Flora Nwapa – författare

Pioneering author Flora Nwapa paints the stirring tale of a young wife attempting to carve out her own independence against the traditional beliefs of Igbo society.Ever since she was young, Efuru has been famed for her beauty, intelligence, and noble lineage. So her family is appalled when they uncover her betrothal to an unremarkable villager. Although generous in her devotion to him, Efuru soon begins to realise that love is weak in comparison to centuries of superstition and tradition.Her only reprieve is in the strange, vivid dream that visits her at night – one of an ethereal woman sitting at the bottom of a lake, entrancing Efuru with her beauty and lavish piles of riches.When a village sage reveals to Efuru that she has been chosen as a worshipper for the powerful lake goddess, Uhamiri, it seems she can finally find meaning in something beyond her marriage. Yet, even under the attention of the divine, Efuru will struggle to overcome the pressures of a community that values her womb beyond all else.From pregnancy to prophesy, female circumcision to the complications of polygamy, Efuru voyages to the core of the female experience in post-independent Nigeria. Flora Nwapa writes with the clear and impactful depth that has made Efuru an instant literary classic.'If Chinua Achebe and Flora Nwapa [had] not written the books they did, when they did, and how they did, I would perhaps not have had the emotional courage to write.' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

From Flora Nwapa comes another collection of absorbing short stories centered around women. Common to all stories is the involvement of women in all kinds of wars. First, we see the variety of experiences different kinds of women underwent in the Nigerian civil war. We see the militant leaders of Biafra's women's organizations waging war against the bureaucracy which denied them an opportunity to represent their country abroad. We also see women who hate the war, are indifferent to the politics and are concerned only with the survival of their families. There are others prepared to sacrifice everything they have to prevent their relations being conscripted into the army. Some of the stories focus on other kinds of wars; Adaeze is at war with tradition which demands she stay in the village and have children for her father; Yetunde fights against racial prejudice to maintain her relationship with a white man. Ever present and dominating is the war between the sexes: Amma and Adaku try to fight hard for their rights in their marriage and affairs. The mood in the stories varies from comedy to tragedy, from satire to drama but all reveal a compassionate insight into plight of women fighting heroic wars.

Women are Different is the moving story of a group of Nigerian women, from their schooldays together through the trials and tribulations of their adult lives. Through their stories we see some of the universal problems faced by women everywhere: the struggle for financial independence and a rewarding career, combined with the need to bring up a family, often without a man. All this is set against the background of a developing Nigeria, from colonial times, through the Nigerian Civil War to the present day. Once again, Flora Nwapa demonstrates her skill and compassionate insight into the problems of women in creating a book you will never forget.

Written by Flora Nwapa after the Nigerian Civil War, "e;Never Again looks at her society at a time of war and she concentrates on the importance of Biafran women in sustaining their fighting men and the society in general. She depicts the extreme demands war makes on people and the book is all about survival on a personal and national level. As a novelist, critics have mainly acclaimed Ms. Nwapa for her forthrightness and honesty, whether it be dealing with the conflict between the sexes or the poisoning of social relationships in war-time"e;. Alison Perry, West Africa Magazine. "e;Nwapa's novella Never Again (1975) is another landmark in Nigerian women's writing. Based on her personal experience in war-torn Biafra, it is the first war narrative written by an African woman."e; Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi, Africa Wo/Man Palava: The Nigerian Novel by Women.

This dazzling collection of short stories deals with some of the universal problems shared by women around the world. "e;The heroines of Ms. Nwapa's books are strong-minded women who have economic independence and yet, suffer at the hands of unfaithful and unreliable men. Her skill is in presenting her women as individuals and dealing with their special burdens"e;. Alison Perry, West Africa Magazine.

This is the powerful and compelling story of a woman's struggle to find an independent and fulfilling life on her own. After six years of happy, though childless, marriage, Amaka, at thirty, is shattered to discover that her husband plans to take another wife-- a woman who has already borne him two sons in secret. She makes a brave decision. Rather than stay in the comfort and security of her marital home, she will go to lagos and try to make a fresh start in life. In order to become a successful and wealthy businesswoman, Amaka finds she has to use methods as corrupt as the society in which she finds herself. Then she become involved with a catholic priest... Finally, Amaka has to decide whether she has the strength to continue alone, in the face of criticism from her family and respectability, or should she decide that 'one is enough'?

The Lake Goddess came to be Flora Nwapa's last novel, yet possibly her most important one, as it restores African culture and spirituality. "e;Nwapa's message is clear: she-Ona/Ogbuide/woman-may have many children, but she also independently succeeds in her own life, and she is a source of healing and inspiration to all human beings suffering from the ills and madness of modern society worldwide. The goddess whom Nwapa invoked finally reemerges in her original glory in The Lake Goddess to brighten women's path. Her powers and mysteries shine, once again, despite the onslaught of foreign powers and their religions, when Nwapa accounts for the destructive forces of globalization and for attempts to push Uhammiri's children into the abyss of derangement, to rob the deity of her benevolence, and to deny her people both children and wealth. Yet, when the lake goddess finally appears with her image fully restored in Nwapa's last novel, the messenger, who invoked her, has left the land, crossed the river, and joined her ancestors to live on."e; Sabine Jell-Bahlsen, The Water Goddess in Igbo Cosmology: Ogbuide of Oguta Lake.

Pioneering author Flora Nwapa paints the stirring tale of a young wife attempting to carve out her own independence against the traditional beliefs of Igbo society.Ever since she was young, Efuru has been famed for her beauty, intelligence, and noble lineage. So her family is appalled when they uncover her betrothal to an unremarkable villager. Although generous in her devotion to him, Efuru soon begins to realise that love is weak in comparison to centuries of superstition and tradition.Her only reprieve is in the strange, vivid dream that visits her at night – one of an ethereal woman sitting at the bottom of a lake, entrancing Efuru with her beauty and lavish piles of riches.When a village sage reveals to Efuru that she has been chosen as a worshipper for the powerful lake goddess, Uhamiri, it seems she can finally find meaning in something beyond her marriage. Yet, even under the attention of the divine, Efuru will struggle to overcome the pressures of a community that values her womb beyond all else.From pregnancy to prophesy, female circumcision to the complications of polygamy, Efuru voyages to the core of the female experience in post-independent Nigeria. Flora Nwapa writes with the clear and impactful depth that has made Efuru an instant literary classic.''If Chinua Achebe and Flora Nwapa [had] not written the books they did, when they did, and how they did, I would perhaps not have had the emotional courage to write.'' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie