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Publication: The Current, University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis MO.
Jessie Eikmann, Staff Writer
Nigerian-born writer Chinelo Okparanta's debut novel "Under the Udala Trees" transcends easy categorization. Narrow-focused classifications might call it a war story, a country study of the complexities of late 1960s-era Nigeria, or a star-crossed lesbian love story; however, this novel manages to pack all of these story elements and more into just over 300 pages.
The University of Missouri--St. Louis' Master of Fine Arts program co-sponsored Okparanta's reading from her novel at the Headquarters Branch of the St. Louis County Library on February 9. The reading was part of the MFA program's Natural Bridge Debut Writers Series and was co-sponsored by the St. Louis County Library, UMSL's Gender Studies program, the International Institute of St. Louis, and Left Bank Books. In her introduction of Okparanta, Myrta Vita, graduate, English, said, "There has been a growing appreciation in the United States for what we call African writing...This is because their stories cover a range of topics...with what I believe is fearless fluidity. There are themes of family, feminism, intersectionality, racism, faith, war, love, loss, death. All are represented in ductile and dazzling ways."
Vita's observation about the intersectionality of African writing is perfectly exemplified in "Under the Udala Trees." The story jumps into heavy themes such as war and family relationships in just the first chapter. The novel opens in war-torn Biafra in 1968,...