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African Laughter by Doris Lessing

African Laughter

Four Visits to Zimbabwe

Doris Lessing

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · August 4, 1993

A highly personal story of the eminent British writer returning to her African roots that is "brilliant . . . [and] captures the contradictions of a young country." — New York Times Book Review A rich and penetrating portrait of Lessing's homeland, African Laughter recounts the visits she made to Zimbabwe in 1982, 1988, 1989, and 1992, after being exiled from the old Southern Rhodesia for 25 years for her opposition to the minority white government.

Personal MemoirsTravel WritingCultural Heritage Livesshort story
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Who it’s for
Lessing brings memory and return into a personal portrait of Zimbabwe across four visits.
Themes
Zimbabwe in a period of change, Return to homeland after exile, Memory and reminiscence
Pacing
Reflective

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About this book

A highly personal story of the eminent British writer returning to her African roots that is "brilliant . . . [and] captures the contradictions of a young country." — New York Times Book Review A rich and penetrating portrait of Lessing's homeland, African Laughter recounts the visits she made to Zimbabwe in 1982, 1988, 1989, and 1992, after being exiled from the old Southern Rhodesia for 25 years for her opposition to the minority white government.

Continue reading

Lessing uses memory and reminiscence with recent experience to depict a country in the process of change.

A Country in Change

Lessing brings memory and return into a personal portrait of Zimbabwe across four visits.

Come here for

  • A writer’s perspective on returning to a homeland
  • The interplay of memory and recent experience

Expect

  • A contemplative portrait of a country in transition
  • Four visits spanning 1982 to 1992

Where it sits

Travel Writing36%
Personal Memoirs34%
Cultural Heritage Lives26%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Lives in History
  • Writers' Lives
  • Women's Lives
  • Personal Memoirs
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • World History
  • 20th-Century History
  • History Writing
  • Essay Collections
Authors
Doris Lessing
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
August 4, 1993
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Zimbabwe in a period of change · Return to homeland after exile · Memory and reminiscence
Reading lane
Lives in History