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Imagine Africa: Volume 2
Imagine Africa and its theme of "Revolution" is introduced by Georges Lory who opens the collection with his essay, "Poets to your quills, Africa is taking off". Through a collage of poems, essays, fiction, and visual art, Imagine Africa gives us a glimpse of a kaleidoscopic contemporary Africa.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
95 people want to read
About the author
Mia Couto
112 books1,409 followersJournalist and a biologist, his works in Portuguese have been published in more than 22 countries and have been widely translated. Couto was born António Emílio Leite Couto.
He won the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 2013 Camões Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious international awards honoring the work of Portuguese language writers (created in 1989 by Portugal and Brazil).
An international jury at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair called his first novel, Terra Sonâmbula (Sleepwalking Land), "one of the best 12 African books of the 20th century."
In April 2007, he became the first African author to win the prestigious Latin Union Award of Romanic Languages, which has been awarded annually in Italy since 1990.
Stylistically, his writing is heavily influenced by magical realism, a style popular in modern Latin American literature, and his use of language is inventive and reminiscent of Guimarães Rosa.
Português)
Filho de portugueses que emigraram para Moçambique nos meados do século XX, Mia nasceu e foi escolarizado na Beira. Com catorze anos de idade, teve alguns poemas publicados no jornal Notícias da Beira e três anos depois, em 1971, mudou-se para a cidade capital de Lourenço Marques (agora Maputo).
Iniciou os estudos universitários em medicina, mas abandonou esta área no princípio do terceiro ano, passando a exercer a profissão de jornalista depois do 25 de Abril de 1974. Trabalhou na Tribuna até à destruição das suas instalações em Setembro de 1975, por colonos que se opunham à independência. Foi nomeado diretor da Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM) e formou ligações de correspondentes entre as províncias moçambicanas durante o tempo da guerra de libertação. A seguir trabalhou como diretor da revista Tempo até 1981 e continuou a carreira no jornal Notícias até 1985.
Em 1983 publicou o seu primeiro livro de poesia, Raiz de Orvalho, que inclui poemas contra a propaganda marxista militante. Dois anos depois demitiu-se da posição de diretor para continuar os estudos universitários na área de biologia.
Além de ser considerado um dos escritores mais importantes de Moçambique, é o escritor moçambicano mais traduzido. Em muitas das suas obras, Mia Couto tenta recriar a língua portuguesa com uma influência moçambicana, utilizando o léxico de várias regiões do país e produzindo um novo modelo de narrativa africana. Terra Sonâmbula, o seu primeiro romance, publicado em 1992, ganhou o Prémio Nacional de Ficção da Associação dos Escritores Moçambicanos em 1995 e foi considerado um dos doze melhores livros africanos do século XX por um júri criado pela Feira do Livro do Zimbabué.
Na sua carreira, foi também acumulando distinções, como os prémios Vergílio Ferreira (1999, pelo conjunto da obra), Mário António/Fundação Gulbenkian (2001), União Latina de Literaturas Românicas (2007) ou Eduardo Lourenço (2012). Ganhou em 2013 o Prémio Camões, o mais importante prémio para autores de língua portuguesa.
He won the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 2013 Camões Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious international awards honoring the work of Portuguese language writers (created in 1989 by Portugal and Brazil).
An international jury at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair called his first novel, Terra Sonâmbula (Sleepwalking Land), "one of the best 12 African books of the 20th century."
In April 2007, he became the first African author to win the prestigious Latin Union Award of Romanic Languages, which has been awarded annually in Italy since 1990.
Stylistically, his writing is heavily influenced by magical realism, a style popular in modern Latin American literature, and his use of language is inventive and reminiscent of Guimarães Rosa.
Português)
Filho de portugueses que emigraram para Moçambique nos meados do século XX, Mia nasceu e foi escolarizado na Beira. Com catorze anos de idade, teve alguns poemas publicados no jornal Notícias da Beira e três anos depois, em 1971, mudou-se para a cidade capital de Lourenço Marques (agora Maputo).
Iniciou os estudos universitários em medicina, mas abandonou esta área no princípio do terceiro ano, passando a exercer a profissão de jornalista depois do 25 de Abril de 1974. Trabalhou na Tribuna até à destruição das suas instalações em Setembro de 1975, por colonos que se opunham à independência. Foi nomeado diretor da Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM) e formou ligações de correspondentes entre as províncias moçambicanas durante o tempo da guerra de libertação. A seguir trabalhou como diretor da revista Tempo até 1981 e continuou a carreira no jornal Notícias até 1985.
Em 1983 publicou o seu primeiro livro de poesia, Raiz de Orvalho, que inclui poemas contra a propaganda marxista militante. Dois anos depois demitiu-se da posição de diretor para continuar os estudos universitários na área de biologia.
Além de ser considerado um dos escritores mais importantes de Moçambique, é o escritor moçambicano mais traduzido. Em muitas das suas obras, Mia Couto tenta recriar a língua portuguesa com uma influência moçambicana, utilizando o léxico de várias regiões do país e produzindo um novo modelo de narrativa africana. Terra Sonâmbula, o seu primeiro romance, publicado em 1992, ganhou o Prémio Nacional de Ficção da Associação dos Escritores Moçambicanos em 1995 e foi considerado um dos doze melhores livros africanos do século XX por um júri criado pela Feira do Livro do Zimbabué.
Na sua carreira, foi também acumulando distinções, como os prémios Vergílio Ferreira (1999, pelo conjunto da obra), Mário António/Fundação Gulbenkian (2001), União Latina de Literaturas Românicas (2007) ou Eduardo Lourenço (2012). Ganhou em 2013 o Prémio Camões, o mais importante prémio para autores de língua portuguesa.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2019
Imagine Africa is an exciting collection of writing---essays, poems, short fiction, collected oral stories---all reflecting the greater African tradition. There are calls to arms, elegies for loss, looks to the future, works of politics and stories of more personal life. Everything is marked by the African continent, even those stories that reflect the diaspora to the countries of the Caribbean.
Most of these authors are new to me and I appreciate the brief biographies provided which often list other titles to pursue. Most of these works were not written in English and full information re the translators is also provided. The material is shown in its original language, then in English. This might be Africaan, French, Arabic, Dutch or a combination. International readers can therefore possibly read in their own language.
I have been attempting to read more African fiction but this book has opened my eyes to a wider world of African writing that I must pursue if I hope to understand that huge area of the world.
Highly recommended as a primer on African writing.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review.
Most of these authors are new to me and I appreciate the brief biographies provided which often list other titles to pursue. Most of these works were not written in English and full information re the translators is also provided. The material is shown in its original language, then in English. This might be Africaan, French, Arabic, Dutch or a combination. International readers can therefore possibly read in their own language.
I have been attempting to read more African fiction but this book has opened my eyes to a wider world of African writing that I must pursue if I hope to understand that huge area of the world.
Highly recommended as a primer on African writing.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review.
January 15, 2022
Published in 2014. I loved the range of choices. I loved the way the poems are presented both in their original languages and in English. I was deeply aware as I read that this anthology was published when Obama was president. George Lory's introductory essay "Poets, to Your Quills, Africa is Taking Off" was so filled with buoyant optimism, about the spread of democracy, the end of famine, the flourishing of African voices. Reading this anthology was like finding a precious unbroken work of art from the past that was buried under the rubble of the present.
December 18, 2014
I really appreciated having the opportunity of reading this book. A year ago, before taking my first class on post colonialism I think I wouldn’t have given African literature a chance and I would have been missing a lot. But, especially after reading Things Fall Apart, I have a new found curiosity regarding literature from that incredibly diverse continent.
Imagine Africa is a wonderful anthology of short stories, essays and poems; each featuring a different voice and perspective of the continent.
The format was one of the traits that I found more appealing about the book. I love how it allows you to see the top of the iceberg that is the languages of the continent making the book multilingual, which maintains the idea of diversity in every page of the anthology. Although the digital format didn’t really enhance the experience I really think that the physical edition of the book is worth having as it will be very effective to help with the reading, plus it will be beautiful to own.
Although some of the material falls into the commonplace subjects of African literature, that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. I hope that through editions like this African, and other literatures will become easier to acquire and that will generate interest.
I got this book from NetGalley.
Imagine Africa is a wonderful anthology of short stories, essays and poems; each featuring a different voice and perspective of the continent.
The format was one of the traits that I found more appealing about the book. I love how it allows you to see the top of the iceberg that is the languages of the continent making the book multilingual, which maintains the idea of diversity in every page of the anthology. Although the digital format didn’t really enhance the experience I really think that the physical edition of the book is worth having as it will be very effective to help with the reading, plus it will be beautiful to own.
Although some of the material falls into the commonplace subjects of African literature, that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. I hope that through editions like this African, and other literatures will become easier to acquire and that will generate interest.
I got this book from NetGalley.
October 19, 2020
Some delightful reads! Particularly enjoyed Paulina Chiziane, but a lot more.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews