The Anchor Book of Modern African Stories

Four things attracted me to this short story collection. First,  the cover which is a tapestry of the essence of the unique sense of style of my African brothers and sisters. Second, the foreword was written by the Grandfather of African Literature – Achebe. Third, the collection was edited by a Nadezda Obradovic – a scholar of African literature at the University of Belgrade. East European interest in African literature was not something I had come across before and this made me very curious. And finally, the rich diversity of short stories showcasing African culture, as in this story  titled Her Three Days from one of my favorite authors, Sembène Ousmane translated from French for the collection by Len Ortzen.

Each woman contributed an earthy comment which set them all laughing hilariously. Then they remembered they had work to do, and brought their amusement to an end; each went back to her family occupations.

 

Noumbe had joined in the laughter, she knew this boisterous “ragtag” was the custom in the compound. No one escaped it. Besides, she was an exceptional case, as they all knew. She had a heart condition and her husband had quite openly neglected her.