What is African Writers Series?

The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books created to promote African literature and provide a platform for African authors.

It was established in 1962 by the British publishing company Heinemann with the goal of showcasing works written by African writers to a global audience.

The series became a significant vehicle for African voices, focusing on themes of cultural identity, colonialism, postcolonial struggles, and the everyday lives of Africans.

With over 200 titles published, it has shaped the way African literature is perceived and celebrated worldwide. In this article, we’ll delve into its origins, its significance, and some of the key authors and works that have become icons of African storytelling.

About African Writers Series

The series was established at a time when most of Africa was experiencing decolonization and gaining independence. There was a need for narratives that reflected the continent’s identity and experiences, and the African Writers Series was instrumental in this mission.

The series was initiated with the publication of Chinua Achebe’s groundbreaking novel Things Fall Apart as its first title, setting the tone for what would become a transformative movement in African literature.

Chinua Achebe, who served as the series’ first editorial advisor, played a pivotal role in shaping the vision of AWS. His influence ensured that the series represented a diverse array of voices and styles, from established authors to emerging talents across the continent.

Over the decades, the African Writers Series became a beacon for African writers, providing a platform for their stories to be heard in classrooms, libraries, and homes around the world.

Why the African Writers Series matters

The series was the first of its kind to focus exclusively on African writers, breaking new ground by:

1) Challenging stereotypes: The narratives in the series provided an insider perspective on African life, culture, and traditions, countering stereotypes prevalent in Western literature.

2) Celebrating African identity: It was—and still is—a celebration of African identity, featuring works in English that explored themes of colonialism, postcolonial struggles, cultural identity, and more.

3) Bridging the cultural divide: By bringing African stories to a global audience, the series helped bridge cultural divides, fostering a deeper understanding of African societies.

4) Empowering new voices: The series has supported both established and emerging writers, giving many their first chance to publish internationally.

Key authors and titles in the African writers series

Several celebrated authors have been published under the African Writers Series, and their works have become timeless contributions to world literature:

• Chinua Achebe: His novel Things Fall Apart (1958) remains one of the most widely read books in African literature. It explores the effects of colonialism on traditional Igbo society and has inspired generations of writers.
• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: A leading voice in East African literature, Ngũgĩ’s Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first novel by an East African writer published by the series. His works often critique colonial and postcolonial politics in Kenya.
• Bessie Head: Originally from South Africa, Head’s works like When Rain Clouds Gather (1968) capture the complexities of exile, identity, and resilience.
• Ayi Kwei Armah: Known for his novel The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968), Armah’s writing grapples with the themes of political disillusionment and moral decay in postcolonial Ghana.
• Buchi Emecheta: As a pioneering feminist writer, her works such as The Joys of Motherhood (1979) highlight the role of women in African societies and their struggles for independence and self-expression.

The impact of the African Writers Series on African literature

The African Writers Series has had a profound impact on the literary landscape of Africa. Not only did it provide a publishing platform for African writers, but it also influenced the literary curriculum in schools across the continent.

For the first time, students could read books that reflected their own societies, cultures, and experiences.

The series has also inspired a new generation of African publishers and literary collectives, who continue the work of championing diverse African narratives.

Today, organizations like iRead, Cassava Republic Press, Kwani?, and Jalada Africa are carrying on the legacy, ensuring that African stories remain vibrant and accessible.

The challenges faced and the future of the series

Despite its success, the African Writers Series faced several challenges over the years. With the shift in ownership from Heinemann to Pearson Education and changes in the global publishing industry, the series experienced periods of decline.

However, its influence endures, and there is growing interest in reviving the series to include contemporary voices and perspectives.

With the rise of digital publishing and self-publishing, African writers now have more opportunities than ever before to share their stories.

But the African Writers Series remains a touchstone—a reminder of the power of storytelling in shaping our understanding of history, identity, and community.

Final thoughts: A literary legacy for the future

The African Writers Series may have started over 60 years ago, but its legacy continues to inspire writers and readers today.

It was a groundbreaking endeavor that not only introduced the world to African literature but also reshaped how Africa was perceived globally. As we look to the future, the series remains a testament to the importance of diverse voices and the enduring power of stories to connect us all.

For readers, students, and enthusiasts of African literature, exploring the African Writers Series is like taking a journey through the continent’s rich and dynamic history—one story at a time.

Comprehensive list of books published by African Writer Series

Source: Goodreads

Here is a list of book titles and their authors:

1. Things Fall Apart — Chinua Achebe
2. No Longer at Ease — Chinua Achebe
3. Season of Migration to the North — Tayeb Salih
4. A Grain of Wheat — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
5. The River Between — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
6. God’s Bits of Wood — Ousmane Sembène
7. The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born — Ayi Kwei Armah
8. Weep Not, Child — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
9. Equiano’s Travels— Olaudah Equiano
10. Arrow of God — Chinua Achebe
11. Petals of Blood — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
12. On Trial for My Country — Stanlake Samkange
13. A Question of Power — Bessie Head
14. Distant View of a Minaret and Other Stories — Alifa Rifaat
15. I Write What I Like: Selected Writings — Steve Biko
16. This Earth, My Brother — Kofi Awoonor
17. The Interpreters — Wole Soyinka
18. The Healers — Ayi Kwei Armah
19. Maru — Bessie Head
20. Short East African Plays in English — David and Lee Cook (Editor)
21. Burning Grass — Cyprian Ekwensi
22. When Rain Clouds Gather — Bessie Head
23. We Killed Mangy-Dog and Other Stories — Luís Bernardo Honwana
24. Two Thousand Seasons — Ayi Kwei Armah
25. Batouala — René Maran
26. The Concubine — Elechi Amadi
27. Going Down River Road — Meja Mwangi
28. Efuru — Flora Nwapa
29. Ordained by the Oracle — Asare Konadu
30. Not Even God Is Ripe Enough: Yoruba Stories — Bakare Gbadamosi
31. Mission to Kala — Mongo Beti
32. The Case of the Socialist Witchdoctor and Other Stories — Hama Tuma
33. Strange Man — Amu Djoleto
34. The Old Man and the Medal — Ferdinand Oyono
35. Arrows of Rain — Okey Ndibe
36. The Joys of Motherhood — Buchi Emecheta
37. A Woman in Her Prime — Asare Konadu
38. Midaq Alley — Naguib Mahfouz
39. As The Crow Flies — Véronique Tadjo
40. Kehinde — Buchi Emecheta
41. To Every Birth Its Blood — Mongane Wally Serote
42. Rebel — Bediako Asare
43. A Man of the People — Chinua Achebe
44. The Trial of Christopher Okigbo — Ali A. Mazrui
45. Challenge of Nationhood — Tom Mboya
46. No Easy Walk to Freedom — Nelson Mandela
47. The Grass Is Singing — Doris Lessing
48. Girls at War and Other Stories — Chinua Achebe
49. Warrior King — Sahle Sellassie
50. Arrow of God — Chinua Achebe
51. A Shattering of Silence — Farida Karodia
52. Mine Boy — Peter Abrahams
53. The Stone Country — Alex la Guma
54. Myths & Legends of the Swahili — Jan Knappert
55. Will to Die — Can Themba
56. The House of Hunger — Dambudzo Marechera
57. A Choice of Flowers — Jan Knappert
58. Wirriyamu — Williams Sassine
59. Satellites — Lenrie Peters
60. The Slave — Elechi Amadi
61. Sweet and Sour Milk — Nuruddin Farah
62. Mema — Daniel M. Mengara
63. The Return of the Water Spirit — Pepetela
64. Jagua Nana — Cyprian Ekwensi
65. Changes: A Love Story — Ama Ata Aidoo
66. Origin of Life & Death: African Creation Myths — Ulli Beier (Editor)
67. The Sympathetic Undertaker: And Other Dreams — Biyi Bandele-Thomas
68. The Journey Within — I.N.C. Aniebo
69. Dew in the Morning — Shimmer Chinodya
70. A Ride on the Whirlwind — Sipho Sepamla
71. XALA — Ousmane Sembène
72. Estrangement — Elechi Amadi
73. Amadu’s Bundle — Malum Amadu
74. Hill of Fools — R.L. Peteni
75. Second Round — Lenrie Peters
76. Because of Women — Mbella Sonne Dipoko
77. Outcasts — Bonnie Lubega
78. Beware Soul Brother: Poems — Chinua Achebe
79. Poems from East Africa — David Cook (editor)
80. Mayombe — Pepetela
81. Selected Poems — Tchicaya U Tam’si
82. Life and Death in Nyamata: Memoir of a Young Boy in Rwanda’s darkest Church — Omar Ndizeye
83. Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism — Kwame Nkrumah
84. Send Her Back and Other Stories — Munashe Kaseke
85. THEMBE’S CLOTH — Glenda Ralph-Hay
86. Three Solid Stones — Martha Mvungi
87. A Boy Called Hyppo — Hyppolite Ntigurirwa
88. King Lazarus — Mongo Beti
89. The Newlywed’s Window — Mukana Press (Editor)
90. Bound to Violence — Yambo Ouologuem
91. Beyond the Horizon — Amma Darko
92. The Beggars’ Strike — Aminata Sow Fall
93. Black Sunlight — Dambudzo Marechera
94. A Cowrie of Hope — Binwell Sinyangwe
95. Fragments — Ayi Kwei Armah
96. Every Man Is a Race — Mia Couto
97. In the Hour of Signs — Jamal Mahjoub
98. In the Fog of the Seasons’ End — Alex la Guma
99. أولاد حارتنا — Naguib Mahfouz
100. Of Chameleons and Gods — Jack Mapanje
101. Mhudi — Sol T. Plaatje
102. A Walk in the Night and Other Stories — Alex la Guma
103. The Afersata — Berhane Mariam Sahle Sellassie
104. And Night Fell: Memoirs Of A Political Prisoner In South Africa — Molefe Pheto
105. Yaka — Pepetela
106. Wand of Noble Wood — Onuora Nzekwu
107. Not Yet Uhuru – The Autobiography of Oginga Odinga — Ajuma Oginga Odinga
108. Lokotown and Other Stories — Cyprian Ekwensi
109. Ambiguous Adventure — Cheikh Hamidou Kane
110. The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison — Jack Mapanje
111. No Easy Task — Aubrey Kachingwe
112. Zambia Shall Be Free — Kenneth D. Kaunda
113. Secret Lives, and Other Stories — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
114. Sardines — Nuruddin Farah
115. Harvest of Thorns — Shimmer Chinodya
116. The Rape of Sita — Lindsey Collen
117. The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales — Bessie Head
118. Bones — Chenjerai Hove
119. Flowers and Shadows — Ben Okri
120. Ancêtres — Chenjerai Hove
121. Myths & Legends of the Congo — Jan Knappert
122. A Squatter’s Tale — Ike Oguine
123. Ossuaire — Chenjerai Hove
124. People of the City — Cyprian Ekwensi
125. The Dilemma of a Ghost and Anowa — Ama Ata Aidoo
126. The Detainee — Legson Kayira
127. A Duty of Memory — W.P.B. Botha
128. The Housemaid — Amma Darko
129. Idu — Flora Nwapa
130. The Girl Who Can — Ama Ata Aidoo
131. Echoing Silences — Alexander Kanengoni
132. Igbo Traditional Verse — Romanus Egudu
133. Blade Among the Boys — Onuora Nzekwu
134. No Past No Present No Future — Yulisa Amadu Pat Maddy
135. Money Galore — S.A. Amu Djoleto
136. Nine African Plays for Radio — Gwyneth Henderson
137. Wounding Words — Evelyne Accad
138. Mission Terminee — Mongo Beti
139. The Marabi Dance — Modikwe Dikobe
140. African Plays for Playing — Michael Etherton
141. Emperor Shaka the Great: A Zulu Epic — Mazisi Kunene
142. Major Gentl and the Achimoto Wars — B. Kojo Laing
143. Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories — Chinua Achebe (Editor)
144. Unity and Struggle: Speeches and Writings of Amilcar Cabral — Amílcar Cabral
145. Loyalties — Adewale Maja-Pearce
146. Houseboy — Ferdinand Oyono
147. Stubborn Hope: Selected Poems of South Africa & a Wider World — Dennis Brutus
148. Unwinding Threads — Charlotte H. Bruner (compiler)
149. Le Dernier De L’empire: Roman Sénégalais — Ousmane Sembène
150. A Simple Lust — Dennis Brutus
151. Time of the Butcherbird — Alex la Guma
152. The Black Hermit — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
153. Ma Mercedes est plus grosse que la tienne — Nkem Nwankwo
154. The Poor Christ of Bomba — Mongo Beti
155. The Only Son — John Okechukwu Munonye
156. King Lazarus: A Novel — Mongo Beti
157. The Slums — Thomas Akare
158. The Clothes of Nakedness — Benjamin Kwakye
159. Obi — John Okechukwu Munonye
160. The Ashanti Doll — Francis Bebey
161. Bridge to a Wedding — John Okechukwu Munonye
162. Messages: Poems from Ghana — Kofi Awoonor (Editor)
163. Napolo and the Python — Steve Chimombo
164. Le Vieux Nègre Et La Médaille — Ferdinand Oyono
165. Rings of Burnished Brass — Yusuf Idris
166. VOLTAIQUE/LA NOIRE DE… — Ousmane Sembène
167. Anonymity of Sacrifice — I.N.C. Aniebo
168. Fate of a Cockroach and Other Plays — Tawfiq Al-Hakim
169. The Edifice — Kole Omotoso
170. Niiwam — Ousmane Sembène
171. The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar — Syl Cheney-Coker
172. Le Mandat, précédé de Véhi Ciosane — Sembene Ousmane
173. Sunset in Biafra — Elechi Amadi
174. Le Docker Noir — Ousmane Sembène
175. The Great Ponds — Elechi Amadi
176. Upon This Mountain — Timothy Wangusa
177. One Man One Matchet — T.M. Aluko
178. The Minister’s Daughter — Mwangi Ruheni
179. One Man, One Wife — T.M. Aluko
180. Kinsman and Foreman — T.M. Aluko
181. Under the Lion — Steve Jacobs
182. Chief the Honourable Minister — T.M. Aluko
183. His Worshipful Majesty — T.M. Aluko
184. Wrong Ones in the Dock — T.M. Aluko
185. 48 Guns for the General — Edie Iroh
186. Violence — Festus Iyayi
187. Silent Voices — Jared Angira
188. Smoke That Thunders — Dominic Mulaisho
189. The Voice — Gabriel Okara
190. Of Wives, Talismans, and the Dead: Short Stories — I.N.C. Aniebo
191. Why Are We So Blest? — Ayi Kwei Armah
192. Agatha Moudio’s Son — Francis Bebey
193. Political Spider: An Anthology of Stories from Black Orpheus — Ulli Beier (Editor)
194. Perpetua and the Habit of Unhappiness — Mongo Beti
195. Remember Ruben — Mongo Beti
196. The Return — Yaw M. Boateng
197. Two Centuries of African English — Lalage J. Bown
198. Letters to Martha & Other Poems from a South African Prison — Dennis Brutus
199. Concerto for an Exile: Poems — Syl Cheney-Coker
200. The Graveyard Also Has Teeth: Poems — Syl Cheney-Coker
201. Heirs to the Past — Driss Chraïbi
202. The African — William Conton
203. Origin East Africa — David Cook (Editor)
204. Climbié, (African writers series) — Bernard Binlin Dadie
205. Muntu (African Writers Series) — Joe De Graft
206. Beneath the Jazz and Brass (African Writers Series ; 166) — Joe De Graft
207. Hammer Blows and Other Writings — David Diop
208. A few nights and days (African writers series, 82) — Mbella Sonne Dipoko
209. Black and White in Love — Mbella Sonne Dipoko
210. Beautiful Feathers — Cyprian Ekwensi
211. Restless City and Christmas Gold, with Other Stories — Cyprian Ekwensi
212. The wound; (African writers series) — Malick Fall
213. Naked Needle (Aws 184) — Nuruddin Farah
214. Child Of Two Worlds, A Kikuyu’s Story — R. Mugo Gatheru
215. African Theatre: Eight Prize-Winning Plays (African Writers Series, No. 134) — Gwyneth Henderson (Editor)
216. The Girl from Abroad (African Writers Series ; 158) — Samuel Kahiga
217. The Drummer in Our Time (African Writers Series) — A.W. Kayper-Mensah
218. No Easy Task — Aubrey Kachingwe
219. Fixions & other stories (African writers series, 69) — Taban Lo Liyong
220. Frantz Fanon’s Uneven Ribs (African Writers Series, 90) — Taban Lo Liyong
221. Another Nigger Dead: Poems — Taban Lo Liyong
222. Eating Chiefs: Lwo Culture from Lolwe to Malkal (African Writers Series #74) — Lo-Liyong (Editor)
223. Obasai and Other Plays — Yulisa Amadu Pat Maddy
224. The Money Order; With, White Genesis — Ousmane Sembène
225. Oil Man of Obange (African Writers Series, 94) — John Okechukwu Munonye
226. Jamboree: Activity Book B — Griffiths et al
227. Tongue of the Dumb — Dominic Mulaisho
228. Katchikali — Lenrie Peters
229. French African Verse (African Writers Series) (English and French Edition) — John Robert Reed
230. Onitsha market literature; (African writers series) — Emmanuel N. Obiechina
231. Behind the Rising Sun (African Writers Series, 113) — Sebastian Okechukwu Mezu
232. Five African plays (African writers series, 114) — Cosmo Pieterse
233. مصير صرصار — Tawfiq Al-Hakim
234. A wreath for the maidens (African writers series, 121) — John Okechukwu Munonye
235. The Combat (AFRICAN WRITERS SERIES, 122) — Kole Omotoso
236. The Thirteenth Sun — Daniachew Worku
237. Robben Island (AFRICAN WRITERS SERIES, 128) — D.M. Zwelonke
238. Sir Apolo Kagwa Discovers Britain — Sir Apolo Kagwa

What are your favorite books from the African Writers Series? Let us know in the comments!