, and edited by Rob Spillman of Tin House magazine, Gods and Soldiers features many pieces never before published, making it a vibrant and essential glimpse of Africa as it enters the twenty-first century.

Genres: Africa, Short Stories, Fiction, African Literature, Anthologies, Literature, Essays

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Rob Spillman is Editor and co-founder of Tin House, a sixteen-year-old bi-coastal (Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon) literary magazine. He is the 2015 recipient of the PEN/Nora Magid Award for Editing as well as the 2015 VIDO Award from VIDA. Tin House is the recipient of the 2015 Firecracker Award for General Excellence and has been honored in Best American Stories, Best American Essays, Best American Poetry, O’Henry Prize Stories, the Pushcart Prize Anthology and numerous other anthologies. He is also the Executive Editor of Tin House Books and co-founder of the Tin House Summer Workshop, now in its thirteenth year. His writing has appeared in BookForum, the Boston Review, Connoisseur, Details, GQ, Guernica, Nerve, the New York Times Book Review, Rolling Stone, Salon, Spin, Sports Illustrated, Time, Vanity Fair, Vogue, among other magazines, newspapers, and essay collections. He is also the editor of Gods and Soldiers: the Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing, which was published in 2009. He is on the board of CLMP (the Community of Literary Magazines and Small Presses), the Brooklyn Book Festival Literary Council, Narrative4, and is the Chair of PEN’s Membership Committee. He has guest taught at universities around the world, including Queensland University in Brisbane, the Farafina Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, the SLS Workshops in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nairobi, Kenya, the Catholic University of Santiago, Chile, the University of Florida, New York University, Brooklyn College, Amherst, Williams, and is currently a lecturer at Columbia University. His memoir, All Tomorrow’s Parties, will be published by Grove Press in April, 2016.

Reviews

[Shamin Kisakye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little introduction into the diverse writers of the content. Deffo, deffo recommend.

Well structured and balanced between well known writers like Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda and J.M Coetzee with fresh new writers, some of which published for the first time in this book. Every single story or essay reflects the complex fabrics that make up the African nation. Beautifully put together.

Oh and I particularly loved the essay by Mia Couto. I look forward to reading more of his work.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came across this while getting ready to move. We get all sorts of books due to the nature of the job. Many are duds, but sometimes we get a gem. I'd put this in the latter category. This is an anthology of contemporary African writing, ranging from short stories and essays to snippets from longer works. Works include both fiction and nonfiction. The quality varies but for the most part I found it enjoyable. There was only one story I found irritating; the author had a severe case of "run-on sentenceitis." I kid you not- one sentence ran more than three pages. A pity because the story itself was somewhat interesting but it was hard to follow. The stories are organized by regions and cover writing from much of the African continent. I especially enjoyed the darkly funny "The Manhood Test" and "Voice of America," and the gripping, tragic "Half a Yellow Sun," a fictional account of the civil war in Nigeria.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

What interested me the most is that I was drawn to certain regions with Western and Northern particularly drawing my interest

a good primer

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of nonfiction, short stories, and chapters from novels, written in Africa mostly in the past fifteen or twenty years. This is the second and more recent such anthology I have read this year. It seems to me as if the nations of Africa are producing much of the most interesting work in contemporary literature. The essays were the most interesting, an old one by Chinua Achebe, one on "the Senghor complex", one on "the Politics of Reading", and one by Mia Couto on the value of multiple languages. The stories were all good. I didn't like the decision to include so many excerpts from longer works (about half the book), although most of them aren't easy to find (the only one I've read is Half of a Yellow Sun, and none of the others are in our city library.)

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating should say "really like it" - not past tense - because I think it's an excellent collection of stories, essays and excerpts from longer works but haven't read all of it. Not a chance it can begin to cover Africa, yet it offers vivid glimpses of the continent and contemporary life there that help to correct stereotypes both old and new. Having said that, I confess that I haven't read all the short stories since I can't seem to make myself like that form. Not even by author's I like in The New Yorker. But if you like short stories, you're in for a treat here.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection. I didn't love all the pieces equally, but appreciated the diversity of voices and the bits of insight into African experiences. A terrific introduction to a group of writers with varied and interesting literary approaches.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of about 30 short stories from African authors all around the world. I definitely will return to this to search for the full titles by many of these amazing writers.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com....

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting; pieces range from philosophical to literary, adventure to the mundanity of everyday life, funny to sad as hell. All around good read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 ish and invaluable.
Some of the stories are excellent and a couple are meh, as you would expect from any anthology, but all give insight and evoke a visceral something (even if it's "what the hell is happening with this dragonfly?") And since those insights and somethings are glimpses of places and languages many United Statesian-Euro-reading-in-English peeps rarely encounter, this book is interesting and vital. I also think it's well-edited with the sections and maps, and the non-fiction and then fiction. Lots of thumbs up for all that.
A couple of the stories were just ugh and/or wanton or matter-of-fact about hating cats and those can guck right off. The chicken slaughter was hard to bear also. Humans are the worst.
This is only a glimpse and leaves me wanting to read more by lots of these writers, although not all of them.
Some favorites:
The essays about language (including Achebe's, whose fiction I've read but now I want to read more of his writing about writing)
Helon Habila
Alain Mabanckou - from Broken Glass
Nawal El Saadawi
Abdourahman Waberi

[ಥ_ಥ]

I like that's separated by regions and it's excerpts from novels instead of just short stories. I really don't wanna rate it, but if you want to read more African literature this is a good way to sample. I definitely added novels to my tbr because of this book.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angola

(Dragonfly) by Ondjaki

"Sunday was, for the doctor, a deeply personal word, a wellspring."

"People will be crazy, or sane....when they want everything to become music."

Cameroon (The Senghor Complex) by Patrice Nganang

"I always return to what is for me a simple fact, despite it not being a commitment."

"One day we will recognize this simple truth: Rwanda is the grave of Negritude."

"Today the face of power in Africa is difficult to imagine without the hand of the West."

"Genocide is, in essence, a State turned against its citizens, whom it annihilates."

Senegal (Murambi, The Book of Bones) by Boubacar Boris Diop

"As for me, I lead a double life. there are things that I can't talk about it to anyone."

"Should we just sit back and wait for the killers, or try to do something so that or country can go back to being normal?"

Dijibou (Voyage to Asmara) by Abourahman A. Waberi

"They're all waiting for a peace that has yet to come."

"The United States of America can no longer accommodate all the world's poor."

"They are introducing the Third World right up the anus of the United States."

Uganda (Christianity Killed the Cat) by Doreen Baingana

"She was like me: we did what he wanted, eventually."

[Dana Kraft · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read an 'anthology" like this before. A few of the selections were excellent and interesting, and I liked almost everything in the 'West Africa' section. I really struggled with the stuff in the second half of the book. The fiction that is just a selection from a longer work was hard for me to get interested in. Overall it was worth the effort. I'm probably a typical American in my gross ignorance of African history and culture, so this was at least a baby step in the right direction for me.

Specific favorites among the fiction were:
The Manhood Test by Mohammed Naseehu Ali from Ghana
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngoti Adichie from Nigeria
Souvenirs by Leila Aboulela from Sudan

Best nonfiction was "Languages We Don't Know We Know" by Mia Cuoto from Mozambique. I will remember these quotes:
"In these visits to the savannah, I learn sensitivities that help me come out of myself and remove me from my certainties."
"But the word 'scientist' doesn't exist in the local language. The term chosen by the translator was 'inguetlha,' which means 'witchdoctor.'"
"Alongside a language that gives us our sense of humanity, there should be another that can elevate us to the divine."

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went straight to the last piece in the book by Ivan Vladislavic. I was not disappointed. Best short story I've read since Juan Villoro's "Coyote." Vladislavic has such a weird, but natural way of crafting narrative through objects and places, maps and neighborhoods. He is able to pick up on profound resonances found in simple things: garden walls, house paint and in this case a bench. Amazing.


Stories read:
Mohammed Neseehu Ali (Ghana): The manhood test
Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya): from Discovering home
Nng'g' wa thiong'o (Kenya): from Wizard of the crow
Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti): from The united states of Africa
J. M. Coetzee (South Africa): from Stranger shores
Niq Mhlongo (South Africa): from Dog eat dog
Ivan Vladislavic: Whites Only Bench

[J.S. Graustein · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the writing in this book is powerful, I was really frustrated with the number of novel excerpts in it. I was hoping for more stand-alone short stories so that I could experience many complete stories while traveling from one region to the next within the pages. Instead, this was more of a "novel sampler." However if you've never read any writing from the African continent, this is a great introduction.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Africans set down in English, whether by birth or choice. ‘Contemporary’ is pushing it a bit, since these pieces are from the last sixty years, but the scope raises the bar. A

chebe laid the ground for Anglophone (and Francophone) African writing when he mocked the incommensurability people, who said we could not speak to each other.

[Gratia Ilibagiza]

Very interesting.... A very vivid and new outlook to the African continent and its writers. Its taken me a long time (very long) to get through though. This is partly attributed to procrastination though.

[Luis Felipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impresionante. Realmente la literatura africana, junto con la del Indostán y Colombia, es lo mejor que hay hoy día (y, de éstas, prefiero la africana).

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not every piece was a standout, of course, but this anthology introduced me to lots and lots of writers and places, which is exactly what it set out to do. (Hello, friends. Long time, no post.)

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Startlingly depressing and beautiful at the same time, there is more in this book than is assumed by it's small stature.

[Elmhogar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection, added many more books to my wishlist...

[Alia S]

Oh, it's good. I just wasn't in the mood for heavy-duty Africa. Me and every other fat and happy resident of the industrialized world, I guess.

[Abraham Moyo]

wonderful writing from africa adding weight that indeed african writing is ready world attention.

[Sue Whitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and educative collection of short stories and book excerpts from authors throughout Africa.

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful anthology with very powerful pieces from some now very familiar writers, and others who may be unknown to you as they were to me.

Sections divided roughly by geographical region, and then by former coloniser for non-English speaking regions (🥲), namely Francophone and Lusophone Africa.

West Africa

Non-fiction

Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
“The African Writer and the English Language” (brilliant, naturally; also, famous)

Fiction

Helon Habila (Nigeria)
“Lomba” (intriguing, and well-written; a prisoner and a prison guard make a deal)

Mohammed Naseehu Ali (Ghana)
“The Manhood Test” (one of my favourites! Very funny, also sad: a man fails to make love to his wife)

Chris Abani (Nigeria)
from Becoming Abigail (TW/CW 😖 I *think* this is about abuse and incest)

E. C. Osondu (Nigeria)
“Voice of America” (rather delightful! A young man finds a penpal)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
from Half of a Yelllow Sun


Francophone Africa


Non-fiction

Patrice Nganang (Cameroon)
“The Senghor Complex” (*loud buzzing sound*)

Fiction

Alain Mabanckou (Republic of Congo)
from Broken Glass (did not enjoy The Lights of Pointe-Noire, but this was amusing)

Fatou Diome (Senegal)
from The Belly of the Atlantic

Boubacar Boris Diop (Senegal)
from Murambi, The Book of Bones (CW: about the genocide in Rwanda)

North Africa


Non-fiction

Laila Lalami (Morocco)
“The Politics of Reading” (Excellent)

Fiction

Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt)
from Woman at Point Zero (–brutal!)

Mohamed Magani (Algeria)
from The Butcher’s Aesthetic

Aziz Chouaki (Algeria)
from The Star of Algiers

Leila Aboulela (Sudan)
“Souvenirs”

East Africa


Non-fiction

Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya)
from Discovering Home

Fiction

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya)
from Wizard of the Crow

Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
“Christianity Killed the Cat” (CW: violence against an animal)

Nuruddin Farah (Somalia)
from Knots

Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti)
from The United States of Africa (very woke in 2009, but also unsettlingly trope-y)

Former Portuguese Colonies


Non-fiction

Mia Couto (Mozambique)
“Languages We Don’t Know We Know” (truly excellent essay on language and cosmology)

Fiction

Ondjaki (Angola)
“Dragonfly” (interesting!)

Jose Eduardo Agualusa (Angola)
from The Book of Chameleons (dreamy; going to read the book)

Southern Africa

Non-fiction

J. M. Coetzee (South Africa)
“The Memoirs of Breyten Breytenbach” (Mostly, I just widened my eyes)

Fiction

Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe)
“Dead Swimmers” (sad; women, and loss)

Niq Mhlongo (South Africa)
from Dog Eat Dog (oof! A student encounters the police.)

Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)
“A Beneficiary” (enjoyed this; a woman dies, and her daughter discovers something that makes her question her identity)

Marlene van Niekerk (South Africa)
from Agaat (think I’d need to read the whole book)

Zakes Mda (South Africa)
from Ways of Dying (rather fun, about a stinky Professional Mourner)

Ivan Vladislavic (South Africa)
“The WHITES ONLY Bench” (super quirky; the bench is my favourite character)

Full review: https://shonareads.wordpress.com/2021...

[Kristy]

I only read “Languages We Don’t Know We Know” by Mia Couto - translated from Portuguese. 4 stars

In this essay he talks about different languages used in Mozambique. How only a few spoke Portuguese 30 years ago, but it is now the official language (more than 12% speak it). Over 25 languages are spoken in Mozambique.

In the beginning is a story of a woman who asks her husband to tell her a story in a new made up language. It reminded her of a time before she understood language.

Then he spoke of being a translator for some Swedish environmental scientists on a nearby island. He translated to Portuguese and another translated to the islander’s language. There was no word for scientist - it translated as white witch doctor. There was no word for environmental - it was some word that was like the Big Bang. The islanders said that these wild pigs, who were only pigs at night, ate / destroyed their crops. However it was wrong to kill these spirit creatures. They wanted to know how to get rid of them. There was a whole language translation barrier here. Eventually words like nature and culture are now apart of their languages.

This was a very interesting essay.

Song: Bombo: Bombo by Pazedi

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology about contemporary African writers separated into six categories: West Africa, Francophone Africa, North Africa, Former Portuguese Colonies, and Southern Africa. There are thirty short stories, articles, and fragments of larger works which showcase the writing from these thirty authors. With all anthologies, this is meant to give a taste of African writers in the contemporary world. I am familiar with several mentioned here but there were many more I am unfamiliar with. If you’re interested in contemporary African writing then this is a good place to start. As I said, there are thirty different writers here from all over the continent. The opening article from Chinua Achebe raises the question of what is considered African writing in the first place?? I think if people are interested they should read this.

[arterialturns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, varied collection of stories from throughout the continent. Picked it up on a discount table at the venerable Elliott Bay Book Company, finally finished it today. Featuring authors from ex-pats to lifelong residents, the book presents cultural and historical critique, afro-futurism, personal vignettes, and a great deal more. It's just the kind of selection of vibrant styles and tales that keep me engaged.

[Heather Fuller]

A wonderful collection of stories and novel excerpts and essays that show the breadth and depth of literature written by AFRICANS! Not written by Americans or Europeans. Wonderful for anyone seeking to understand more about this fascinating continent.

[Ellyn Soup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to discover more authors to read! Bought a bunch of the books right after finishing. It's like a literary appetizer.