Onitsha (Hardcover)

An uncharacteristically accessible and dramatic narrative about Europeans in Africa from one of the avatars of the French New Wave novel. Fintan, the 12-year-old son of an Italian mother and an English father, travels to the Nigerian village of Onitsha, where his father (whom he's never met) works for "the commercial companies of West Africa." Fintan's fascinated absorption into Onitsha's tribal culture, described with irresistible sensuous immediacy, is expertly counterpointed against his father's self-destructive obsession with Africa's legendary past - and convincingly motivates a criticism of the injustices of white colonialism that is all the more powerful for its seamless coexistence with a richly imagined story and consistently engaging characters. The most surprising work of Le Clezio's long career, and one of his best. (Kirkus Reviews)

"Onitsha" tells the story of Fintan, a youth who travels to Africa in 1948 with his Italian mother to join the English father he has never met. Fintan is initially enchanted by the exotic world he discovers in Onitsha, a bustling city prominently situated on the eastern bank of the Niger River. But gradually he comes to recognize the intolerance and brutality of the colonial system. His youthful point of view provides the novel with a notably direct, horrified perspective on racism and colonialism. In the words of translator Alison Anderson, "Onitsha" is remarkable for its "almost mythological evocation of local history and beliefs." It is full of atmosphere--sights, sounds, smells --and at times the author's sentences seem to flow with the dreamy languor of the river itself. But J. M. G. Le Clezio "never lets us forget the harsh realities of life nor the subsequent tragedy of war." A startling account--and indictment--of colonialism, "Onitsha" is also a work of clear, forthright prose that ably portrays both colonial Nigeria and a young boy's growing outrage.

General

Imprint:	University of Nebraska Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	April 1997
First published:	April 1997
Authors:	J.M.G.Le Clezio
Translators:	Alison Anderson
Dimensions:	203 x 156 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	206
ISBN-13:	978-0-8032-2915-0
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
LSN:	0-8032-2915-1
Barcode:	9780803229150

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