adminChristopher Farai Charamba: Correspondent
Of late leisure reading has been a bit difficult for me. Finishing a book has been quite a challenge. I would suppose that ever since I chose to immerse myself in historical non-fiction I have forgone the appetite for fiction.That being said, I happened to stumble upon a book I was gifted by a friend last year and was reminded of why fiction reading can be extremely delightful. The book, titled “The Palm Wine Drinkard” by the Nigerian author Amos Tutuola is an absurd piece of literature, one I adored thoroughly.
Absurdist fiction is defined by Greig Henderson and Christopher Brown as, “a genre of fictional narrative or literary fiction, most often in the form of a novel, play, poem, or film, that focuses on the experiences of characters in situations where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events that call into question the certainty of existential concepts such as truth or value”.
I had never heard of Amos Tutuola, to the surprise of the friend who gifted me the book, and thus had no real expectations when I read it, this I think added to the overall enjoyment of the book.
All the Nigerian authors I have read thus far, Achebe, Adichie, Abani and Soyinka, have all been wonderful. I have a great affinity for African literature and the Nigerians, like their film-making, have found a unique way to capture their storytelling.
This is exactly what Tutuola is about. His style is one of a kind, his book reads like the narrator is sitting under a tree retelling a story that happened. Had he been one of my kinsman it would filled with “and then, and then, and then”, interspersed throughout the rather ridiculous tales.
“The Palm Wine Drinkard” (not drunkard) is about a man who just loves his palm wine and goes on a rather long journey in search of his former palm wine tapster, the best in all the land. His journey takes him into the land of the dead, encountering many spirits and adventures along the way.
The plot is quite ridiculous; it is drawn from Yoruba folktales. It reminds me of the proverbial village uncle whose imagination knows no bounds and has gone on multiple adventures that he recounts while having a drink of his favourite brew. There is an element of truth in some of the personal stories this uncle has told us over the years but just that, an element. The rest is pure fabrication and although you know it is far-fetched you remain engrossed because it is highly entertaining.
Tutuola does not polish his language but writes the book in pidgin English throughout. His style is exceptionally unique and particularly individual as far as I have read. His book is the first African book translated into English in 1951 and it reads like something that was directly translated word for word. This was done deliberately by the author, and the language adds to the absurdity of the text but also the wonderful nature of African storytelling.
I was immediately reminded of Brian Chikwava’s which is written entirely in “Shonglish”. I would say there is a need for more of such literature and kind of writing in the African market because it is something that readers native to the specific country can easily identify with.
A lot of popular literature out of Africa currently can be criticised for reading as if penned for a Western audience. The setting will likely have a portion set in the West and the African set section of the book is riddled with stereotypes and clichés.
I will certainly be on the lookout for more of Tutuola’s work and also more literature in a similar style and form from African authors. Perhaps it will rekindle my love for fiction and have me reading more for leisure.
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