Penguin's African Writers Series is stuck in the past? Who cares?
To the first question in this post's heading, Akin Ajayi says, "Yes." In a Guardian write-up on the Penguin African Writers' Series, Ajayi says of the series's five publications: "Classics, yes; contemporary, no." Notice the article shows a photo of Chinua Achebe, the visual cue for being stuck in the past. The "who cares" question is mine...perhaps because I am tired of reading about the politicization of African writing, or its de-politicization for that matter. African writing is at a good place right now, the writers are taking more risks and experimenting with new styles, some with old ones. In other words, for publishers on the continent and those elsewhere, Africa has a lot to offer, a lot to tap into. So Penguin decides to represent classic African works? Let them, or allow them to allow themselves to let themselves choose a niche, a focus, and perhaps, Farafina Trust, or someone else, AmaBooks, Modjadji, Lion Press, Weaver, or somet...