The Books 10 Writers Think Everyone Should Read From Their Countries

In our past First Draft interviews, we asked leading African writers to share the books from their countries that everyone should read. Here’s what they told us.

Writers have a special ability to translate the spirit and soul of a place into pages. Beyond describing landmarks or city structures, they can tell you about the lives that inhibit these spaces. So, if you’re looking to learn about a country, reading its literature is a great place to start—and who better to recommend books than the writers themselves? 

That’s why in our First Draft column at The Republic, we ask African writers to share the books from their countries that everyone should read. This way, we have discovered new, relatively obscure books from different parts of the continent that we probably might never have discovered otherwise. From the Sierra Leonean writer who recommends three ‘underexposed’ books about his country to a South African author who wax poetic about the South African books she loves, these writers ensure our reading list is as diverse as possible!  

Here are ten writers and the books they recommend from their countries... 

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