74 BOOK REVIEWSnormal, but also into the third person narrative itself is an achievementwhich is as yet unsurpassed. His resourcefulness shows the dynamic andtransitional nature of the Shona language, as well as the possibilities offuture literary development. A long poem forms a satirical epilogue to thenovel, summing up the vision of the artist in a brief but vivid way.Notwithstanding the national problem of a shortage of good qualitypaper at the time, College Press could have improved the quality of thecover by using a little more imagination.University of Zimbabwe E. M. CHIWOMEThe Sound of Snapping Wires Compiled by T.O. McLoughlin. Harare,College Press, 1990, xxii, 225 pp., ISBN 0-86925-910-5, Z$17,55.Professor T. 0. McLoughlin's selection of Zimbabwean short stories,published under the intriguing title, The Sound of Snapping Wires, isindicative of his long-standing interest in promoting the works of (young)Zimbabwean writers. One is reminded of his earlier anthology, New Writingin Rhodesia, published by Mambo Press, which was a selection of poetry,short stories and drama.1The latest collection focuses on the 'poor relation of Zimbabweanliterature': short stories. The perceptive introduction neatly posits themajor critical issues raised by the short story as a genre. It also providesan interesting historical overview of the chequered history of the shortstory in Zimbabwe. His essay highlights the pervasive influence of censor-ship, which effectively meant that there were very few outlets for shortstories with an overtly socio-political theme. A contrast is drawn with thecreative ferment that occurred in South African literary circles, where theshort story was a powerful medium of exploring the lot of the urbanizedBlack South Africans.The selection spans the period 1910-89 and introduces the reader toa number of Zimbabwean writers, from established literary figures likeArthur Shearly Cripps, Doris Lessing, Charles Mungoshi, Shimmer Chinodya,Dambudzo Marechera, Tsitsi Dangarembga and Pius Wakatama, to otherless well-known writers such as P. N. Katsande, Noel Masvosvere andDennis Matangara. Some of the stories are carefully crafted, while othersshow less skill in the writers' handling of language and theme.This is, nevertheless, a welcome selection, as many of the shortstories published in Zimbabwe appear in magazines and newspapers ratherthan in book form. It covers a variety of themes and the introduction ispitched at a level which will encourage both the informed reader and thesecondary-school pupil, to read around the subject. The editor pays duetribute to periodicals such as Moto, Parade, Prize and Mahogany whichhave done much to encourage the Zimbabwean short-story writer.University of Zimbabwe M. Z. MALABA1 T. O. McLoughlin (comp.), New Writing in Rhodesia (Gwelo, Mambo Press, 1976).