Review: The House of Hunger by Dambudzo Marechera
Title: The House of Hunger
Author: Marechera, Dambudzo
Length: 159 pages
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Publisher / Year: Heinemann / 1978
Source: Purchased in Johannesburg.
Rating: 4.5/5
Why I Read It: I’d not read anything by the author yet.
Date Read: 17/10/11
This collection contains the longer story The House of Hunger along with a number of supporting stories that are based around similar characters, places, times, and events. Together they form a strong collection about a specific place and time, Rhodesia and the struggle for independence, and the lives of ordinary people during that time.
The story of Marechera’s life is sad – living in exile with no fixed address in London for eight years, returning to independent Zimbabwe to learn that he is still unwanted there with his most recent novel being banned, writing in parks and on benches, and eventually dying at the young age of thirty-five. It is indeed a loss that he has only written four books, this being his first.
The collection begins with an introduction written as an interview by the author with himself. This for me was almost the most interesting part of the book – not because his writing isn’t fantastic and absorbing but because his questions and answers are even more so. In this interview he talks about how he was influenced to write not by other writers but by life itself and those he grew up with. Rather than become a freedom fighter as he says conditions made most become, he turned a different path and became a writer. As with many other African writers, he says:
I did not see a book by a black author until I was in Form One, at boarding school – Ngugi’s Weep Not Child. And that was mind-blowing [...] (page 6)
For anyone as of yet unconcerned or unconvinced of the importance of representation in books and in publishing, reading just a few interviews with African authors should be enough to convince you. Either way, the reinforcement is definitely useful as we still struggle with this in many countries, including my own – Canada.
He also talks about language, saying:
It never occurred to me. Shona was part of the ghetto daemon I was trying to escape. Shona had been placed within the context of a degraded, mind-wrenching experience from which apparently the only escape was into the English language and education. [...] As far as expressing the creative turmoil within my head was concerned, I took to the English language as a duck takes to water. I was therefore a keen accomplice and student in my own mental colonisation. (page 7)
And also:
For a black writer the language is very racist; you have to have harrowing fights and hair-raising panga duels with the language before you can make it do all that you want it to do. It is so for the feminists. English is very male. (page 7)
I loved this discussion of why he chose English, and why he writes so experimentally - playing with words and with grammar and syntax. It certainly prepares the reader for what is to come in the book. Also interesting was the recognition by a male, African author of feminist writing and it’s issues with language as well.
About the story and short stories that accompany it I won’t say much, except that they are powerful and engaging, and they really make you work at reading and understanding. They talk about the struggles of being black in pre-independence Rhodesia, about living in the ghettos, about having so few options, about living through the struggles. Of caring for a cause that no one else seems to care about, and more.
I highly recommend this work and any others by Marechera and I look forward to reading more from him soon. Although he makes you work at the reading, it is very worth the effort.
Have added this to my wish list!
Great!! The writing is very dark Eva, but I think you will love the interview at the start at least, and hopefully the book as well.
That does sound like a really interesting interview.
I would pay full price for the book even if it contained only the interview Trisha, it was really interesting for sure!
How tragic that he died so young.
Yes, very sad indeed Jill.
Something about this book reminds me of a book I read in High-School called Kaffir Boy. Have you ever read that one? I know they deal with different issues, it is just that the way you describe the life of poverty and pain sounds so similar. I loved that book, but it made me cry over and over again. Like Jill, I find it really sad that he died so young.
I have not read Kaffir Boy, zibilee, though I keep hearing about it. I must one of these days yes.
I love the introductory part you talking about. You’ve put me in a high mood to search for this book. Thanks, Amy.
Yes I hope you can locate it Geosi!
Gosh, stories like that make writers with a house a job like myself cringe with shame at how little we’ve accomplished!
Hah, yes, he was an incredible author, accomplishing so much Amanda.
I found this book eye opening and the story of his life as well was one of my first reviews on the blog ,all the best stu
Fantastic Stu! You’ve read all the best books
Marechara was a gift; a pity he died so young. He played with a lot of ideas and it would have been nice to read him as a more ‘settled’ author as well. Love the quote on English, how apt. Thanks for the review.
I’m reading his second book now and finding it more of a struggle, Kinna, but I’m still looking forward to his others. It is definitely a shame especially considering his ideas and thoughts. Fantastic author.
A truly fantastic piece of writing – that is The House of Hunger story. I feel that the other stories in the collection lack the constant freshness and creativity of the main story, though they are mostly very good too.
I am studying this in a Post-colonial Studies course and it is really fascinating to look at how he has this conflicting love/hate relationship that is found in many former colonies, to the cultures that ruled them.
Really compulsive reading too. A real experience!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts blaustenblog, and so glad you enjoyed this read. I agree that The House of Hunger was the best of the collection. Your course sounds really interesting too