The Forest

About this book

The Forest by Allan Nehemia Mkandawire is the author's first published work of fiction, written by a Zambian professional whose background includes physical planning and project management. Mkandawire had previously written unpublished short stories for secondary-school drama groups before developing this novel. The title places the forest at the centre of the book's imaginative world, suggesting a setting where movement, uncertainty, discovery and human decisions can take on heightened significance. The novel is suited to readers interested in contemporary Zambian fiction and in discovering writers whose professional lives sit outside the literary world but whose experience informs their storytelling. For schools, book clubs and general readers, The Forest offers an accessible entry into Mkandawire's fiction and marks the beginning of his published novel-writing career. It also forms part of a wider body of new Zambian fiction being developed through local publishing.