Chinelo Okparanta looks at six West African books that each take a unique look at relationships
Nigerian-American author Chinelo Okparanta recently compiled a list for Electric Literature of six West African books with an unconventional, defiant approach to gender relations and relationships.
“This list began with a mistake. I’d started collecting the titles of intriguing 2017 books: to read them, of course, but also because I hoped to review more prose in 2017. I soon noticed, though, that the writers I’d assembled in my private most-anticipated roll call bore an alarming resemblance in one respect to lists everywhere, not just the book-related kind (cf. editorial slates, boards of directors, tables of contents): the men outnumbered the women.“