Igoni Barrett's Love is Power, or Something Like That is a good, albeit frustrating read, those who love good writing will enjoy the power, intellect and industry that Barrett brings to this collection of nine tales. The Kindle copy is published by Graywolf Press, and the hard copy by Farafina Publishers. You should read the stories, if you've not already read them elsewhere online; Barrett displays great range in the writing. He is a powerful writer, and it shows in the stories, well it mostly does, for even with his immense talents and skills, this is a frustrating book. If the stories look familiar to some readers, it is because the book is really an archive of works previously published online. This is becoming a pattern with new writing – it portends the future of the book. The lot of the artist in the 21st century is to endure the book as a museum. Indeed it is the case that a frugal and enterprising reader could probably cobble these stories together free off of the Internet by simply trolling the Internet. I loved that the stories were well edited, some would say over-edited, perhaps to broaden the buying market to the West where the money is. Still I found a few editing issues. I wouldn't give the publishers much credit for the editing quality since they were previously published by online journals that pride themselves on high publishing standards.
Finally, for me, the most haunting and evocative line in Barrett's book is in the story A Nairobi Story of Comings and Goings: "I got my things and left." And then the reader remembers why it spoke to him. Dambudzo Marechera. Helon Habila considers "I got my things and left," the first line in Dambudzo Marechera's House of Hunger, the coolest opening line in African literature I agree. Barrett loves famous opening lines.
Finally, for me, the most haunting and evocative line in Barrett's book is in the story A Nairobi Story of Comings and Goings: "I got my things and left." And then the reader remembers why it spoke to him. Dambudzo Marechera. Helon Habila considers "I got my things and left," the first line in Dambudzo Marechera's House of Hunger, the coolest opening line in African literature I agree. Barrett loves famous opening lines.
- Ikhide
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