Binwell Sinyangwe (1956–2013)

An impressive novel. I had not heard of the author but bought the book anyway since it is part of the Heinemann’s African Writers Series. I have been variously disappointed and impressed by authors whose work is included in this series and this was one of the best of those I’ve read. Sinyangwe was obsessed here with the economic crisis in Zambia in the 1990s and its pervasive effect on society. The story is simple: of an illiterate, widowed mother who, in the depths of poverty, is desperate to find a way to pay for her daughter’s continuing education. The story itself is nothing special but his depiction of the mother’s struggles, of the place and problems of women in society is quite moving, despite the often disappointingly stereotypical portrayals of good and evil. I am very disappointed to know that the author has published only one other book.… (mehr)

This was a beautifully written story and I ached for the protagonist, a desperately poor Zambian woman who only wants to see her daughter get an education and have a better life than she did. Nasula's daughter is an excellent student who graduated at the top of her class from the local school and got admission to a prestigious high school, but Nasula needs to come up with 100,000 kwacha to pay for her daughter's school fees, and she has not a penny in the world. So she decides to go from her remote village to Zambia's capital, Lusaka, to sell the only thing of value she has -- a 90kg sack of beans which are rare and much sought after in Lusaka. The beans should bring a price of 120,000 kwacha, enough to pay the school tuition, buy school supplies and get back home to the village. Unfortunately, within hours of Nasula's arrival in Lusaka, the beans are stolen, leaving her at a loss and her daughter without a future.

Unfortunately, I don't think the end of the story is terribly realistic. The moral seems to be that if you have pure motives and persevere, you will find powerful people in high positions who are scrupulously honest and eager to help you. I don't know a lot about Africa but I do know that corruption in most African countries is endemic in all segments of society. I am not at all convinced that in real life Nasula could have gotten the help that she did.… (mehr)

Quills of Desire is a native African novel by native Zambian Binwell Sinyangwe. The book is a classical tragedy oddly reminiscent of Shakespeare. The main character, Wiza, begins the story as a teen later in his academic career before college. While some have this book as the struggles of a young man who never fulfilled his hope of greater things, the book is in reality 80% set in the high school, with only the final part of the book focused on the challenges Wiza had resolving his lack of achievement to get a Western education in London. Wiza is surrounded by friends, enemies, teachers and has an odd sort of sophisticated hubris that comes across perfectly. The prose is workmanlike but the dynamics between characters and the story itself are pitch-perfect--not surprising for an author who had been writing successfully for many years before the book.… (mehr)