Butterfly Burning is a novel by Zimbabwean writer Yvonne Vera that was first published on January 1, 1998. Set in the late 1940s, it is about the voice of the people under colonialism in Zimbabwe. It is a romantic story that follows the life of construction worker Fumbatha, who falls in love with Phephelaphi, a much younger woman.
Phephelaphi seems to view Fumbatha as though in a fantasy world, as she wades out of the waterway in the township of Makokoba. The two fall in love, but Phephelaphi soon tires of his devotion, even while living with him. Prior to her mother's murder, Phephelaphi studied to become self-sufficient. After gaining a position at a neighbourhood nursing school, she learns she is pregnant and no longer qualified for the class. Therefore, she induces an abortion to be able to apply for the program. Questioning his love for her, he ends up cheating on her. At some point, he later admits to an affair with another woman.
There are two main characters in this novel:
Phephelaphi: A young, independent, educated woman with ambition and dreams. Her mother was killed by her ex-lover, a white policeman. She lives with her mother's friends, but soon leaves to live with Fumbatha. She gains a nursing position, but then finds out that she is pregnant and decides to perform her own abortion.
Fumbatha: A middle-aged male construction worker who is relatively poor. He falls in love with Phephelaphi, and they live together in a one-bedroom apartment. Tension between the couple arises when Fumbatha finds out that Phephelaphi plans on performing her own abortion.
At the end she sets herself on fire as Fumbatha enters their house.
Butterfly Burning received enthusiastic critical attention, with World Literature Today describing it as "richly poetic while also brutally realistic...a compelling work of fiction", and Michelle Cliff writing in the Voice Literary Supplement: "Vera explodes myths of womanhood and romance, and realistically and unsentimentally depicts the price women may pay for their longing to become someone, to decolonize themselves." [1] In 2002, the novel received a German literary award, LiBeraturpreis. In 2003, the book was selected for special recognition for a foreign author in the Italian Premio Feronia-Citta di Fiano award. It was identified as one of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century in 2002, by a collaborative project involving several African literary organisations. [2]
The Cider House Rules (1985) is a novel by American writer John Irving, a Bildungsroman, which was later adapted into a film (1999) and a stage play by Peter Parnell. The story, set in the pre– and post–World War II era, is about a young man, Homer Wells, growing up under the guidance of Dr. Wilbur Larch, an obstetrician and abortionist. The story relates his early life at Larch's orphanage in Maine and follows Homer as he eventually leaves the nest and comes of age in the world.
Nellallitea "Nella" Larsen was an American novelist. Working as a nurse and a librarian, she published two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, she earned recognition by her contemporaries.
Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights is a 1994 made-for-television film produced by Studio B Productions, Hanna-Barbera, and aired on syndication on September 3, 1994. It is an adaptation of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights and features appearances by Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers, in wraparound segments.
Yvonne Vera was an author from Zimbabwe. Her first published book was a collection of short stories, Why Don't You Carve Other Animals (1992), which was followed by five novels: Nehanda (1993), Without a Name (1994), Under the Tongue (1996), Butterfly Burning (1998), and The Stone Virgins (2002). Her novels are known for their poetic prose, difficult subject-matter, and their strong women characters, and are firmly rooted in Zimbabwe's difficult past. For these reasons, she has been widely studied and appreciated by those studying postcolonial African literature.
O Crime do Padre Amaro, subtitled 'Scenes of Religious Life', is a novel by the 19th-century Portuguese writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875 to great controversy.
The Funhouse is a 1980 novelization by American author Dean Koontz, based on a Larry Block screenplay, which was made into the 1981 film The Funhouse, directed by Tobe Hooper. As the film production took longer than expected, the book was released before the film.
The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 is a novel by Richard Brautigan first published in 1971 by Simon & Schuster. In subsequent printings the title is often shortened to simply The Abortion.
Marguerite Audoux was a French novelist.
My Sweet Audrina is a 1982 novel by V. C. Andrews. It was the only stand-alone novel published during Andrews' lifetime and was a number-one best-selling novel in North America. The story takes place in the Mid-Atlantic United States during the 1960s and 1970s. The story features diverse subjects, such as brittle bone disease, rape, posttraumatic stress disorder and diabetes, in the haunting setting of a Victorian-era mansion near the fictitious River Lyle.
Faye Wattleton is an American reproductive rights activist who was the first African American and the youngest president ever elected of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the first woman since Margaret Sanger to hold the position. She is currently Co-founder & Director at EeroQ, a quantum computing company. She is best known for her contributions to family planning and reproductive health, and the reproductive rights movement.
Fortunata y Jacinta, was written by Benito Pérez Galdós in 1887 and published in the same year. It is, together with Leopoldo Alas y Ureña's La Regenta, one of the most popular and representative novels of Spanish literary realism. Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, the author went to Madrid, the capital, to study law at age 18. There he would create a literary world that was present in almost all his writings. The novel was a sensation upon its release because of its scathing critique of the Spanish middle class, and for its frank sexuality. While criticized by political and religious leaders, it was praised by peers of Galdós for its realistic depiction of life amongst all classes in 19th century Madrid.
Crossing the River is a historical novel by British author Caryl Phillips, published in 1993. The Village Voice calls it "a fearless reimagining of the geography and meaning of the African diaspora." The Boston Globe said, "Crossing the River bears eloquently chastened testimony to the shattering of black lives."
Daddy is a 1989 novel by American Danielle Steel. It is Steel's 25th novel.
Clara Callan is a novel by Canadian writer Richard B. Wright, published in 2001. It is the story of a woman in her thirties living in Ontario during the 1930s and is written in epistolary form, utilizing letters and journal entries to tell the story. The protagonist, Clara, faces the struggles of being a single woman in a rural community in the early 20th century. The novel won the Governor General's Award in English fiction category, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and the Trillium Book Award.
Norma Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho. She is the deceased mother and victim of serial killer Norman Bates, who had developed a murderous split personality based on her.
A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story is a 1994 biographical television film directed by Larry Peerce. The film is about the early life of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Margaret Mitchell, who rose to fame after publishing Gone with the Wind.
Good In Bed is the debut novel of Jennifer Weiner. It tells the story of an overweight Jewish female journalist, her love and work life and her emotional abuse issues with her father. The novel was a New York Times Best Seller and is currently being adapted into a film produced by and starring Mindy Kaling for HBO Max. Aspects of the plot were inspired by Weiner's own life.
The Courtney Novels are a series of seventeen novels published between 1964 and 2019 by Wilbur Smith. They chronicle the lives of the Courtney family, from the 1660s through until 1987. The novels can be split into three parts; the original trilogy of novels follow the twins Sean and Garrick Courtney from the 1860s until 1925. The second part is five books which follows Centaine de Thiry Courtney, her sons and grandchildren between 1917 and 1987. The third part, the most recently written, follows the Courtney family from the 1660s through until 1939, focusing on successive generations of the family. There are also two books that follow the third series. As well, there are three additional Courtney books.
The House of Discarded Dreams is a 2010 fantasy novel by Ekaterina Sedia about a college student who experiences many fairy tales and legends as she finds her place in the world.
Under the Udala Trees is a novel by Nigerian-American author Chinelo Okparanta written in 2015. It is set in 1960s Nigeria and follows the story of Ijeoma, a girl growing up in war-torn Nigeria who must come terms to term with her sexuality and the conflict this presents in society.
 | This article about a 1990s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |
 | This article about an African novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |