The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar

The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar

Author	Syl Cheney-Coker
Genre	Literary fiction, Magical realism
Publisher	Heinemann International Incorporated
Publication date	1991
Publication place	Sierra Leone
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Award	Commonwealth Writers' Prize (1991)
ISBN	978-0-435-90572-9

The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar is a novel by Syl Cheney-Coker. It won the Africa region of the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize. ^[1] The novel uses magical realism to comment on events by a prophet in the after-life. ^[2]

Analysis

According to Publishers Weekly , The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar is "full of such unusual occurrences, but in the tradition of magical realism, a sense of history and psychological drama make the story believable. The riveting skeleton of the narrative is often slowed, however, by fatty adjectives and verbiage, and tired metaphors (such as "the floodgates of her desires'') sometimes mar the otherwise titillating love scenes". ^[3]

Bibliography

• Cheney-Coker, Syl (1990). The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar. Oxford: Heinemann International Incorporated. ISBN   978-0-435-90572-9.

References

1. "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987–2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2007.
2. Olúbùnmi Smith, Pamela J. (1991). "The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar by Syl Cheney-Coker". Goodrich Scholarship Faculty Publications. 32. Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
3. "The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar by Syl Cheney-Coker". Publishers Weekly . 1991-01-01. Archived from the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

Further reading

• Nwankwo, Chimalun (1992). "Review of The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar" . African Studies Review. 35 (1): 134–135. doi:10.2307/524449. ISSN   0002-0206. JSTOR   524449.