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165th out of 211 books
—
63 voters
Chaka
This novel is the first of many works of literature that takes the great Zulu leader, king, and emperor as its subject. The story is well-known, partly due to Mofolo but also to the works of literature by Badian, Senghor, and Mazisi Kunene. O.R. Dathorne has said, "The historical Chaka is only the impetus for Mofolo's psychological study of the nature of repudiation." Mofo...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
January 1st 1983
by Heinemann Educational Books
(first published 1925)
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Chaka is a fictionalised account of the life of the C19th Zulu king Shaka. It’s unusually early for an African novel, originally published in 1925 but existing in manuscript in some form as early as 1910.
I wasn’t entirely looking forward to reading it. It has started to really bother me when those who rose to power and built empires through force are presented as Great Men, as admirable or heroic. Qin Shi Huang, Alexander the Great, Napoleon: these men were ruthless megalomaniacs who glorified t...more
I wasn’t entirely looking forward to reading it. It has started to really bother me when those who rose to power and built empires through force are presented as Great Men, as admirable or heroic. Qin Shi Huang, Alexander the Great, Napoleon: these men were ruthless megalomaniacs who glorified t...more
Violent yet often beautiful, this fictionalized account of Chaka (or Shaka) and the rise of the Zulu nation reads as half-historical fiction, half-mythology. The ending is less strong than the beginning; though Chaka's brutality is part of the historical record, some of the fictional incidents of extreme violence that appear in the second half of the book make Chaka seem almost a caricature.
A marvelous, biblical tale of ambition, intention and, in the end, sheer malice. By the end of this novel, I was riveted by the absolute horror of the tale. The writing is excellent, as well. Mofolo was educated by missionaries, and the work was translated by missionaries, so it develops a mythic, bible-ese voice that fills the tale (itself vaguely based on historical fact) with an epic tone.
Really, really good.
Really, really good.
I had to read it for one of my classes at Bridgewater, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought it would. This translation reads pretty easily, and the story of Chaka is engaging and tragic. Would definitely consider reading it again.
This novel The first major African contribution in the history of world literature
I could use Chaka's services to deal with some rather annoying people. Oh yes, should also mention it's a very good read and an excellent translation.
It reads like a Hindu myth, which attributes to its fantastic quality and moral instruction. However, the text is essentially a parable extended into a short novel complete with notes directed at the reader to explain the subtext and thought processes of the characters. This makes for a slow trudge through the pages..,
Great little book about the rise and fall of the great Shaka, or uShaka (Zulu) or Chaka (Sesotho), king of the Zulus. One of the first novels (if not the first) published by an African author.
I read the first edition. The current one is the I-don't-know-how-many-th edition.
I read the first edition. The current one is the I-don't-know-how-many-th edition.
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I thought this book wasnt good at all. The reason i think this is because it didnt have no action or anything exciting in it so it was really boring.
My library edition i borrowed was older than me lol. Not a historically factual book but great fiction and an easy quick read
I didn't mind this when I was actually reading it, but I never seemed to want to pick it up in the first place...
Really hoped it would be better.
Jun 17, 2013
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