Legend Press

Sarah Ladipo Manyika event in California

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence will be speaking at Foothill College in California on 21st February as part of the Foothills Author Series.

For information please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika podcast

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence has been interviewed via podcast on www.pamelastitch.com. Below is a snippet of the podcast:

Why did you choose this name In Dependence?

I think I chose it for two reasons. One, it plays to political themes that are within this novel. The novel starts shortly after Nigeria gains its independence and it speaks to issues within relationships. The notion of how we are dependent on each other in a relationship and not just relationships between individuals but also between nations.

Is it autobiographical?

I am not quite old enough to have had my formative years in the 1950s. It is about my parent’s generation. I have found that the older one becomes, the more interested one becomes in one's parents generation. It was a period that really interested me historically. This was my parent’s generation and I wanted to know more about their stories and their friends. It is not their story but it could have been their story.

Is there a particular reason you don’t really focus on race?

I wanted to tell a story and I didn’t want to be didatic. I didn’t want to write a history book or a sociology book. I was telling a story of two main characters, one that leaves Nigeria at the dawn of independence, and the other, Vanessa, whom he meets and who is the daughter of an ex-colonial officer. I wanted to explore the nature of relationships and what brings people together and what holds people together. In that respect, racism was an issue. But, I didn’t set out to write a thesis on racism. I just wanted to enjoy the writing of the story and to delve into issues of character. It is a big novel. It starts from the 1960s and comes up pretty much into the 2000s.

To listen to the podcast please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

In Dependence review by The East African

In Dependence has received a great review from The East African. Below is a snippet:

'The middle section, “Some Years Later,” is set from 1970 to early 1994, when the optimism of post-colonial Nigeria is met with disappointment at the failures to fulfill that early promise.

The concluding section, “And Then,” covers the period between 1994 and 1998, a time of transition and cautious hope for the future. The novel juxtaposes this history with the personal stories of the lives of Tayo and Vanessa. Indeed, the reader experiences history through these two lovers’ stories.

The novelist Philip Roth once wrote, “The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides.” Literature has the power to articulate what it means to be inside history, revealing for readers what it is like to be part of a historical moment.

This is the laudable achievement of Manyika’s novel. Readers gain deeper insights into Nigerian history, from the Biafran War to the military coups of the 1970s and early 1990s and the cautious optimism of the return of democracy in the late 1990s, through the experience of Tayo.'

To read the review in full please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

In Dependence - 'reminiscent of Philip Larkin's novel Jill'

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received a great reader review from San Francisco:

'Tayo Ajayi - family motto "In all things moderation, with exception of study" - leaves Nigeria in 1963 for Balliol College, Oxford. As an account of the charms and pitfalls of Oxford for an outsider, In Dependence is reminiscent of Philip Larkin's novel Jill -- but Ajayi has much further to travel.

While the book examines the complexities of moving between cultures, In Dependence will appeal to Anglophiles because Manyika critiques English narrow-mindedness in rather an English way, gently exposing parochialism while also finding it somehow charming. Tayo himself "goes native" in England to the extent that later in life he mentally compares himself to an E.M. Forster character. No longer fitting in easily in Nigeria, he winds up in San Francisco, where by 1998 he is trying to teach African history to SF State students, and finding the topic surprisingly contentious.

Meanwhile Vanessa Richardson, Tayo's college girlfriend, pines for West Africa. In Dependence traces a wistful love story between a Nigerian man and an English woman who both feel alienated from their own backgrounds. In keeping with the Hausa saying that a man never marries his first love but will be reunited with her later in life, Tayo and Vanessa are destined to meet again. Understated descriptive touches make this an engaging love story that is also about coming to terms with history and the journey between states of mind.'

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

 

 

Sarah Ladipo Manyika video

Here is a fantastic video of Sarah Ladipo Manyika doing a reading at the Inside Storytime event in San Francisco in December. Sarah is the author of In Dependence, which was published by Legend Press in 2008.

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika event in San Francisco

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence will be taking part in a InsideStorytime event in San Francisco this Thursday.

For informatio about the event please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika - In Dependence

Sarah Manyika, author of the fantastic In Dependence will be speaking about her novel as part of Berkeley Arts & Letters.

Click here to read full information.

Blurb: It is the early sixties when a young Tayo Ajayi sails to England from Nigeria to take up a scholarship at Oxford University. In this city of dreaming spires, he finds himself among a generation high on visions of a new and better world. The whole world seems ablaze with change: independence at home, the Civil Rights movement and the first tremors of cultural and sexual revelations. It is then that Tayo meets Vanessa Richardson, the beautiful daughter of an ex-colonial officer.

In Dependence is Tayo and Vanessa's story of a brave but bittersweet love affair. It is the story of two people struggling to find themselves and each other - a story of passion and idealism, courage and betrayal, and the universal desire to fall madly, deeply, in love.

Lauren

Sarah Ladipo Manyika event tomorrow night

Sarah Ladipo Manyika will be taking part in a writer event tomorrow evening at The Art Gallery in San Francisco. Sarah will be discussing her debut novel In Dependence.

The event will explore the African Diaspora through Fiction, Poetry and the Graphic Novel, with fellow readers Opal Palmer Adisa and Trevor Getz.

You can visit Sarah's website by clicking here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika taking part in LitQuake

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence is taking part in this year's San Francisco Literature Festival LitQuake. Sarah and five other authors will be reading an original story on the theme of a failure to commit.

For details of the event please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

In Dependence by Sarah Manyika at Centre College

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant In Dependence, will be hosting a series of talks at Centre College. Centre is a top-50 liberal arts college in Kentucky, Danville, US.

In Dependence was selected as a first-year book. Students will be discussing how the novel navigates cultural differences, and the depiction of Africa in novels today.

“When I wrote this novel, I was tired of all the negative images of Africa and was longing to read stories that showed the other side of the continent — a less sensational side that included love stories such as the one that I tried to write,” Manyika says. “One of my hopes for any reader of 'In Dependence' is that the reader might believe, at least a little, in love and have hope about Africa.”

Although there are many important facets to her novel, Manyika simply wants Centre first-years — and everyone else who reads her work — to feel a personal connection to the story.

“I want readers to enjoy ‘In Dependence’ in whatever way is most meaningful to them,” Manyika says. “I hope that my novel presents characters that are believable enough for readers to want to see through their eyes and put themselves in their situations as a way of better understanding some of the complexities of the world in which we live.”

To read the full article, click here.

Lauren

Sarah Ladipo Manyika and Ben Okri (in outline)

It was fantastic last night to attend the sold-out event at the Royal Festival Hall, London for our own  Sarah Ladipo Manyika and Booker Prize Winner Ben Okri.

Hosted by the fantastic Nii Parkes, it was entertaining and fascinating to listen to and overall was very inspiring.

The own down-point of the evening was my photography, failing to deal with the sun off the Thames, so I apologise for the pictures... (I have a video too but will check to see if picture much better).

We have recently launched the US version of IN DEPENDENCE by Sarah Ladipo Manyika and a great deal is happening for the brilliant novel at the moment, so if you haven't already make sure you order a copy!

Tom

Review of In Dependence

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received a great review online by Adura Ojo. Below is a taster:

In Dependence is the story of two lovers Tayo Ajayi and Vanessa Richardson – but it is more than that. The book spans four decades of Nigeria and its socio-political history from 1963 - 1997. As the reader gets to grips with the bittersweet love story of Tayo and Vanessa and the strength of it over four decades, they also become aware of Nigeria’s struggles with its colonial past, corrupt leaders and repressive regimes. Tayo is caught in the repressive system due to his ‘activist’ writings and he suffers for it.

Tayo is a young Yoruba man who wins a scholarship to Balliol College Oxford in England. There he meets Vanessa, the beautiful white daughter of an ex-colonial officer. The rest as they say (to borrow that old cliché) is history. And there it is. Just like Nigeria never did get its act together over those four decades (and we are still waiting), racism, indecision, fear, stupid rows and that same old male brain located ‘somewhere not inside the head’ all conspire to keep the two lovers apart. Life happens in between and the realism is well done. The inter-racial relationship is so well portrayed that if one had no clue how racism could impact on a relationship, the enlightenment is here. But of course it is not just about the wider racism in British society or the disapproval of Mr Richardson – Vanessa’s dad – to a potential union, it is also about unpredictability of the impact of cultural differences. Another issue is to do with Tayo’s indiscipline around women and this comes across quite strongly in the book.

To read the review in full please click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika at the Royal Festival Hall tonight

We are very excited that Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic In Dependence will be appearing at London Literature Festival this evening at 7:45pm at the Royal Festival Hall.

Sarah will be speaking with Nigerian poet and Man Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri.

For details please click here

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika on Colourful Radio this afternoon

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence will be interviewed on Colourful Radio thia afternoon at 12:10pm. Sarah is in the country for her appearance at the Royal Festival Hall on Thursday as part of London Literature Festival.

It is fantastic to see Sarah and her novel In Dependence getting all the praise it deserves.

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika at the London Literature Festival next week

We are very excited that Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic In Dependence will be appearing at London Literature Festival next week - here is a snippet from the brochure.

Sarah will be speaking with Nigerian poet and Man Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri on Thursday 7th July at 7:45pm in the Royal Festival Hall.

For details please click here

Lucy

'A fantastic book that I can’t even begin to do justice to'

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received a fantastic review from Amy Reads:

'Manyika has done, I think, a fantastic job of portraying many of the insecurities and doubts that can plague relationships, especially when the partners come from such different cultures... A fantastic book that I can’t even begin to do justice to, but that I fully expect will grace my best of list at the end of this year. I highly recommend it to everyone and anyone looking for a fantastic story.'

To read the review in full click here

Lucy

In Dependence is available to order by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika at the Southbank Centre in July

We are excited to announce that Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of In Dependence will be taking part in an African Writers' evening at the Southbank Centre in July.

Sarah will be speaking with Nigerian poet and Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri on Thursday 7th July at 7:45pm.

For details of the event please click here

Lucy

 

Legend Press author blog - Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic In Dependence spent a few weeks at Hedgebrook as a writer in residence last year. She has just written a blog for their website, which is included below:

There is a library at Hedgebrook, bursting with books–skinny ones, tall ones, fat ones, and colourful ones. Some of these books have just arrived, while others have lived on the shelves for years and now carry the sweet scent of wood-burning fires. What makes this library truly unique though, is that all the books are written by women who once stayed at Hedgebrook. And this is why, on my first day at Hedgebrook, I stood in awe in front of the oak beamed shelves, alternately tiptoeing then crouching while running a finger along the rows of solid spines.

I started with some short stories by Ursula Le Guin, and a novel by Sarah Waters, both writers I had heard of but never previously read. And then, because I come from Africa and Europe, I searched specifically for writers whose lives, like mine, straddle continents, and I found a slim little book, a play in fact, co-written by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter. In the three weeks that followed, I established an afternoon routine that always began with finding a patch of sunlight in which to sit. I would then read for hours.

I had made a conscious decision, even before arriving at Hedgebrook, to read more women writers, as I had come to realize that I had read so few. It started with my reading of Marilynne Robinson’s Home, and what a treat that book was–so deceptively quiet, so deeply profound. I then read Toni Morrison’s A Mercy and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and reveled in these authors’ ability to write so confidently while experimenting with form and style. I also enjoyed the way these authors depicted the so-called “ordinary” and domestic spheres of life in a way that I found fresh and exciting. What was wonderful about Hedgebrook was that I didn’t have to look specifically for women writers–that’s all there was! And because I had been given the priceless gift of time, I was able to reflect at length on the readings and on what I might learn from them. At the end of my Hedgebrook stay (alas, it had to end!), I left with a long list of new favourite writers and an even greater desire to read women writers and give their work prominence in my teaching. Thanks to Hedgebrook, I also left with the confidence to design and teach a new undergraduate course entitled Women Writers and Social Change. On the syllabus are Hedgebrook alums, Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter whose play, In the Continuum, I explore in the context of a unit on women and AIDS, and Gloria Steinem whose essay, “Ruth’s Song”, speaks powerfully to issues of depression and mother-daughter relations. I teach these authors alongside other current favourites including Jhumpa Lahiri, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lola Shoneyin, Sefi Atta and Veronique Olmi. Next time there will be even more women writers to choose from. My shelves at home are getting full, and the men on my shelves know they must make room, much more room.

To see the blog click here

Lucy

In Dependence spotted in the Maldives

The fantastic In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has reached the Maldives, this is the photo we received yesterday.

The US edition of In Dependence will be out in the summer and we will shortly be announcing a very special event Sarah will be doing in London in the Summer! Watch this space.

Lucy

Order your copy of In Dependence by clicking here

Sarah Ladipo Manyika judges African Writing Prize

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic In Dependence has just judged the shortlist for this year's African Writing Prize for Flash Fiction. The overall winner was Settling by Jane Bauling.

For details of the competition and the shortlist please click here

Lucy

Unusual place for a book-signing

Here at Legend Press we have done some literary events at some strange places, but none more odd than Sarah Ladipo Manyika as she took to a gym in San Francisco to do a book reading. The event was a great success, and made for some interesting pictures. Sarah was reading from her debut novel In Dependence. The US edition of the book is out later this year.

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika in San Francisco

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant In Dependence will be taking part in an event in her home town of San Francisco this Sunday with fellow authors Katherine McWilliams and Chieko Murasugi.

Sadly the team won't be attending :(

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika - worldwide book socialite

Our authors only socialise in the best circles and it was great to see a picture of Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant IN DEPENDENCE, appear in the papers in India attending a book event there.

Also, love the last line of the article.

Tom

 

Book-signings - The Good, the bad and the sometimes Ugly

Sarah Manyika has just had an article published on African Writing Online about one of her booksigning for In Dependence in Birmingham. It sounds like Sarah was great at managing a particularly tricky crowd:

The man in the bookshop says, just do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. So I reflect on his words thinking that had this been a more traditional book tour, I would know what to do. I would read passages from my novel, answer questions and then sign books. But this is something different and because I no longer live in England, I do not know if this is now the norm or merely unique to the Birmingham bookshop in which I stand. It is certainly not as glamorous as book readings, but given the dismal state of the economy, perhaps it’s more sensible.

‘Excuse me sir, excuse me madam, could I interest you in a new novel?”

‘A what?”

‘Can I interest you in a new novel? I’m the author and I’m signing …”

‘No thanks.”

‘Excuse me madam, could I interest you in …”

And so it goes. Over and over again my sentences dangle in the air as the public flees. Eventually I stop and turn to face my table with its stack of books. I count them, wondering if one might have sold without my noticing. And then I contemplate creating several piles, rather than one. I stand a few books up, make a little semi-circle, fan them out, layer them this way and that way … but what do I know about selling books? I know a little about selling to agents and publishers – namely that the process is difficult, but selling to complete strangers is surely worse. Tall, short, fat, skinny, black, white, male, female … each could be a potential reader. Or not.

‘Could I interest you in a new novel?”

‘No sorry, not interested.”

‘Could I interest you in a new novel?”

‘Just interested in thrillers really. Football maybe.”

‘Could I interest you in a new novel?”‘Do you sell tippex?”

To read the full article click here

Lucy

Read more of the brilliant writing of Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of IN DEPENDENCE, in Wasafiri, the magazine for international contemporary writing.

These are fantastic stories and to order a copy of IN DEPENDENCE, simply click here.

Tom

'Immense, emotional power' – In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika

It's great to see another great review for IN DEPENDENCE by Sarah Ladipo Mayika. With the Nigerian edition having been launched, we've seen some fantastic coverage for the brilliant novel.

Just as a sample: 'This is a well travelled tale, equally at home in Ibadan, Jos, Paris, Oxford, Dakar, or San Francisco. It weaves its spell through the aura of many languages.'

And for the latest review, from Next, just click here.

Tom

Great interview with Sarah Ladipo Mayika

Another great interview with Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic IN DEPENDENCE. Sarah discusses the novel and the need for female and African writers. To read the full interview, click here.

And make sure you've ordered a copy of the superb novel.

Tom

Enter a flash fiction competition

If you're a writer, then have a look at African Writing's Flash Fiction Competition. For information click here. It is being judged by no less that Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the fantastic IN DEPENDENCE.

Good luck!

Tom

'well written and conceived' - In Dependence

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received an excellent review from the popular Kinna Reads

In Dependence is Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s debut novel. It is very well written and conceived. The author captures the mood and feel of all the different decades and the three continents that serve as settings for the story. Its scope is vast and sweeping. I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to more works from this writer. Highly recommended.

To read the review in full click here

Lucy

More illustrations from In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Yesterday we showed you a fantastic illustrated extract from IN DEPENDENCE by Sarah Ladipo Manyika, included as part of Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence. Today, we can show you the full extract in print, along with more brilliant illustrations.

You can download right here:

Cover
Extract1
Extract2

Having worked on a novel in print, and so on some level have conjured up your own mental images, it is always fascinated to see the book illustrated, as is the case here.

Tom

Sarah Ladipo Manyika independence coverage

As Nigeria celebrates the 50th anniversary of it independence, it is great to see brilliant Legend Press author Sarah Ladipo Manyika appearing in the high-profile coverage.

Sarah, author of superb novel IN DEPENDENCE, was on BBC Radio on Friday and she has also been included as one of eight Nigerian authors in an online feature - view here.

There will be much more coverage to follow and make sure you've ordered your copy of IN DEPENDENCE.

Tom

First Chapter of IN DEPENDENCE with illustration

It is great to see the first chapter of the fantastic IN DEPENDENCE by Sarah Ladipo Manyika included online, along with a great illustration. To view, just click here.

The extract is to run alongside the Nigerian edition of the novel, published by Cassava Republic Press. They're a great publisher and we are very confident that will find great success with IN DEPENDENCE, as the novel deserves.

Make sure you've ordered your copy, and if not order now!

Tom

Sarah Ladipo Manyika interviewed on African Writing Online

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant In Dependence has been interviewed by African Writing Online. Below is a taster:

AW: As I read In Dependence, I find that there are significant issues of imperial literary history, Pan-Africanism, racism and colonialist discourse buried in the narrative. Even your characters – especially in the early stages of the book – are mired in heated discussions on these and other precocious issues. I found these discussions fascinating and in some ways I am reminded of the insurrectionary elements in Soyinka’s The Interpreters and Clark’s America, Their America. Were you perhaps striving to stimulate your readers to a higher level of awareness or is this an insightful style of delivery you are naturally drawn to?

SLM: Imperialism, Pan - Africanism, racism and colonialism are all raised in the novel because these were issues that my characters would have been discussing at the time and issues that touched them personally to one degree or another. Soyinka and J.P. Clark emerged as significant authors in the 1960s and this too is why a reader should not be surprised to find references to their works by one or more characters in the novel. I am particularly intrigued though, by your use of the word “precocious” to the extent that it’s one of the adjectives that I might use to describe Vanessa, the main female character in this novel. I find myself increasingly drawn to women characters that do not conform to what society expects. “Insurrectionary,” perhaps?

AW: And there is also the politics of the complex Nigerian state. Your portrayal of the decadence and the manner in which it affected your main characters was done in deft snatches – almost laconically. Yet there still emerged a sense of disappointment.

SLM: The other day, while reorganizing my bookshelf, I was struck by book titles. More specifically, I was struck by the collection of novels that I teach to undergraduates, and I’m sure I heard the books whispering to each other as they sat there, quietly, on the shelves. The books were: Things Fall Apart, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, Nervous Conditions, Ways of Dying, No Longer at Ease, Waiting for an Angel, Corruption, and Every Day is for the Thief. Now what struck me, and perhaps what also strikes you, is the sentiment carried in each of these titles – the undeniable element of despair, and yes, disappointment, conveyed merely by title. These titles would seem to reflect the mood of our continent and the complex, lived realities that have caused many to leave. Out of the exodus arise books with such titles as: A Life Elsewhere and Home and Exile. But there are also book titles hinting at hope, levity, and arguably, at first glance at least, nothing to do with despair of the societal sort. Take, for example, Everything Good Will Come, Nights of the Creaking Bed, African Love Stories, Fathers and Daughters. But who am I to know what these books were whispering to each other? For all I know, these books might merely have been discussing who had the better book cover, or they might have been arguing over why they were so often shelved only with other African-authored books when, for goodness sakes, why couldn’t they be mixed with books from other parts of the world?

To read the interview in full click here!

Lucy

In Dependence featured in African Writing Magazine

 Sarah Ladipo Manyika will be interviewed in next month's African Writing Magazine out on 2nd March. The website which is just relaunching its print version interviewed Sarah this month about her writing and inspirations.

The other day, while reorganizing my bookshelf, I was struck by book titles... I'm sure I heard the books whispering to each other as they sat there, quietly, on the shelves...Things Fall Apart, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, Nervous Conditions, Ways of Dying, No Longer at Ease, Waiting for an Angel, Corruption, and Every Day is for the Thief. Now what struck me, and perhaps what also strikes you, is the sentiment carried in each of these titles - the undeniable element of despair, and yes, disappointment, conveyed merely by title. These titles would seem to reflect the mood of our continent and the complex, lived realities that have caused many to leave.

To read more information click here

Lucy

In Dependence reviewed in the Nigerian Guardian

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received a great review in the Nigerian Guardian by Anote Ajeluorou. Below is a taster:

A man who does not know where the rain started beating him will not know where the rain stopped beating him. This is an Igbo proverb made famous by Nigeria's legendary writer, Prof. Chinua Achebe. And, in an era where history has become a mere appendage in the nation's schools' curriculum, it will indeed be hard to determine the two planes of existence in the proverb in most of Africa's socio-political context.

The situation is precarious to the extent that every right-thinking person has begun to ruminate on how to re-chart the trajectory of Nigeria's historical evolution, especially in the light of its failings since independence.

The spirit of optimism engendered before, during and after independence in the country and all over Africa did not only fade away, it also gave way to despair, underdevelopment, total reversal of the dominant ethos and complete anomie.

Five decades after, there seems no clue to reclaim the lost glory of the so-called 'giant of Africa.'

These are the issues captured in Sarah Ladipo Manyika's In Dependence together with inter-racial romance, herself a product of the contact between the West and Africa. Considering the fervour with which such neologisms like Pan-Africanism, Negritude, Uhuru, Black Consciousness and the rest of them were bandied about at the time, it becomes a wonder that they all fizzled out even before the first decade of independence was over. And till date, some four or five decades later, African nations are still struggling to come out of the doldrums. And so, Manyika, who married to an East African, provides a historical sweep of the dying period of colonialism to the heady days of independence and what has followed till now. By so doing, she is charting anew the course of Nigeria's tragic story for the young ones who may never encounter her History in the formal sense.

To read the interview in full click here!

Lucy

In Dependence - 'one of the best reads of 2009!'

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received an excellent review by popular blog Incessant Scribble:

'This book is stirring; it’s a beautiful story of two people from different racial backgrounds who let societal pressure push them apart. You can immediately tell that Manyika is very familiar with the issues at hand and she handles them beautifully with a prose that has a British feel to it... In Dependence is one of the best books I have read this year. Pick up this book.'

To read the review in full click here!

The site also includes a great interview with Sarah about her passions, writing and reading habits. Below is a taster:

This book is bound to leave an impression on readers and get them thinking. Do you have any interesting feedback from readers you can share with us?

The very first email that I received on my website still makes me smile. It came from Lagos and went something like this … 'Dear Sarah Your book sounds interesting but please, what I REALLY want to know is where you bought your necklace.' But on a more serious note, I’ve been very touched by the emails I’ve received from readers who have found something that spoke to them in the novel. Quite a few readers have said that they would like to see the book turned into a film.

Whose works do you read most frequently?

Having grown up in different parts of Africa (Nigeria and Kenya), I have always been drawn by stories set in the continent, and now that I live abroad I find myself particularly drawn to immigrant stories. I have, for example, always loved the work of Sembene Ousmane (film, short stories and novels). Another favourite writer is James Baldwin who writes clearly and simply with a keen eye for detail, a deep understanding of history and a subtle sense of humour. I am drawn to many of Chinua Achebe’s essays for the same reasons as well as to Teju Cole’s new and brilliant work, Every Day is for the Thief. Recently, I’ve been reading and enjoying more short stories. I love the social satire in Edith Wharton’s stories, just as I love the eye for the diasporic in Jhumpa Lahiri and Rishi Reddi’s work and the startling innovativeness of Haruki Murakami. I am increasingly drawn to women writers, returning to writers such as Virginia Woolf and Mariama Ba and discovering newer writers such as Marilyn Robinson, Laila Lalami and Petina Gappah.

What do you think about life, love and music?

Life, love and music … where does one start?! I’ll take the easy way out and say that if a reader wants a glimpse into some of my thoughts on all of the above, they can start with my novel and short stories. But I’m particularly glad you brought up the subject of music because music features quite prominently in In Dependence and few people have asked about it. One of the beauties of the period that I was writing about was that it brought together such incredible musical talent ranging from Sarah Vaughan to Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba, all of which feature in the novel.

Read the interview in full by clicking here!

Lucy

21st December - Advent book of the day!

Each day of advent we are going to profile a different Legend Press book for sale! We want everyone to have a Legendary book in their stocking, so if you see something you like please order. The best selling book will be at the top of our Christmas tree on the blog on 25th December.

Everyone who orders a book from our site in December is automatically entered into a prize draw to win a hoard of Legend Press books!

Today's book of the day is In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika. From Lagos to Oxford: In Dependence is a tragic love story fraught with the post-war idealism; post colonial disappointment; and the bittersweet taste of mistimed love.

Sarah comments: 'Many writers have influenced me including work by Coetzee whose sparse writing style I so admire. I am also drawn to the writing and films of Sembene Ousmane and his portrayal of strong female characters. I love the work of James Balwin, especially his essays which are also so thoughtful and insightful. I am drawn to Shakespeare plays for the breath and depth of his work. I admire the wit of Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith and Chinua Achebe and I love the unique cross-cultural mix depicted in works by authors such as Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri, Andrea Levy and Ha Jin. I am also influenced by artists in the broader sense, especially musicians and film makers.'

Order your copy of In Dependence now - £7.99 

Lucy

In Dependence released in Nigeria

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has just been published in Nigeria by Cassava Republic. Here are the two covers to compare!

Designnigeria.com have just published an interesting blog comparing the two covers.

Read the article by clicking here!

Which one do you prefer? Please leave your comments!

Lucy

In Dependence in Nigeria

The release of In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika is getting fantastic coverage in Nigeria including 2 recent TV interviews, 3 radio interviews and various interviews for newspapers and journals.

As well as coverage in Nigeria Sarah made a return appearance on BBC Radio Nottingham last week.

Coverage includes:

naijablog.blogspot.com

AISA Chronicle

Next

Bookaholic Blog

BBC Radio Nottingham

It is great to see the book getting such great coverage in Nigeria and we look forward to seeing more in the coming months.

Lucy 

Listen to Sarah Ladipo Manyika reading from In Dependence

 Sarah Ladipo Manyika's fantastic book 'In Dependence' is published by Nigerian publisher Cassava Republic in December.

Cassava have just posted up a great little audio clip of Sarah reading from her novel, so I thought I would share it with you all. To go to the audio link click here!

"One could begin with the dust, the heat and the purple bougainvillea. One might even begin with the smell of rotting mangos tossed by the side of the road where flies hummed and green-bellied lizards bobbed their orange heads while loitering in the sun. But why start there when Tayo walked in silence, oblivious to his surroundings. With a smile on his face he thought of the night before when he had dared to run a hand beneath the folds of Modupe’s wrapper. Miraculously, without him even asking, Modupe had loosened the cloth around her waist. Of course they had kissed many times before, usually in the Lebanese cinema when all was dark, but that was nothing compared to Friday night. And while Tayo was lost in his thoughts, his father, who walked alongside, noticed his son’s smile and read it as excitement for the forthcoming trip."

Lucy

'an interesting and unusual book' - In Dependence

In Dependence, the brilliant debut novel by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been reviewed in the School Librarian which has a great circulation across the UK. The review highlights In Dependence as 'an interesting and unusual resource for older secondary school pupils interested in African Studies.'

Visit Sarah's website by clicking here!

In Dependence will shortly be published in Nigeria by publisher Cassava Republic. To visit their website click here!

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika - featured Waterstone's author

It was great to see this week that Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant In Dependence has been featured on the Waterstone's website as a featured author of Black History Month 2009.

Sarah was in great company with other featured authors including Barack Obama, Andrea Levy, Chinua Achebe and many others.

To see the list click here!

To see Sarah's entry click here!

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika publishes short story in Danish

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of the brilliant In Dependence has just had a short story published in Danish in a collection called Women Writing Zimbabwe.

The book is published by a very interesting danish non-profit organisation called Operation Dagsvaerk.

Operation Dagsvaerk (literally: Operation a Day's Work) is not a traditional relief organization. We want to challenge the popular media image of people in the developing world. We want to show that people in the developing world have dreams and hopes as well as human resources to match. They deserve a chance to put their resources to use and realize their dreams. Public awareness of the developing world is low while knowledge is scarce and littered with prejudices.

A crucial element in Operation Dagsvaerk's campaigns is to inform the Danish youth of the challenges and problems facing the projects country as well as the historical, cultural and religious context within which they exist. The campaigns consist of a three-month educational process leading up to the Dagsvaerk Day fundraising.

Operation Dagsvaerk produce educational materials and arrange educational events as an alternative to conventional teaching methods in the Danish high-school system. The quality of the teaching material is ensured thanks to the assistance of teachers and scholars who place their vast knowledge at the disposal of Operation Dagsvaerk. The aim is to engage the students in discussions and debate on issues concerning developing countries while motivating the students to participate actively on the Dagsvaerk Day.

Lucy

Review mention on vasigauke.blogspot.com

We are pleased to see this morning that an American blog vasigauke.blogspot.com has picked up on Sarah's review of Harare North published in the Scotland on Sunday last week. They comment:

Manyika's focus in the Harare North review is different from (and soberer than)most that have been published in the big UK papers. She knows what she is talking about. Not to say that there is anything wrong with not knowing what you are talking about when you review a book, because any reader response tends to have its merits, etc, but I like how she focuses on the language use in the novel. She writes:

"Such a potpourri [of speech patterns]runs the risk of being confusing or distracting. Yet this same language might be interpreted as part of the novel's brilliance for it reflects a protagonist who has appropriated London's many speech patterns, thereby making it difficult to put him into the straitjacket of one single immigrant experience. The protagonist becomes an everyman, albeit not a likeable one, who captures the reader's attention and compels them to keep reading."

Her review is important because she brings a writer's perspective to her reading of the novel and her understanding of the issues is informed by her first-hand knowledge of the Zimbabwean situation. We need more reviews like this one.

Lucy

Sarah reviews 'Harare North'

A book review by Sarah Ladipo Manyika was published in the Scotland On Sunday last week. Sarah reviewed Caine prize winning author Brian Chikwava's novel Harare North:

'The unnamed protagonist of Harare North is no ordinary asylum seeker. He is not, as he claims, a victim of Mugabe's repressive political regime, but a political thug for whom things have gone wrong. Once in London (aka Harare North), he finds a Brixton squat where he lives with "illegals" including a woman who rents her baby, two eco-friendly drug addicts and several rats. So begins an astonishing debut novel by Brian Chikwava.

One of the most striking aspects of this novel is its language. Written in the first person, the voice is erratic and not easily identifiable. While portions sound authentic for a Zimbabwean of this character's background, others are more reminiscent of cockney, "posh" English, Jamaican patois or West African pidgin. Such a potpourri runs the risk of being confusing or distracting. Yet this same language might be interpreted as part of the novel's brilliance for it reflects a protagonist who has appropriated London's many speech patterns, thereby making it difficult to put him into the straitjacket of one single immigrant experience. The protagonist becomes an everyman, albeit not a likeable one, who captures the reader's attention and compels them to keep reading.

Anyone who has read Chikwava's short stories, including his award-winning 'Seventh Street Alchemy', will know that the author has a gift for evoking place. With deft descriptions reminiscent of Samuel Selvon's Lonely Londoners, a reader will smile in recognition at the "ice-cold sun hanging in the sky like frozen pizza", or the curious civility of Londoners that is friendly only in form. Chikwava employs wry humour to comment on a country that names its pubs after deceased monarchs and appears more concerned with dead whales floating down the Thames than human corpses.

Harare North is a powerful immigrant story, but it is also much more than this. It addresses, amongst other things, society's fear of unruly youth and the struggles of a growing underclass.

This book is one of those that come around every couple of years offering something new, and not for novelty's sake, but in the sense of revealing something vital about the times in which we live.'

Lucy

In Dependence reviewed by Helon Habila

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been reviewed by former Caine Prize winner Helon Habila. Helon was drawn towards the love story of Tayo and Vanessa, writing "This is a good first novel, a touching love story, and one hopes to hear more from this promising writer."

Below is a taster:

"Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s In Dependence is ambitious, like all debut novels ought to be. Its setting alone moves from Nigeria to Oxford to France, to Nigeria, to Senegal, to America, and concludes, finally, on a romantic note by a river in Oxford. The time of the action spans from the undergraduate days of the main characters, Vanessa and Tayo, and ends with them in their sixties. This is an attempt, mostly successful, to tell the story of Nigeria—from the colonial to the post-colonial."

To read the review in full click here!

Order your copy now - £7.99 

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika's week in England

Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been busy promoting her brilliant book In Dependence this week in England. On Sunday she spoke with the Black Reading Group in London speaking to 30 people. In Dependence has been chosen by the group as their next month's pick. Sarah has also appeared at the Poetry Cafe on Tuesday and yesterday, as part of the Oxford Literary Festival, Sarah did a reading at Blackwells Oxford.

Sarah has also been busy doing a number of radio interviews on the World Music Show on SW1(87.7FM) and on Colourful Radio on Rosemary Laryea's popular 10am-12 show. You can listen to the interview by clicking here and following the link to Rosemary!

It is fantastic to see this brilliant book getting lots of attention and we look forward to hearing what the reading group think about In Dependence.

Order your copy of In Dependence now - £7.99 

Lucy

In Dependence - Books to talk about

Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been mentioned on Nigerian newspaper and website Next as one of the books to look out for in 2009.

"The past few years have brought us an almost unprecedented output of works from African authors, both fiction and non-fiction.

Africans continue to examine the state of their nations, the continent, debating, and trying to re-imagine African lives through artistic eye-views.

This is something to celebrate, for no culture has ever developed without such self re-evaluation and contemplation of alternative ways of being.

It is true that most of our better known writers continue to live outside the continent, it is also true that the themes of their many books vary widely: from love to war, from domestic tragedy to domestic comedy, but the focus and the passion continues to be fully African.

This piece intends to look at books due for publication later this year, but I will pause briefly here to mention a few notable offerings from last year. One is Sarah Manyika's debut novel, provocatively titled, In Dependence and published in London by Legend Press.

It is described by the publisher as "a story of unfulfilled love fraught with the weight of history, race and geography and intertwined with questions of belonging, aging, religious faith and family secrets. This is also a story about the complexities of contemporary Africa, its diaspora and its interdependence with the rest of the world." It is a book worth looking at."

To read the article in full click here.

Lucy

Sarah Ladipo Manyika interview

Sarah was interview recently by Catch a Vibe Magazine, below is a taster: 

"The theme, ‘insider-outsider’ is an interesting and important one in your novel. You were raised in Nigeria but lived in Kenya, France, and England. Did this influence on your writing of In Dependence?

Well, yes and no. There are the obvious difference like the weather, language, culture, sense of humour etc. But the bitter-sweet world of the “expatriates”, or the “immigrants”, or the “people of the diaspora” (where home is always somewhere else) tastes the same whether you’re in Paris, Nairobi, or San Francisco. What’s more interesting perhaps, is the way in which the experience of “expatriotism” has changed over the last fifty years. This is certainly one of the themes explored by In Dependence.

You have written about Africa and edit new work by African writers. Does Africa hold a particular literary attraction for you in terms of inspiration or material for your own writing?

Yes, the continent of Africa does inspire me, as do stories of Africans in the diaspora.

You mention Andrea Levy, Zadie Smith, Chris Abani and Chinua Achebe as inspirations to you. Is there something specific in their writing that inspires you?

I’m particularly fond of Achebe’s essays and Abani’s poetry. I admire Zadie’s Smith and Andrea Levy’s use of wit/humour. These writers have broken new literary ground with their stories, which is something that inspires me too.

You have also said that the South African Nobel Prize winner, J.M. Coetzee, was an influence on your decision to become a writer. You regard his novel Disgrace as one of your top 5 books. His books have often been controversial, particularly his novel Disgrace. Is there an element of this controversy in your book?

I didn’t set out to write anything controversial, but ‘mixed race’ relationships are still not accepted in many places, which I suppose might make it controversial to some."

To read the review in full click here.

Order your copy of In Dependence now - £7.99 

Lucy

'a story we should read' - In Dependence

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been reviewed in Nigerian newspaper Vanguard.

"I could not fail to frame this searching and sensitive book within a larger context in quest of her own father’s story; to understand his generation of men who came to their conscious youth at that clear and heady moment of decolonization in Africa in the 1960s.

This novel is not primarily situated in that moment but it takes off from there and moves towards the various interstices of historical experience that has shaped Africa’s postcolonial moment.

It is just that Manyika chooses not to situate a broad search in the public ways of most historical novels, but to situate her interpretation of close moments of Nigeria’s history through the singular and intimate life, and through the story of one man, Oxford educated Tayo Ajayi, who struggles with the demons of history to reveal for us the wretched paths that we turned from the great promise of decolonization to the ambiguities and failures of independence...'

Read the full review by clicking here!

Order your copy now - £7.99 

Lucy