News | Thursday, 22nd October 2020
Lauded new Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi novel written as University masters degree student
Lecturer’s new book The First Woman hailed by critics as a “mesmerising feminist epic”
A new novel by lecturer Dr Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi heralded as a “mesmerising feminist epic” was written when she was studying for a Creative Writing masters degree at Manchester Metropolitan’s Manchester Writing School.
The First Woman, published by Oneworld, has won plaudits on both sides of the Atlantic, hailed as one of the best books released this autumn, with the New York Times praising Dr Makumbi for her “irresistible and poignant” prose, that shows “remarkable wit, heart and charm”.
And while the novel has received widespread attention, it is less well known that Dr Makumbi, now a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Writing School, wrote The First Woman while studying at Manchester Metropolitan over 15 years ago.
It is the novelist and short story writer’s third book, following the 2018 novel Kintu, for which she was awarded the prestigious Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction the same year.
She said: “I cannot believe that I have a third book out. It is exciting, it is daunting, it is a relief and self-affirming.
“It is the novel I wrote with Michael Schmidt [former Writing School tutor] at Manchester Metropolitan University for my MA Class 2001-2003. It was rejected far more times than the first one Kintu so it is quite satisfying.
“The response to it, both in the UK and in the US, has been astounding. It was worth waiting for. None of this has ever happened to me.”
The feminist coming-of-age tale follows Kirabo, growing up in a small Ugandan village in the 1970s, surrounded by powerful women. Her family are all desperate for her to conform, but Kirabo is inquisitive, headstrong and determined. Up until now, she has been perfectly content with her life at the heart of her extended family, but as she enters her teenage years, she begins to feel the absence of the mother she has never known.
The response to it, both in the UK and in the US, has been astounding. It was worth waiting for. None of this has ever happened to me.”
The First Woman invites readers to follow Kirabo on her journey to become a young woman and find her place in the world as her country is transformed by the dictatorship of Idi Amin.
Dr Makumbi said: “I hope the world will see a happy Ugandan childhood. I hope they'll see through the eyes of a Ganda girl what it means to occupy a female body and the implications of being a woman in that society.
“I hope people will see the Ganda indigenous thoughts on feminism and the nature of family and family ties in Uganda where I come from.”
A Chicago Review of Books review said that “Makumbi taps the shoulders of readers lest they forget the power of being able to tell your own story”, O the Oprah magazine described it as “a mesmerising feminist epic”, while the Economist said that “Ugandan literature can boast of an international superstar in Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi.”
Before joining Manchester Metropolitan in 2018, Dr Makumbi studied for a PhD at Lancaster University, and won the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her debut short story collection Manchester Happened was published in 2019.
Jennifer has earned her success through her extraordinary talents as a storyteller and through years of hard work and sheer determination.
Dr Jess Edwards, Head of the Department of English at Manchester Metropolitan, said: “Jennifer has earned her success through her extraordinary talents as a storyteller and through years of hard work and sheer determination. We’re fortunate to have been part of her story, and particularly lucky that she chose to return to us to join the Writing School.”
