Looking for a Rain God: An Anthology of Contemporary African Short Stories

by Nadežda Obradović (Editor)

The madman / Chinua Achebe --
Maruma / I.N.C. Aniebo --
In the cutting of a drink / Ama Ata Aidoo --
Heart of a judge / R. Sarif Easmon --
Emente / Onuora Ossie Enekwe --
Noorjehan / Ahmed Essop --
Blankets / Alex La Guma --
Looking for a rain god / Bessie Head --
A man can try / Eldred D. Jones --
The winner / Barbara Kimenye --
Black skin what mask / Dambudzo Marechera --
The criminals / Stephen Mpofu --
Some kinds of wounds / Charles Mungoshi --
A different time / Chicks Nkosi --
The doum tree of Wad Hamid / Tayeb Salih --
Thoughts in a train / Mango Tshabangu --
The soldier without an ear / Paul Zaleza --
The spider's web / Leonard Kibera --
Call me not a man / Mutuzeli Matshoba --
The spearmen of malama / Kafungulwa Mubitana --
A present for my wife / Mbulelo Mzamane --
The rain came / Grace Ogot --
The will of Allah / David Owoyele --
The nightmare / William Saidi --
The return / Ngugi wa Thiong'o --
The point of no return / Miriam M. Tlali

Genres: Short Stories, Africa, Anthologies, Fiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Ikè · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an eye-opening glimpse into revolutionary Africa, to read the works of those African greats who lived it, men and women; writers as esteemed as Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Dambudzo Marechera. It is a travesty that the period in question, one that helped define the modern continent, exists as the barest of footnotes in Western history books. But no matter, we will learn well our own history. Some of my favorite stories from the anthology are: "Call Me Not a Man" by Mtutuzeli Matshoba, "Looking for a Rain God" by Bessie Head, and Marechera's own, "Black Skin, What Mask."

[Nothando · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of African short stories. I never knew I liked short stories as much as I do now after reading this book. There is a whole world out there and we don't need to go overseas to read about it. Africa is a giant that has stories untold, in books like this, waiting to be told. Of course as a romance literature lover, I loved the romantically themed stories much more than the others.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

The madman / Chinua Achebe --2
Maruma / I.N.C. Aniebo --
In the cutting of a drink / Ama Ata Aidoo --3
Heart of a judge / R. Sarif Easmon --
Emente / Onuora Ossie Enekwe --
Noorjehan / Ahmed Essop --
Blankets / Alex La Guma --2
Looking for a rain god / Bessie Head --3
A man can try / Eldred D. Jones --
*The winner / Barbara Kimenye --
Black skin what mask / Dambudzo Marechera --
The criminals / Stephen Mpofu --
Some kinds of wounds / Charles Mungoshi --
A different time / Chicks Nkosi --
The doum tree of Wad Hamid / Tayeb Salih --
Thoughts in a train / Mango Tshabangu --
The soldier without an ear / Paul Zaleza --
The spider's web / Leonard Kibera --
Call me not a man / Mutuzeli Matshoba --
The spearmen of malama / Kafungulwa Mubitana --
A present for my wife / Mbulelo Mzamane --
The rain came / Grace Ogot --
*The will of Allah / David Owoyele --
The nightmare / William Saidi --
*The return / Ngugi wa Thiong'o --
The point of no return / Miriam M. Tlali--

[Owaahh · Rating 4 out of 5]

They do not write stories like this anymore...African literature at its best yet.