Dambudzo Marechera was a Zimbabwean novelist, short story writer, poet and playwright whose works were famous for its critique on humanity and society. Often described as a ‘trouble maker’, Marechera was particularly distasteful of the then colonial regime in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). In 1978 came his debut in literature The House of Hunger, winning the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979.
The House of Hunger presents an anecdotal account of the post-colonial struggle of Ian Smith’s regime, brutal in fashion and written in a manner that often made me wince by virtue of its gritty details. The House of Hunger could be viewed as a bildungsroman (coming of age), but that of flesh that has been seared open and a corrosive substance poured over the wounds.
Marechera had been noted for his oblique outlook on humanity, very evident in The House of Hunger through his stream of consciousness literary style. Whilst it may seem as if Marechera was splurging his thought processes with little to no care for structure, the necessity for such an approach soon becomes clearer. It is this style that expertly conveys an impressive level of self-awareness to its audience. This is perhaps an indication of his state of mind and more so, the events that curtailed his life as explored in the book itself. Buried within a complexion of the political and colonial climate of then Rhodesia is the unique exploration of the human condition through an increasingly clouded yet absorbing novel.
Whilst a sense of place is often lost within the narrative given its style, you gain a sense of mental place, if there ever was one. There are times throughout the novel where you are unsure as to reliability, or even the sanity of the narrator. However, it is this lucid form of writing, picking at the bare bones of humanity, that is very honest and testament to Marechera’s ability to write. More often than not, postmodernism is expressed through the mouths of the English cannon. The House of Hunger becomes the vessel to explore issues such as poverty, race, colonialism, human relationships and loneliness from the African post-colonial perspective in liberating fashion. Marechera offers critique of humanity from the perspective of those who have greater right to do so.
There is little joy in The House of Hunger; but that does not undermine its excellence. I have never seen personification of inanimate objects, both tangible and fanatical, used in ways Marechera does. Is it possible to describe wretched disaster and psychotic episodes in the most beautiful of ways? Marechera made it so. Here we have a man, talented in many aspects, that has been suppressed so much so that hunger does not only relate to depths of his stomach but also a metaphor for his soul. I was left eager read more of Marechera’s work because this short novel simply wasn’t enough. A quote on the blurb sums up this novel far too well and so must be included:
‘“I got my things and left” is the coolest opening line in African fiction. Marechera is nothing like any African writer before him’. — Helon Habita, writer from Nigeria.
