The African Witch
Joyce Cary
Set in post-war Nigeria against the background of a struggle for supremacy between different factions, this is a powerful study of the clash of traditional ways and new ideas from beyond the borders. Elizabeth Aladai, the ju-ju Princess of Rimi, reigns supreme. Feared and respected, she dominates the lives of the villagers. Her decisions hold sway and she has the power of life and death over those accused of crimes and witchcraft – even when the accused is just a ten-year-old child.
Book Details:
- Author: Joyce Cary
- Published Year: 1936
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Rights Sold
- UK: Stratus
Joyce Cary
Joyce Cary was born in 1888 into an old Anglo-Irish family and educated at Clifton. He studied art, first in Edinburgh and then in Paris , before going up to Trinity College, Oxford, in 1909 to read law. On coming down he served as a Red Cross orderly in the Balkan War of 1912-13,the inspiration for Memoir of the Bobotes , before joining the Nigerian Political Service. He served in the Nigeria Regiment during the First World War, was wounded while fighting in the Cameroons, and returned to civil duty in Nigeria in 1917 as a district officer. His time in Africa provided the inspiration for h...
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Book Reviews
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"In the desert of Modern English Fiction, Joyce Cary is a precious oasis."
Daily Telegraph -
"Certain scenes are so vivid that we seem to live through them. The mere action itself is highly exciting; but Mr Cary never loses his head in it; his eye remains cool and observant throughout, whether he is describing comedy or tragedy. This is a remarkable story."
Edwin Muir