Novel
Efuru
Flora Nwapa · 1966
Synopsis
Efuru is the daughter of a man whom the whole town respects. She loves Adizua, a poor farmer who cannot pay the bride price, and goes to live with him without waiting for her family's consent. She trades, earns money, makes him give up the hoe for the market, and gives birth to a daughter. Adizua leaves with another woman. Left with her mother-in-law, Efuru refuses to stay there and decides to go in search of him.
Context
Written at Enugu by a thirty-year-old teacher, the manuscript passed through the hands of Chinua Achebe, who had Heinemann take it: it became the twenty-sixth title in the African series, and its author the first woman to appear there; it took thirty more titles before another returned. The book is drawn from an ancient tale, that of a woman chosen by the goddess of the lake. Published just before the civil war, it first went unnoticed at home, and its renown came from abroad.
Who it is for
A novel of good length, in English, with no French version. The narrative advances largely through dialogue. It helps to know that the bride price was paid to the father and that barrenness meant disgrace.
Prizes and reception
The first book published internationally by a woman from sub-Saharan Africa. It paved the way for a generation of women novelists.