WD 24 African authors

Coming soon to Netflix 'Comic, tragic, topical and entertaining in equal measure' - Bernardine Evaristo. To the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore considered a great prize in Nigeria, but even graduates must produce children and her husband's persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be. She only wants to escape to a quiet life, but the others disapprove of the newest, youngest, cleverest addition to the family. Treated with respect by her husband, she is viewed with suspicion by her seniors - who fear she may unlock their well-guarded secret. Through the voices of Baba Segi and his four wives, Lola Shoneyin weaves a vibrant story of love, secrets and a family like every other - happy and unhappy, truthful and not, sometimes kind, sometimes competitive, always bound by blood, and the past.

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“Do you remember the life we dreamed of? The things we did, hoping we’d achieve that life? The blood we’ve spilled? The things we have survived? The bodies buried under our Muldersdrift house – everything Qhawe, everything we have ever done and what we did it for, throwing your child in the fire would have given us that. A peaceful and safe life. ”What is he talking about? “We were roaming around, and I was fine with that, but you decided to bring them into our lives – the ancestors and all that. We were fine not honouring them Qhawe because what have they ever done for us? Why did we have to slaughter goats and burn incense for them? Our mother chose Sbopho over us. What reason did you have to honour her?” “Bafo?” “What reason, Qhawe? Now they keep taking and taking from us. Our children, Qhawe. And they won’t stop because the person they really want is Hlomu.

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THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION ‘WINNER OF WINNERS’ Winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007, this is a heartbreaking, exquisitely written literary masterpiece Ugwu, a boy from a poor village, works as a houseboy for a university professor. Olanna, a young woman, has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic new lover, the professor. And Richard, a shy English writer, is in thrall to Olanna’s enigmatic twin sister. As the horrific Biafran War engulfs them, they are thrown together and pulled apart in ways they had never imagined. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s masterpiece, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, is a novel about Africa in a wider sense: about the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, class and race – and about the ways in which love can complicate all of these things.

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'Unforgettable' New York Times 'Impressive' Observer 'Remarkable' Independent 'Important' Guardian 'Captivating' Mirror 'Luminous' Daily Mail 'Sparkling' Harper's Bazaar 'Beautiful' HeraldTHE NEW YORK TIMES AND TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE FOR FICTIONRECOMMENDED BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI, ELIZABETH DAY, ANDI OLIVER AND DOLLY PARTONI don't just want to be having any kind voice . . .I want a louding voice.At fourteen, Adunni dreams of getting an education and giving her family a more comfortable home in her small Nigerian village. Instead, Adunni's father sells her off to become the third wife of an old man. When tragedy strikes in her new home, Adunni flees to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where she becomes a house-girl to the cruel Big Madam, and prey to Big Madam's husband. But despite her situation continuously going from bad to worse, Adunni refuses to let herself be silenced. And one day, someone hears her.'A story of courage that will win over your heart' Stylist'Daré's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale' Daily Mail'Such a vibrant, tender, beautiful novel... [I] fell in love with her, and fell in love with the book.' Elizabeth Day'Adunni . . . is an ambassador for girls everywhere. She is important, funny, brave, and enduring. Abi Daré has written an unforgettable novel, by the strength of her own louding voice.' Jeanine Cummins

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Kan jy vlug van wie jy regtig is? Lula Prins wil oor begin op Heydendal. ’n Nuwe lewe, ’n nuwe dorp, ’n nuwe naam. Anoniem. Dan stap ’n nuwe man ongenooid by haar lewe in en haar verlede begin haar inhaal. Kriek Kruger wil uitvind wat met sy laatlambroer, Dian, gebeur het. Het hy werklik na sy dood gespring of wil iemand dit na selfdood laat lyk? En wie het daardie verdoemende verslag geskryf wat hom finaal laat knak het? Terwyl Kriek na antwoorde soek en Lula van die spoke in haar verlede vlug, gooi die noodlot hulle saam in ’n opwindende, gevaarlike wentelbaan. Gaan Kriek uitvind wie sy regtig is? En kan ’n mens ooit werklik van jou jouself weg vlug?

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Fortunately for journalist and PR maven Lucy Khambule, the alarming news, in January 2006, that her nemesis might once more be on the loose has proved to be false. Charred remains in a prison pipe-shaft, along with a suicide note, are confirmation that convicted serial killer Dingiswayo is dead. Once Detective Justice Morapedi brings her a copy of the note to compare with the letters the killer wrote to her, Lucy tries to put her unease aside. A year on, Lucy is flying high in her life and career. Her book on Dingiswayo is abestseller, she is in demand for talks and interviews, and her company has been chosen as part of the team organising glamorous events around the Preliminary Draw to take place at the Durban International Convention Centre ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But who is the person stalking her on Facebook? And what should be made of the gruesome ‘copycat’ murders of two young women at the Reed Dance in the neighboring kingdom of Swaziland? Is this the work of an ex-convict on a deadly mission or are there other dangers lurking?

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Sana and Meena will never meet. The two women share little beyond Akbar Manzil, the sprawling mansion they call home. When Meena fell in love with the owner of the house, it was the grandest residence on South Africa’s east coast near Durban. Eight decades later when Sana and her father move to the house, the latest of Akbar Manzil's long list of tenants, it is in near-ruins, crumbling, shabby and dark. This is a place where people come to forget. Or to be forgotten. Full of questions about her new home, Sana is drawn to the deserted east wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects – and to the locked door at its end, unopened for decades. Soon, Sana begins to discover the tangled, troubling history of the house, awakening the memories of the house itself and dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone –living and dead – at Akbar Manzil.

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