African Identity Today in the Writings of John Maxwell Coetzee and Ben Silver Okri

by Heba Mohamed Abdelaziz

Overview

African Identity Today in the Writings of John Maxwell Coetzee and Ben Silver Okri is a comparative study of the writings of the South African author John Maxwell Coetzee and the Nigerian author Ben Silver Okri. It charts the thematic and technical presentation of cultural identity in the literary output of both authors, with special reference to their respective trilogies, namely: Coetzee's Scenes from Provincial Life and Okri's The Famished Road. Through examining these texts, the book explores the dilemmas faced by many contemporary authors while discussing issues related to the construction of cultural identity in a postcolonial world. Studying Coetzee's and Okri's texts from a postcolonial perspective reveals how their very different writings share a range of commonalities. Both authors seek to find a middle ground between colonised and colonising cultures as they attempt to deconstruct the stereotypical images of the Other, creating a world purified of racial influences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666930481
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/15/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	242
File size:	496 KB

About the Author

Heba Mohamed Abdelaziz is assistant professor of English and comparative literature at the College of Language and Communication in The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Cairo.

Table of Contents

Part One: J.M. Coetzee: Life Writing between Cultures
1. Coetzee's Scenes from Provincial Life Trilogy
2. Scenes from Provincial Life Trilogy: Coetzee's Style of Writing
Part Two: Ben Okri: A Rooted Voice
3. Okri's The Famished Road Trilogy
4. The Famished Road Trilogy: Okri's Technical Mode of Writing
Conclusion