Araaya, Hailu (PhD)Danie, Abiye l2018-06-182023-12-052018-06-182023-12-051986-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/1210When we go back into the history of socialist countries we find that at the birth of socialism 9 during the transition period~ literature had a vital role to play. To be more precise 9 the socialist realist method contributed to the coming of socialism. This 50cialist realist methods filled with optimislTI 9 was committed to the working class. Many countries in the African continent are now going through a transition period towards socialism. A transition period, as stated above s is a very important period in which the African writer has a great role to play to hasten the coming of socialism. So far, most African writers~ using the critical realist method~ have only gone as far as merely depicting society. SOCiety in turn , has been presented in a deteriorating state. Apart from this, no place has been given for the optimistic rising class - the working class. Learning from the experience of socialist writers , a new African writer is emerging. Ngugi~ taken as an example, has been greatly influenced by Gorky's Mother, a socialist realist novel. Furthermore s as the African writer is living in a transition per;od ~ he is working towards socialism. This indicates that the socialist realist method has some implications that are useful to the African writer. These implications will help the African writer as a means for the advancement of socialism, which in turn, will improve the African novel.enFor the African WriterThesis