Since 2018, Brittle Paper has curated an annual list of 100 notable books that have significantly contributed to African literature. As one of the major literary outlets in Africa, curating the list validates the immense amount of quality books that come out of Africa every year.
This year, the list becomes more solid because some of the books are from Africa-based publishers like Masobe Books. Although the US remains the dominant publisher of African writing, having more home-based publishers signifies a major step upward in owning our stories. According to Ainehi Edoro, the founder and publisher of Brittle Paper, “This year’s list includes books from 25 countries—Botswana, São Tomé, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Namibia, Sudan, Egypt, Cameroon, Western Sahara, Togo, South Africa, Nigeria, and many more. Contemporary African writing is still fiercely pan-African,” she wrote. “Around 30% of the books in the list are debuts, a figure we’ve seen remain steady in recent years. This tells us there is an organic growth of new voices.”
Here are some of the books on the list:
Blessings – Chukwuebuka Ibeh
At Night Men Take the Lonely Way Home – Nzube Nlebedim
And So I Roar – Abi Dare
A Kind of Madness – Uche Okonkwo
A Very Gidi Christmas – Tomilola Coco Adeyemo
Allow Me to Introduce Myself – Onyi Nwabineli
Leaked Footages – Abu Bakr Sadiq
Autobiomythography Of – Ayokunle Falomo
Ceremony for the Nameless – Theresa Lola
Ghostroots – Pemi Aguda
Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow – Damilare Kuku
Yoruba Boy Running – Biyi Bandele
The Road to the Country – Chigozie Obioma
The Mystic of Small Dreams – Romeo Oriogun
The Brevity of Beautiful Things – Nnamdi Ehirim
See the full list here.
