African literature is a vibrant blend of oral traditions and written works that reflects the continent’s diverse cultures and histories. And yet, this is one of the least explored continents when it comes to new authors.
Explore books, authors, and reviews to dive into the literature of this region.
Latest Reviews of African Books
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Famous Authors from Africa
Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
Often called the father of modern African literature, best known for his novel exploring the clash between traditional Igbo society and colonial rule.
Main works: Things Fall Apart; No Longer at Ease
Mariama Bâ (Senegal)
Celebrated for her feminist perspective, she became an influential voice in African literature with her exploration of women’s lives, tradition, and modernity in Senegal.
Main works: So Long a Letter; Scarlet Song
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Kenya)
Novelist and theorist of postcolonial literature, known for his works critiquing colonialism and advocating for African languages in literature.
Main works: A Grain of Wheat; Decolonising the Mind
See also: Peace Adzo Medie, Beryl Markham, Wayétu Moore, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
African Books by Country
Browse key books and authors from every country in Africa. This list updates regularly, and titles highlighted in yellow are the ones I’ve already read as part of my own Read the World Challenge.
Click any link for reviews and details. Icons show prizes, longlists, or inclusion in essential works. See the awards page for more.
Copy the full list here
| Country | Author | Book Title |
| ALGERIA | Assia Djebar | Children of the New World 📃 |
| ANGOLA | José Eduardo Agualusa | A General Theory of Oblivion |
| BENIN | ||
| BOTSWANA | Bessie Head | A Question of Power 📃 |
| BURKINA FASO | ||
| BURUNDI | ||
| C. AFRICAN REP. | ||
| CABO VERDE | ||
| CAMEROON | Imbolo Mbue | Behold the Dreamers |
| Léonora Miano | Season of the Shadow 🏅 | |
| CHAD | ||
| COMOROS | ||
| CÔTE D’IVOIRE | ||
| DEM. REP. OF THE CONGO | In Koli Jean Bofane | Congo Inc |
| DJIBOUTI | ||
| EQUATORIAL GUINEA | ||
| ERITREA | ||
| ESWATINI | ||
| ETHIOPIA | Dinaw Mengestu | How to Read the Air 📃 |
| Maaza Mengiste | The Shadow King | |
| GABON | ||
| GAMBIA | ||
| GHANA | Ama Ata Aidoo | Changes, A Love Story |
| Our Sister Killjoy 📃 | ||
| Ayi Kwei Armah | The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born 📃 | |
| Peace Adzo Medie | His Only Wife | |
| Nightbloom | ||
| GUINEA | ||
| GUINEA-BISSAU | ||
| KENYA | Beryl Markham | West With the Night |
| Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye | Coming to Birth | |
| Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o | A Grain of Wheat 📃 | |
| Okwiri Oduor | Things They Lost | |
| LESOTHO | ||
| LIBERIA | Wayétu Moore | She Would be King |
| MADAGASCAR | Naivo | Beyond the Rice Fields |
| MALAWI | ||
| MALI | ||
| MAURITANIA | ||
| MAURITIUS | ||
| MOROCCO | ||
| MOZAMBIQUE | Mia Couto | Sleepwalking Land |
| NAMIBIA | ||
| NIGER | ||
| NIGERIA | Buchi Emecheta | The Joys of Motherhood 📃 |
| Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Americanah | |
| Half of a Yellow Sun 📃 | ||
| Purple Hibiscus | ||
| Chinua Achebe | Things Fall Apart 📃 | |
| Natasha Bowen | Skin of the Sea | |
| REP. OF THE CONGO | ||
| RWANDA | Scholastique Mukasonga | Our Lady of the Nile 🏅 |
| SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE | ||
| SENEGAL | Fatou Diome | The Belly of the Atlantic |
| Mariama Bâ | So Long a Letter 📃 | |
| Mohamed Mbougar Sarr | The Most Secret Memory of Men | |
| SEYCHELLES | ||
| SIERRA LEONE | ||
| SOMALIA | ||
| SOUTH AFRICA | J. M. Coetzee 🏆 | Disgrace |
| Miriam Tlali | Between Two Worlds 📃 | |
| Trevor Noah | Born a Crime | |
| SOUTH SUDAN | Stella Gaitano | Edo’s Souls 🏅 |
| SUDAN | Rania Mamoun | Thirteen Months of Sunrise 🏅 |
| Under the Neem Tree | ||
| TANZANIA | Abdulrazak Gurnah 🏆 | Paradise |
| Theft | ||
| TOGO | ||
| TUNISIA | ||
| UGANDA | Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi | A Girl is a Body of Water |
| Kintu | ||
| ZAMBIA | ||
| ZIMBABWE | NoViolet Bulawayo | Glory |
| Tsitsi Dangarembga | Nervous Conditions 📃 |
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