African Book Club: Jagua Nana

Jagua Nana

Jagua Nana is a 1961 novel by Nigerian novelist Cyprian Ekwensi. The novel was later republished in 1975 as part of the influential Heinemann African Writers Series.

The novel focuses on the contradictions within the life of an aging sex worker, the title character Jagua Nana. The novel is set in the city of Lagos. The novel has been compared to works by Charles Dickens, in terms of its moral assessment of the city and city life, and its critique of the social problems faced by people living in those cities. Critics of the work in the 1980s noted that the novel relies heavily on stereotypical depictions of women, hampering its depiction of life in Africa.

References

·  Onyeoziri-Miller, Gloria. "Intertextuality in Contemporary African Literature: Looking Forward (review)". Research in African Literatures. 43 (3). ISSN 1527-2044.

·  ·  Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi (2008-02-02). "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the joy of reading the late Nigerian novelist Cyprian Ekwensi". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-04.

·  Pr. B. Riche and Pr.M. Bensemanne. "CITY LIFE AND WOMEN IN CYPRIAN EKWENSI'S THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND JAGUA NANA" (PDF). Revue Campus (8): 37–47.