 | |
| Author | Helon Habila |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary Fiction, Social novel |
| Set in | Nigeria |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Publication date | 2002 |
| Publication place | Nigeria |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 256 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-393-05193-5 (first edition) |
| OCLC | 993037824 |
| Preceded by | Prison Stories |
| Followed by | New Writing 14 |
Waiting for an Angel is a 2002 political novel written by Nigeria writer Helon Habila. It was first published by New York's publishing firm W. W. Norton & Company.
Plot summary
The novel is set during the military rule of General Sani Abacha. It focuses mainly on Lomba; a journalist and editor at The Dial who is imprisoned for fabricating "lies" against the government.
Reception
It won the 2003 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Africa category Maya Jaggi writing for The Guardian reviewed that: "...(S)ombre, gripping and at times humorous..." that it was "...Cleverly constructed in seven parts, it deftly moves back in time from a period after military rule has ended. (...) In realist vein, the novel's artistry is manifest in the mordant strength and clarity of its language, and its compelling structure. Though the strands are satisfyingly gathered up, each section resembles a short story." For James Urquhart of The Independent "...These unchronological chapters, the feeling of drift in the first half of this book, and Lomba's rather stilted, passionless demeanour, gradually cement into a compressed core of determination to be counted, to resist oppression. (...) Habila's well-crafted novel captures both the sense of mental unbalance of living under a dictatorship and the sacrifices, personal and public, that must be offered to chip away at its ferociously blank face." Dave Gilson of San Francisco Chronicle noted "...Habila's prose is clean and unself-conscious, and he switches easily from dialogues in pidgin to classical references. At times, however, he reveals a fondness for melodrama and tortured imagery. (...) At its best, Habila's writing can be stirring."
References
- "WAITING FOR AN ANGEL | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com.
- "Fiction Book Review: WAITING FOR AN ANGEL by Helon Habila, Author . Norton $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-393-05193-3". PublishersWeekly.com.
- "Waiting For An Angel". Raintaxi.com. 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Review: Waiting for an Angel by Helon Habila". The Guardian. 26 October 2002.
- "Waiting for an Angel – Helon Habila: an overview of the reviews and critical reactions". Complete-review.com.
- "Helon Habila : Waiting for an Angel : Book Review". Mostlyfiction.com.
- "Paperbacks". Telegraph.co.uk.
- "Book Review: Helon Habila's Waiting for an Angel". This Magazine. 14 September 2009.
- Tervonen, Taina (31 May 2004). "En attendant un ange". Africultures.com.
- "Helon Habila — internationales literaturfestival berlin". Literaturfestival.com.
- "Prizes". Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- Gilson, Dave (2 February 2003). "Freed from a prison of thought in Nigeria". Sfgate.com.