I remember these books:
THE DRUMMER BOY- Cyprian Ekwensi
LOKO TOWN- Cyprian Ekwensi
SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD- Atol Fugard
JAGUA NANA- Cyprian Ekwensi
THE PASSPORT OF MALLAM ILYA- Cyprian Ekwensi ( very enjoyable read)
BURNING BUSH- Cyprian Ekwensi
JAGUA NANA'S DAUGHTER- Cyprian Ekwensi
PACESETTER BOOKS ( they rocked those days).
THE ADVENTURES OF SOUZA- Kola Onadipe
SOZABOY- Ken Saro Wiwa
A BIRD THAT SINGS FOR RAIN- Mamman Vasta
SUNSET AT DAWN- Chukwuemka Ike
EFURU- Flora Nwapa ( very touching story)
WIVES AT WAR- Flora Nwapa
MINE BOY- Peter Abraham
ZAMBIA SHALL BE FREE- Kenneth Kaunda
NGUGI WA THIONGO- Weep Not Child
MISSION TO KALA- Mongo Beti
ONE MAN ONE MERCHANT- T.M. Aluko
THE AFRICA- William Conton
THE RIVER BETWEEN- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
THE ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNA- Chinua Achebe
CHILD OF TWO WORLDS- Mugo Gatheru
THE ONLY SON- John Munuoye
THE CONCUBINE- Elechi Amadi
HOUSEBOY- Ferdinand Oyono
A MAN OF THE PEOPLE- Chinua Achebe
A WALK IN THE NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES- Alex La Guma
A WOMAN IN HER PRIME- Konadu Asare
THE STRANGE MAN- Djoletu Amu
THE BEAUTIFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN- Ayi Kwei Armah
THE GREAT PONDS- Elechi Amadi
THE WEDDING OF ZEIN AND OTHER STORIES- Tayib Saleh
SWEET AND SOUR MILK- Nurrudin Farah
THE BLACK HERMIT- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
THE REBEL- Bediako Asare ( One of my best reads back the. Wonderful book).
SEASON OF MIGRATION TO THE NORTH- Tayib Saleh
DANDA- Nwanko Nkem
FROM A CROOKED RIB- Nurrudin Farah
BOUND TO VIOLENCE- Yambo Ouologeum ( this novel was wow!)
WHY ARE WE SO BLEST?- Ayo Kwei Armah
MONEY GALORE- Djoletu Amu
PETALS OF BLOOD- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
XALA- Ousmane Senbene.
Too many, can't even remember several, but these were my best reads back then...they gave you a strong connection. It was like you were seeing real life movies.
Op abeg you do well, you just stared back sweet memories.

Dizzy Angel (Obanje) by Grace Osifo

moscobabs:

where is
Alawiye

Igbo Elegbede

Ogboju ode ninu Igbo irunmole
ijapa ti roko
Iyawo alarede
gbewiri?

And "Director" by Agbo Areo

moscobabs:


where is

Alawiye


Igbo Elegbede


Ogboju ode ninu Igbo irunmole

ijapa ti roko

Iyawo alarede

gbewiri?

never heard anyone mentioned gbewiri before you. what about olowolayemo, ayanmo, kekere ekun, aditu olodumare, koseegbe, etc. reading is an habit every one must cultivate. read anything and everything readable.

mcmeffy:

And "Director" by Agbo Areo

You just reminded me. Director was a very nice read. Read it when I was in primary 3, in the early 90s.

jordinsparkles:
....

hi sweet, how re you doing? I guess you know who this is, right?
Goodpm!

DengXioping:
I remember these books:
THE DRUMMER BOY- Cyprian Ekwensi
LOKO TOWN- Cyprian Ekwensi
SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD- Atol Fugard
JAGUA NANA- Cyprian Ekwensi
THE PASSPORT OF MALLAM ILYA- Cyprian Ekwensi ( very enjoyable read)
BURNING BUSH- Cyprian Ekwensi
JAGUA NANA'S DAUGHTER- Cyprian Ekwensi
PACESETTER BOOKS ( they rocked those days).
THE ADVENTURES OF SOUZA- Kola Onadipe
SOZABOY- Ken Saro Wiwa
A BIRD THAT SINGS FOR RAIN- Mamman Vasta
SUNSET AT DAWN- Chukwuemka Ike
EFURU- Flora Nwapa ( very touching story)
WIVES AT WAR- Flora Nwapa
MINE BOY- Peter Abraham
ZAMBIA SHALL BE FREE- Kenneth Kaunda
NGUGI WA THIONGO- Weep Not Child
MISSION TO KALA- Mongo Beti
ONE MAN ONE MERCHANT- T.M. Aluko
THE AFRICA- William Conton
THE RIVER BETWEEN- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
THE ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNA- Chinua Achebe
CHILD OF TWO WORLDS- Mugo Gatheru
THE ONLY SON- John Munuoye
THE CONCUBINE- Elechi Amadi
HOUSEBOY- Ferdinand Oyono
A MAN OF THE PEOPLE- Chinua Achebe
A WALK IN THE NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES- Alex La Guma
A WOMAN IN HER PRIME- Konadu Asare
THE STRANGE MAN- Djoletu Amu
THE BEAUTIFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN- Ayi Kwei Armah
THE GREAT PONDS- Elechi Amadi
THE WEDDING OF ZEIN AND OTHER STORIES- Tayib Saleh
SWEET AND SOUR MILK- Nurrudin Farah
THE BLACK HERMIT- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
THE REBEL- Bediako Asare ( One of my best reads back the. Wonderful book).
SEASON OF MIGRATION TO THE NORTH- Tayib Saleh
DANDA- Nwanko Nkem
FROM A CROOKED RIB- Nurrudin Farah
BOUND TO VIOLENCE- Yambo Ouologeum ( this novel was wow!)
WHY ARE WE SO BLEST?- Ayo Kwei Armah
MONEY GALORE- Djoletu Amu
PETALS OF BLOOD- Ngugi Wa Thiongo
XALA- Ousmane Senbene.
Too many, can't even remember several, but these were my best reads back then...they gave you a strong connection. It was like you were seeing real life movies.
Op abeg you do well, you just stared back sweet memories.

Nice one bro, u were really a pro. I think I've read the Rebel. Was it about a tribe setting in eastern Africa and some land tussle between the main characters and the subsequent introduction of the white man and his "Gun" which was superior to the local weapons? If it is, then its got to be one of the finest most interesting African reads. Simply unputdownable!

My own other reads not previously mentioned include:
Arrows of God - Chinua Achebe
My Father's Daughter - Mabel Segun ( very emotional)
A gift to the troubled tribe- Segun Okunoren (my best part was when Dawda backflipped the leopard and macheted it)
Near the Rainbow
Horombo

Foreign
A tale of two cities
Ivanhoe
Robinson Crusoe
Beyond Pardon - Sir Lionel Rydal & Lady Lynn
Moby dick
Sherlock holmes

and many others. between, is there a difference between the passport of mallam illya and an African Nights Entertainment? Methinks they may be the same books.

What i love so much about these books is that they imbibe the culture and tradition of nigeria and also africa as a whole. Hence, bringing every bit of story to life. It cascades the norms of a typical African life and the way our ancestors lived. These books were legendary including there writers.

ThierryJay:


Nice one bro, u were really a pro. I think I've read the Rebel. Was it about a tribe setting in eastern Africa and some land tussle between the main characters and the subsequent introduction of the white man and his "Gun" which was superior to the local weapons? If it is, then its got to be one of the finest most interesting African reads. Simply unputdownable!

My own other reads not previously mentioned include:
Arrows of God - Chinua Achebe
My Father's Daughter - Mabel Segun ( very emotional)
A gift to the troubled tribe- Segun Okunoren (my best part was when Dawda backflipped the leopard and macheted it)
Near the Rainbow
Horombo

Foreign
A tale of two cities
Ivanhoe
Robinson Crusoe
Beyond Pardon - Sir Lionel Rydal & Lady Lynn
Moby dick
Sherlock holmes

and many others. between, is there a difference between the passport of mallam illya and an African Nights Entertainment? Methinks they may be the same books.

Tnx my broda.
Oh. yea yea. It was a tussle between traditional ways and modernity in Africa. You remember Mzee Matata the fetish priest...and Nguromo and his wife Seitu. lol Very interesting read. Wonderful book i read it severally den.
Wow! Wow! U just reminded me A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens, and Ivanhoe- Sir Walter Scott. Another very wonderful book. Watched the movie on PRTV Jos, I guess then...on our black and white T.V, and I was like wow. this novel!

The Passport of Mallam is different from An African Nights Entertainment ooo. The Passport of Mallam Ilya was abt an old man a young guy travelling hoping to meet his family met on the train. The old man (i tink an old soldier if i can recall) tells his story,and how he tried to avenge the dead of his beautiful wife in the hands of the terror- Mallam Usman. It was a very touching story.
Though an African Nights entertainment is also about vengeance, but it is different. Its about Abu, a young man who travels for a long while, and comes back to marry his fiance from childhood Zainobe, only to discover that another man Mallam Shehu an old man had used a love potion to marry her,and she bore him a son. Abu now decided to seek revenge.
Man I wish I can gather all this books again on my shelf. Misplaced most of them back then, and so many were stolen.

Teespice:
read all except passport of mallam illia.

nostalgic.

look for it. I still wonder how Ekwensi an Igbo man knows so well about Northern Nigeria

Aspireahead:


look for it. I still wonder how Ekwensi an Igbo man knows so well about Northern Nigeria

he could be well travelled and observant of his environment.

that's a wild guess.

DrWise:


Yeah! I actually finished in '95.

Waoooooooh,
Good to see my mate in here.
Looking at the cover of the books I knew those were not the ones I read.

lexiconkabir:
Who read "THE FRUIT OF HONESTY"?

Is God's blessing I truly love dat novel den.

King solomon Mines (still have it)
an african night entertainment
the passport of mallam Ilah
sugar girl
drumer boy
the gods are not to be blamed
arrow of god
things fall apart
the boys slave
eze goes to school
one week one trouble
chike and the river.
We still have pacesetters series and those of my favourite author James hardley chase. Gone are the days when reading is a habit.

Wow am trying to get my hands on time changes yesterday, is an interesting one.

Rapmoney:
Without A Silver Spoon - Eddie Iroh
...Still searching for this book!

my neighbour pikin still get dis book

chalsixtus:
People please never forget MOTHERS CHOICE jnr, how dy take their Mercedes Benz for weddings and the volvo for burial

and how his mother ruined his life

MoNickk:
think I've read that...it was written by that man who wrote the presidents daughter right? I enjoyed the mans books then.

d man's name is Sly Edhagese...he also wrote sweet kids

Ralia the sugar girl(its in my house till now sef)...d little girl wit a blind mother

Amina the milkmaid

The broken pot

The cornerstone

Koku Baboni

Chike and Eze

I really don't mind spending my last dime buying these books again

Ayomideen:

d man's name is Sly Edhagese...he also wrote sweet kids

yea..the other side of life too...nice books

MoNickk:
yea..the other side of life too...nice books

M reading the president's daughter sef ryt now

Going down memorylane, flash backs, good old days, wonderful books by great authors, op thanks jare .

Ayomideen:

M reading the president's daughter sef ryt now

its been years since I saw this book... jss1 or 2. can't forget d story

MoNickk:
its been years since I saw this book... jss1 or 2. can't forget d story

naso my sister carry d book come outside today o..

Did u read "Amina the milk maid" and "Ralia the sugar girl"

Ayomideen:


naso my sister carry d book come outside today o..

Did u read "Amina the milk maid" and "Ralia the sugar girl"

I read ralia the sugar girl...quite interesting. did u read 'the new man' by femi ademiluyi or so? koku baboni?

Rapmoney:
My fellow Nairalanders, if you attended secondary school in Nigeria and if you were born in the 80's, you will surely remember some of these nice Literature books we used in back then!

Fond memories...

The list is inexhaustible...

But I will post the ones I can here. You can also share yours!!!


1) Eze Goes To School - Onuora Nzekwu and Michael Crowder

is there a site Wer I can download some of these books and read online.. would like to read them again

bolliejay:
2nd Chance (cant remember the author)

. Yea rembered it so well ...the story of the separated twin..one in Nigeria and the other in moronvia.parent later reconciled, hope I'm right

rose4flower:
Is God's blessing I truly love dat novel den.

read it back to back ..primary school days

Rosebud90:
. Yea rembered it so well ...the story of the separated twin..one in Nigeria and the other in moronvia.parent later reconciled, hope I'm right

Yeah.... U r rite. Second Chance by Nyengi Koin

MoNickk:
I'm amazed at the number of books I've read here...feeling a lil nostalgic here...how about black boy by Richard wright and Dr faustus . then those pacesetter books those days...undesirable element etc. Books no dey again. tried reading one of my younger brothers books and I could feel myself getting dumber by the second. rubbish storyline n wrong grammar everywhere

Oh! Black boy by Richard Wright, I love this book, I read it almost every year back then, until it got missing somehow. A touching story.

dynamickc:


He just got himself a new follower running to facebook.
Will also check out Efuru author (Flora Nwapa) hope she is still alive

loved Efurun like mad...its like we are living in era of no writers...#bring back our authors#. ...good books back then

nonjebose:
DAYS WHEN MAJOR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT WAS READING LITERARY WORKS. NO PHONES, INTERNET, CABLE TV, SEASONAL FILMS ,ETC.

You're absolutely right. Nobody reads books these days anymore. It's all phones, internet, cable TV now.

Chai, I miss the good old days. I remember searching hungrily for books to read in those days. We don't see quality literary works anymore. The only collections I have and still read over and over are those written in the 50s to 90s. And recently, Chimamanda Adichie's works