THE CLOTHES OF NAKEDNESS

by Benjamin Kwakye

Into a poor, if jovial, world of a group of friends descends the intriguing and dapper Mystique Mysterious bearing attractive offers of a better life. Embracing him is to fall prey to his diabolical machinations; however, those that dare challenge or ignore him do so at their own peril. Faced with seemingly impossible choices, each character must struggle to contend with forces that seem out of human control and endeavor to carve out his or her own destiny.

Into a poor, if jovial, world of a group of friends descends the intriguing and dapper Mystique Mysterious bearing attractive offers of a better life. Embracing him is to fall prey to his diabolical machinations; however, those that dare challenge or ignore him do so at their own peril. Faced with seemingly impossible choices, each character must struggle to contend with forces that seem out of human control and endeavor to carve out his or her own destiny. With the flora and fauna of Accra as its backdrop, The Clothes of Nakedness examines the complexities of human interactions and, in the process, offers a gritty expose of relations between rich and poor in modern Ghana.

Praise for The Clothes of Nakedness

“This novel is refreshingly West African in content and style, with slight hints of Achebe and Soyinka.”

-Gaele Sobott-Mogwe

“[O]ffers a powerful insight into the vulnerability of human nature and Ghanaian life.”

— Orbit

Praise for The Sun by Night

“The novel has a universal dimension in its attempt to unravel the truth, moral contradictions, and expose the frailties, ambivalence, and moral contradictions in the human condition. The characters are true to life and yet, authorial mediation is not imposed. It is a compelling revelation of post-colonial concerns presented through a brilliant weaving together of events, setting and characterisation. [I]t is an intricately structured work of literature that sustains the reader’s interest by manipulating modern and traditional story-telling devices in a captivating manner.” —Commonwealth Writers Prize Citation

“This impressive novel… is a truly epic work encompassing the vast span of events and issues in post colonial Ghana…Kwakye’s erudite work… is distinguished both by its artistic virtuosity and the depth and thoroughness of its treatment of the issues.”

-Eustace Palmer
the Journal of African Literature Association

“The reader’s day [is] made with Kwakye’s granulation of elaborate style, profound themes and storytelling finesse. In a word, mind-blowing novelistic fundamentals.”

—Daily Sun

CATEGORY
Fiction/AFRICA

Pub. Date
2007