Novel
Danda
Nkem Nwankwo · 1964
Synopsis
Danda is the son of Araba, a notable of Aniocha, rich in land, titles and wives. The son does not work, plays the flute, drinks palm wine and goes from compound to compound making the women laugh and driving the elders mad. His father regards him as a disgrace and would like to see him at last take his place among the men of the village. School, church and money are spreading across the country around them, and the good-for-nothing slips away from them all alike.
Context
The book came out from André Deutsch, in London, two hundred and five pages, under a jacket by Janina Ede. Its author had just left the University of Ibadan, where he had crossed paths with the generation then making the country's letters. The novel was brought to the stage as a musical, often performed, and presented at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar in 1966. The paperback appeared two years after the book, in a hundred and fifty-four pages.
Who it is for
Two hundred pages in English, with no French version. Recent editions carry a glossary. It helps to know that an akalogholi is a good-for-nothing, and that a man's rank was measured by the titles he bought.
Prizes and reception
The book made its author known outside the country and remains his masterpiece. It entered Heinemann's African classics, reserved for titles already proven.