Combining the keepers of the literary faction and exciting new voices, the titles in our list feature a number of the simplest books by African writers. These are published in 2020 to excavate a forgotten history, reflect on life today and manoeuvre through an uncertain future.
The selection below may be a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, essays and poetry, all representing an exciting year in African literature.
- Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth – Wole Soyinka
- The First Woman/A Girl Is A Body of Water – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
- Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move – Nanjala Nyabola
- Afterland – Lauren Beukes
- The Death of Vivek Oji – Akwaeke Emezi
- Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi
- The Death of Comrade President – Alain Mabanckou
- The Akashic Noir Series – Accra, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg and Nairobi Noir
- No Roses From My Mouth – Stella Nyanzi
- Stranger Faces – Namwali Serpell
- Six Years With Al Qaeda: The Stephen McGown Story – Tudor Caradoc-Davies
Data source: Al Jazeera
