Angola literature

Written literature in Angola originated earlier than similar work in the African colonies of England and France. As early as the 17th century, missionaries created typography in local languages. Since the 1780s, an independent press has appeared in Luanda and Bengel. In 1849, a collection of Jose de Silva Maya Ferreira, “The Outpouring of My Soul”, was published in Luanda, considered the beginning of Portuguese-language poetry in Africa. Ferreira samples were Lamartine , Almeida Garrett, the Brazilian Goncalves Dias. One can also note the book of poems by Cordeiro da Matta “Madness” (1887). The first Angolan novels are “African Scenes” (1880) by P. F. Mashado and “Nga Muturi” by Alfredo Troni. Mashado depicts the life of white colonists, draws on the experience of the Portuguese romantics Camilo Castelo Branco and Alexandre Herculane. The well-known public figure of the abolitionist Troni is interested in the fate of former mulatto slaves.

The life of Angola between the world wars is shown in the novels of Asis Junior “The Mystery of the Dead” (1934), Castro Soromeni “Dead Earth”, “Turn” (1957), “Ulcer” (1970). The writings of Soromeni, the most significant writer of this period, are characterized by criticism of the Portuguese administration and the superstitions of the indigenous Angolans - “children of the gods”. Based on folk legends, Oscar Bento Ribas's novel “Uanga” was written, which is the favorite reading of the Angolans; It is translated into European languages ​​(French, German, Czech). Ribas, unlike Soromeni, almost does not concern the negative sides of colonization. Among the poets of this period, one can name Thomas Vieira da Cruz Sr., his son - Thomas Jorge, Geraldo Bes Victor, Mauricio de Almeida Gomez. These authors are characterized by a combination of European poetic forms (for example, Portuguese fado) with a feeling of falling in love with the African Motherland. Of particular note are Thomas Georges Cruise; his poem "Mango, Manginha" became popular in Angola and Brazil. They note the rollback of individual motives of his poetry with the early Vladimir Mayakovsky. The works of J. B. Victor (also known as a sociologist, ethnographer, short story writer, essayist) combine the ideas of luzotrapicolism and negativity. A literary model for him is the Parnassian school. Awarded prizes in the metropolis for being close to "Portuguese classic designs." Inna Yuryevna Tynianova translated his poems into Russian.

In 1948, the cultural-nationalist movement “Let's Go Discover Angola” arose. To him, in particular, belonged to the poet Agostinho Neto , prose writer Jose Luandin Vieira .

The literature of the 1960s is closely connected with the war for the independence of Angola . Along with the verses of professional poets (A. Neto, A. Zhansitou, A. Cardozo, R. Duarti di Carvalho) appears collective, the so-called poetry of partisan detachments.

Leading prose writers write about the anti-colonial struggle: L. Vieira, Ashtray. The collection of J. L. Vieira “Lunda” (1965) was awarded the prize of the Union of Portuguese Writers, which provoked the ire of the dictator Salazar . Vieira’s novel “We are from Maculouz” is among the hundred best African books. Translated into Russian are the story of Ashes (Carlos Pestana) "The Adventures of Ngunga" (1973) and excerpts from his novel "Mayombe" (1980). In this work you can see the influence of the “rout” of A. Fadeev . Mayombe is characterized by an image of the same event from different points of view, an appeal to the methods of magical realism. The novel was also published in the German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia. In 1975, the Union of Writers of Angola was organized. Notable works of the eighties is the Ash Book "Jaca" (1984), which tells the life story of a family of Portuguese colonists for almost a hundred years.

The literature of the 1990s was characterized by a critical reflection on the experience of the country's independent development. Such are the works of the Ashes "The Dog and the People of Luanda", "Generation of the Utopians", as well as Jose Eduardo Agualuza "Seller of the Past"; they provide satirical portraits of representatives of the new postcolonial elite. The Generation of Utopians shows how the civil war destroyed faith in the ideals of the liberation struggle. Anibal, a proponent of the author’s position, predicts that “the most barbaric capitalism that has ever existed on earth” will appear in Angola.

The development of the historical novel genre is noticeable. Pepetela (“The Time of the Flemings”) and Enriki Abranshish (“Hatchet Feti”, “Clan Novembrino”, “Warpath”) turn to him.

There is a rich folk art. The poet J. Dias Cordeirro da Matta published a book: "Popular Wisdom in Angolan Proverbs." The writer Oscar Ribash collected about 100 tales and proverbs. On the basis of folk traditions, Kastru Soromeni wrote “The History of the Black Earth”, v.1-2 (1960), there is a Russian translation).

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• Ryauzova E.A. Ten years of independence. Studies on modern Angolan literature Lisbon. - 1985. (port.)