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lundi 19 septembre 2016

Top African American Fiction Writers Today

By Elizabeth Foster


The definition of African American writers still stalks controversy. Some want to define them by the color of their skin while others focus on their content. This has not stopped a range of African American fiction writers from producing captivating stories that are admired worldwide. They have captivated the minds of readers, become best sellers and received numerous awards in the process. Here are some of them.

Jeffery Allen captures the story of a blind slave called Tom in a book Song of the Shank to stem his authority in fictional writing. This is an ambitious book exploring the themes of love, family and identity. The language and structure are very inventive and purposeful. The assembly is comparable to Ulysses. The novel is brilliant and perfectly captures the world today.

Mangestu Dinaw begins his story in Uganda during post-colonial struggles and upheavals. He uses two characters in search of safety a university in the city of Kampala. Dinaw then transfers the setting to Midwest America where the two migrate in search of a better life. The narrative by Dinaw is a tale of freedom, survival and loyalty. It is told in very energetic and elegant prose. The author is a recipient of MacArthur Genius Grant.

Roxane Gay is known for her sensitive yet powerful prose. In An Untamed State, Gay tells the story of a young wife and mother by the name Duval Jameson. She is young, a mother and a wife, captured and held hostage in Haiti, her homeland. Her father, though endowed refuses to pay the ransom. This story shows how women face troubles when used as pawns by men. It tells the different phases of life before and after such ordeals.

Farah Nuruddin has made his mark in writing through other titles. The most notable is Hiding in Full Sight. This story is based on the life of Bella, a world renowned artist who learns of a suicide bomb that has taken his only brother. He abandons his career during a photo shoot for a photo magazine and returns to Nairobi where her niece and nephew are waiting. Farah highlights the losses borne by families in times of war and their efforts at redemption.

Foreign Gods, Inc. Is a captivating yet satirical depiction of how America commercializes exotic gods. It is told through the eyes of a taxi driver called Ikechukwu in New York City. He plans to steal a statue from his native Nigerian tribe and auction it a Manhattan Art Gallery to make money. It is written by Ndibe Okey.

Cynthia Bond in Ruby: A Novel transports the reader to 1963 where a Ruby, a girl defeated and deflated by life in New York retreats to Liberty in Texas. Her departure was hopeful and energetic as she sort to find life and her mother in the process. The tale depicts bits of kindness and hurts especially exemplified by charitable women and men who offer nothing but ridicule.

The list of excellent Afro-American writers is endless. Other notable names include Helen Oyeyemi, James Marlon, Cole Teju and Ambani Chris. They are joined by Jacinda Townsend and Tiphanie Yanique in the list of excellent writers to watch. Two outstanding titles to mention are A Brief History of Seven Killings and Every Day is for the Thief.




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