Afterlives - By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

Abdulrazak Gurnah

Summary

BY THE WINNER OF THE 2021 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE 
 
'Riveting and heartbreaking ... A compelling novel, one that gathers close all those who were meant to be forgotten, and refuses their erasure' Maaza Mengiste, Guardian 
 
'A brilliant and important book for our times, by a wondrous writer' Philippe Sands, New Statesman, Books of the Year 
_______________ 
While he was still a little boy, Ilyas was stolen from his parents by the German colonial troops. After years away, fighting in a war against his own people, he returns to his village to find his parents gone, and his sister Afiya given away. 
 
Another young man returns at the same time. Hamza was not stolen for the war, but sold into it; he has grown up at the right hand of an officer whose protection has marked him life. With nothing but the clothes on his back, he seeks only work and security – and the love of the beautiful Afiya.  
 
As fate knots these young people together, as they live and work and fall in love, the shadow of a new war on another continent lengthens and darkens, ready to snatch them up and carry them away… 
_______________ 
'One of the world's most prominent postcolonial writers … He has consistently and with great compassion penetrated the effects of colonialism in East Africa and its effects on the lives of uprooted and migrating individuals' Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee 
  
'In book after book, he guides us through seismic historic moments and devastating societal ruptures while gently outlining what it is that keeps those families, friendships and loving spaces intact, if not fully whole' Maaza Mengiste 
 
'Rarely in a lifetime can you open a book and find that reading it encapsulates the enchanting qualities of a love affair ... One scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment' The Times

Available since: 10/29/2021.

Print length: 288 pages.

2 Comments

24symbols EN

The latest novel of this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah, has just hit our shelves! Gurnah received the prestigious literary award for

“his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”. Press release. NobelPrize.org.
The Nobel laureate processes his own experiences and memories in his writings. At 18, he had to flee his home country Zanzibar and emigrate to England where he still resides. A fate that has marked the author’s worldview and has led him to contemplate the consequences of displacement and exile. His prose eloquently captures the feeling of having no place to call home, of never quite belonging.

Even though the literary scene has long praised Gurnah’s talent to turn historical events into captivating stories, he is still relatively unknown to the wider public. The Nobel Prize will hopefully change this. Discover more book recommendations on https://www.24symbols.com/24stories/en/the-best-books-of-the-moment/
24symbols EN

This book was featured as one of the best books of the moment. Have a look at our Magazine to discover our best books of the moment, a handpicked and periodically updated selection of the books you simply cannot miss: https://www.24symbols.com/24stories/en/the-best-books-of-the-moment/

About the author

Abdulrazak Gurnah

Abdulrazak Gurnah is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021. He is the author of ten novels: Memory of Departure, Pilgrims Way, Dottie, Paradise (shortlisted for the Booker Prize and...

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