The Picador Book of African Stories. . - Books - book review

New Internationalist, April, 2002 by Peter Whittaker

Edited by Stephen Gray (Picador, ISBN 0 330 36989)

In his introduction to this impressive collection, the editor Stephen Gray remarks that, with the first free elections in his native South Africa in 1994, he finally felt able to explore that whole continent of experience that apartheid had screened off and excluded. What a voyage of discovery he has made!

Attempting to encompass the literary output of 53 countries with widely disparate experiences of colonialism and development, Gray has wisely tackled his brief region by region, dividing the book into five geographical sections. His coverage of those areas with a vigorous literary tradition - West Africa, Egypt, Southern Africa - is excellent and there are first-rate stories here from some of the big names of African writing. Of particular note are Ben Okri's moving tale of famine and the Western response, A Prayer from The Living; Mia Couto's angry story of exploitation and misery in the Mozambique goldfields, The Russian Princess (shortlisted for the 2001 Caine Prize); and a lyrical contribution from Ahdaf Soueif, the title story from her collection, Sandpiper.

But it is in seeking out the lesser-known byways of African writing that this anthology really excels. Gray is justifiably proud to have included, for the first time in an English-language anthology, two authors from Djibouti: Abdourahman Waberi and Idris Youssouf Elmi. There are also fascinating stories from Madagascar, Mauritius and the Comoros as well as a strong showing from Togo, Cape Verde and Senegal. As an introduction to the exciting variety of African writing that is being produced now, this collection could hardly be bettered.

RATING: ****

www.macmillon.co.uk

STAR RATING

VERY GOOD ****