To make matters trickier, she was banned from visiting the Congo for speaking out against strongman Mobutu Sese Seko, further delaying her process. As she told the Guardian in 2013, Kingsolver even moved to the Canary Islands for a year to facilitate quick research trips to Africa. The author stuffed her ideas, clippings and notes into a file cabinet labeled “DAB”-the Damned Africa Book. The novel was a decade-long project.Īfter reading Endless Enemies, Kingsolver decided to write about a place she knew from childhood, but before she could start writing she had to research all the political turmoil she did not understand as a child. On her website, Kingsolver notes, “I wrote the book, not because of a brief adventure I had in place of second grade, but because as an adult I’m interested in cultural imperialism and post-colonial history.” 3. As a young child she was unaware of the politics and post-colonial history, but Kingsolver’s vivid memories of exploring the jungle made their way into the book. The author spent a year in the Congo when she was seven after her father, a physician dedicated to medically underserved populations, took a job there. Kingsolver’s father also took his family to Africa-with very different results. In addition to covering the death of Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba, Kwitny’s book focuses on America’s involvement in Grenada, Iran, Ethiopia, Chile, and many more.

Journalist Jonathan Kwitny’s 1984 book Endless Enemies is a cry of outrage over what he believes is the American government’s pattern of backing tyrants in the Third World. If you’re curious about the political upheaval that affects the book’s central characters, turn to the text that inspired Kingsolver in the first place. Let’s celebrate by taking a closer look at her most renowned novel.

Today is acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver’s 60th birthday.

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