Great African Reads discussion

Granta magazine has posted an audio interview with Binyavanga Wainaina, an editor at Kwani? , an awesome-looking Kenyan literary magazine. I think we'll be adding Wainaina's book to future polls for contemporary lit group reads. :D

Here is another article about him...

I noticed that Kwani? volumes are listed in goodreads...does anyone know anything about their availability in the U.S., either paper or e-copies?

I read One Day I Will Write About This Place and enjoyed it. I find it very relevant for readers knowledgeable and/or interested in African social and political developments. It is not written for readers new to the subject matter. Too many assumptions are made about readers' knowledge. I hope he does one day "write about this place" which, from what I can tell is Uganda (his mother's country).

i get the sense from his interview that he wrote that book with an African audience in mind. it was interesting to hear his reaction to non-Africans' (not sure if he was referring to just British people or all Anglo-Euro types, including North Americans)reviews of his book. It made me recall a discussion thread somewhere around here about who are African writers writing for?

Marieke wrote: "Here is another article about him...

I noticed that Kwani? volumes are listed in goodreads...does anyone know anything about their availability in the U.S., either paper or e-copies?"

Check www.kwani.org
Click on FAQS.
Scroll down to . . .

9. Where Can I buy Kwani? books

For USA, Michigan State University, email msupress@msu.edu or visit www.msupress.msu.edu

The most recent Harper Collins India catalogue lists
Civil Lines 6 ISBN: 9789350290989 ('The best-known anthology of new writing from India is back.')

Edited by Mukul Kesavan, Kai Friese and Achal Prabhala, it has a piece by Binyavanga (and, incidentally, one by me.) Publication has been long delayed (see quote below.) I can't find a contents list on the Internet so until my author's copy arrives, I can't tell you the title of Binyavanga's piece.

Civil Lines went to bed in 2001 and rose nearly a decade later in an unrecognizable world. Rip Van Winkle slept twice as long but woke up less disoriented: time moves faster in googleworld than it did in the Catskills in the late eighteenth century. The best explanation for the elephantine gestation of Civil Lines 6 is the truth, in the words of the editors themselves: unsure of their editorial judgement, they waited for the submissions to pass the test of time. And this is a collection of the pieces that survived.

Mukul Kesavan is a writer based in Delhi; Kai Friese is a magazine editor in Delhi; Achal Prabhala is a writer and researcher in Bangalore.


More at:
http://ebookbrowse.com/catalogue-2011...

I read and enjoyed "One Day I Will Write." I have looked into getting other titles from MSU press. They are very expensive. It looks like they can be purchased in bookstores in Kenya for about $10. How frustrating for those of us with "first world problems":). I'm hoping my husband can pick at least a copy of Kwani? when he is in Kenya next month. It seems that Kwani? is also publishing other books by Kenyan authors under an imprint called Kwanini, also available only in Kenya from what I can tell. I'll let y'all know if I find out anything else. But definitely try "One Day I Will" if you can find it.

p.s. don't hold your breathe, my husband is not much of a bookstore person. lol

Difficult to get Kwani? outside Kenya and some African countries. However, I've noticed that the six editions so far are available at kenyatta Airport in nairobi and I'm luckily on a transfer there for a couple of hours in three weeks so I'll buy them at the airport.... I'm very curious because I heard and read a lot about Kwani?

I noticed that Kwani? volumes are listed in goodreads...does anyone know anything about their availability in the U.S., either paper or e-copies?"

I started following them on twitter but I haven't yet figured out how widely available new issues are. I'll do some checking. :)

Apparently everything is available digitally. :D

I meant to post this a few days ago, but in case anyone is unaware, Kwani? is holding a manuscript contest for African writers, including those in the diaspora. The deadline was just extended to September 17.

Just in case you haven't read it, take a look Kwani? founding editor Binyavanga Wainaina's "How to write about Africa" http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-...

Nina wrote: "Just in case you haven't read it, take a look Kwani? founding editor Binyavanga Wainaina's "How to write about Africa" http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-..."

i have his book! hopefully i can read it soon... :)

Marieke wrote: "Nina wrote: "Just in case you haven't read it, take a look Kwani? founding editor Binyavanga Wainaina's "How to write about Africa" http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-......"

I hoping the book is a poll winner for one of our upcoming contemporary reads.