Novel
Cekesoni aingila ubusoja
Not translated into English
Stephen Andrea Mpashi · 1950
Synopsis
The author's first novel, written in Bemba, whose title is rendered as “Jackson joins the army”. The novel deals with military service, and its author, a former recruit of the colonial troops, shares in it his own experience as a soldier of the Second World War. The details of the plot are not known, but its lasting appeal is: the book went through nine editions between its publication and the mid-seventies, and the author's books are still read in schools.
Context
The book appeared in the early fifties, when its author was becoming an editor at the joint bureau that published books in African languages for the two neighbouring protectorates. It was reissued by the National Educational Company of Zambia in 1975 and by the Zambia Educational Publishing House in 2008. Mpashi refused to translate his books into English, and only one of his works, a biography, is written in that language.
Who it is for
A novel in Bemba, with no translation; it is accessible only to readers of this language of northern Zambia.
Prizes and reception
Its author is regarded as the most prolific and best-known of the first writers in the Bemba language.
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