Marxism and its Influence in Ethiopian Novels

Marxist critics see art as a reflection of the social foundations of a society. Through literature, they seek for a greater understanding of the inner workings of a society as well as evidence of rejection or propagation of the dominant ideology. This book attempts to see the influence of Marxism in Bealu Girma s three novels: ''Haddis'', ''Yekey Kokeb Tiri'' and ''Derasiw''. It tries to examine how these novels reflect the realities of the period in which they are written or set.It also indicates how dominant ideologies manifest themselves in literary works. As it has been shown in the analysis of the novels, Bealu was able to reflect the socio-political realities of Ethiopia at different time in history. Furthermore, he indicated his socialist vision through the portrayals of optimist, caring and committed characters. This book should help literary critics to understand the application of Marxist principles and theories in analyzing literary works. Besides this book will benefit the critic by shading some light on ways of studying the ideological orientation of the writer by explaining the Marxist elements presented in the stories.