Best Selling Books by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Born in East Africa, Yusuf has few qualms about the journey he is to make. It never occurs to him to ask why he is accompanying Uncle Aziz or why the trip has been organised so suddenly, and he does not think to ask when he will be returning. But the truth is that his ''uncle'' is a rich and powerful merchant and Yusuf has been pawned to him to pay his father''s debts. Paradise is a rich tapestry of myth, dreams and Biblical and Koranic tradition, the story of a young boy''s coming of age against the backdrop of an Africa increasingly corrupted by colonialism and violence.

A masterwork by the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, in which the consequences of an illicit love affair reverberate from the heyday of the British empire to the aftermath of African independence Early one morning in 1899, an Englishman named Martin Pearce stumbles out of the desert into an East African coastal town and collapses at the feet of Hassanali, a local shopkeeper. When Hassanali’s sister, the beautiful and disillusioned Rehana, nurses Pearce back to health, a love affair sparks, with consequences that will ripple decades into the future, when another clandestine affair bursts into flame, with equally unforeseen and dramatic consequences. In this devastating and ingeniously spun tale, the Nobelist Abdulrazak Gurnah brilliantly dramatizes the personal and political legacies of colonialism.

By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Abbas has never told anyone about his past; about what happened before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a Boots in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life in Norwich with their children, Jamal and Hanna. Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him bedbound and unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to. Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself Anna now, and has just moved to a new city to be near her boyfriend. She feels the relationship is headed somewhere serious, but the words have not yet been spoken out loud. Jamal, the listener of the family, moves into a student house and is captivated by a young woman with dark-blue eyes and her own, complex story to tell. Abbas''s illness forces both children home, to the dark silences of their father and the fretful capability of their mother Maryam, who began life as a foundling and has never thought to find herself, until now. ________________________ ''Gurnah is a master storyteller'' FINANCIAL TIMES ''Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth'' THE TIMES

BY THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 2021''One of Africa''s greatest living writers'' Giles Foden''Exquisite'' Telegraph''A remarkable novel, by a wondrous writer'' Philippe Sands''To read Afterlives is to be returned to the joy of storytelling'' Aminatta Forna''Effortlessly compelling storytelling ... You forget that you are reading fiction, it feels so real'' Leila Aboulela Restless, ambitious Ilyas was stolen from his parents by the Schutzruppe askari, the German colonial troops; after years away, he returns to his village to find his parents gone, and his sister Afiya given away. Hamza was not stolen, but was sold; he has come of age in the army, at the right hand of an officer whose control has ensured his protection but marked him for life. Hamza does not have words for how the war ended for him. Returning to the town of his childhood, all he wants is work, however humble, and security - and the beautiful Afiya. The century is young. The Germans and the British and the French and the Belgians and whoever else have drawn their maps and signed their treaties and divided up Africa. As they seek complete dominion they are forced to extinguish revolt after revolt by the colonised. The conflict in Europe opens another arena in east Africa where a brutal war devastates the landscape. As these interlinked friends and survivors come and go, live and work and fall in love, the shadow of a new war lengthens and darkens, ready to snatch them up and carry them away.

The debut novel by the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Vehement, comic and shrewd, Abdulrazak Gurnah''s first novel is an unwavering contemplation of East African coastal life Poverty and depravity wreak havoc on Hassan Omar''s family. Amid great hardship he decides to escape. The arrival of independence brings new upheavals as well as the betrayal of the promise of freedom. The new government, fearful of an exodus of its most able men, discourages young people from travelling abroad and refuses to release examination results. Deprived of a scholarship, Hassan travels to Nairobi to stay with a wealthy uncle, in the hope that he will release his mother''s rightful share of the family inheritance. The collision of past secrets and future hopes, the compound of fear and frustration, beauty and brutality, create a fierce tale of undeniable power. ____________________ ''Gurnah is a master storyteller'' FINANCIAL TIMES ''Exile has given Gurnah a perspective on the “balance between things” that is astonishing, superb'' OBSERVER ''A captivating storyteller'' GUARDIAN ''Gurnah etches with biting incisiveness the experiences of immigrants exposed to contempt, hostility or patronising indifference on their arrival in Britain'' SPECTATOR

By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature ''There is a wonderful sardonic eloquence to this unnamed narrator''s voice'' Financial Times ''I don''t think I''ve ever read a novel that is so convincingly and hauntingly sad about the loss of home'' Independent on Sunday _____________________ He thinks, as he escapes from Zanzibar, that he will probably never return, and yet the dream of studying in England matters above that. Things do not happen quite as he imagined – the school where he teaches is cramped and violent, he forgets how it feels to belong. But there is Emma, beautiful, rebellious Emma, who turns away from her white, middle-class roots to offer him love and bear him a child. And in return he spins stories of his home and keeps her a secret from his family. Twenty years later, when the barriers at last come down in Zanzibar, he is able and compelled to go back. What he discovers there, in a story potent with truth, will change the entire vision of his life.

From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, six powerful novels for fans of Zadie Smith, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Teju Cole. Included in this bundle, you''ll find: Memory of Departure Vehement, comic and shrewd, Abdulrazak Gurnah''s first novel is an unwavering contemplation of East African coastal life. Pilgrims Way An extraordinary depiction of the life of an immigrant as he struggles to come to terms with the horror of his past and the meaning of his life in England. Dottie A searing tale of a young woman discovering her troubled family history and cultural past. Admiring Silence A dazzling tale of cultural identity and displacement and the story of a man''s dual lives as a refugee from his native Zanzibar in England. The Last Gift An astounding meditation on family, self and the meaning of home that follows a father, and his two children, all haunted by their unspoken family history. Gravel Heart A powerful story of exile, migration, and betrayal, that evokes the immigrant experience with unsentimental precision and profound understanding.

By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature ''The elegance and control of Gurnah''s writing, and his understanding of how quietly and slowly and repeatedly a heart can break, make this a deeply rewarding novel'' Kamila Shamsie, Guardian ________________________ For seven-year-old Salim, the pillars upholding his small universe – his indifferent father, his adored uncle, his treasured books, the daily routines of government school and Koran lessons – seem unshakeable. But it is the 1970s, and the winds of change are blowing through Zanzibar: suddenly Salim''s father is gone, and the island convulses with violence and corruption the wake of a revolution. It will only be years later, making his way through an alien and hostile London, that Salim will begin to understand the shame and exploitation festering at the heart of his family''s history. ________________________ ''Riveting ... The measured elegance of Gurnah''s prose renders his protagonist in a manner almost uncannily real'' New York Times ''Glittering ... Each work is different from the last, yet they build into a powerfully evocative oeuvre that keeps coming back to the same questions, in spare, graceful prose, about the ties that bind and the ties that fray'' Telegraph ''A colourful tale of life in a Zanzibar village, where passions and politics reshape a family... Powerful'' Mail on Sunday

By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature ''Demands to be read and reread, for its humour, generosity of spirit and clear-sighted vision'' Evening Standard ''Gurnah zooms in on individual acts of violence ... and unexpected acts of kindness'' Daily Telegraph ________________________ Demoralised by small persecutions and the squalor and poverty of his life, Daud takes refuge in his imagination. He composes wry, sardonic letters hectoring friends and enemies, and invents a lurid colonial past for every old man he encounters. His greatest solace is cricket and the symbolic defeat of the empire at the hands of the mighty West Indies. Although subject to attacks of bitterness and remorse, his captivating sense of humour never deserts him as he struggles to come to terms with the horror of his past and the meaning of his pilgrimage to England.

By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021 A searing tale of a young woman discovering her troubled family history and cultural past ''Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth'' The Times _________________________________ Dottie Badoura Fatma Balfour finds solace amidst the squalor of her childhood by spinning warm tales of affection about her beautiful names. But she knows nothing of their origins, and little of her family history – or the abuse her ancestors suffered as they made their home in Britain. At seventeen, she takes on the burden of responsibility for her brother and sister and is obsessed with keeping the family together. However, as Sophie, lumpen yet voluptuous, drifts away, and the confused Hudson is absorbed into the world of crime, Dottie is forced to consider her own needs. Building on her fragmented, tantalising memories, she begins to clear a path through life, gradually gathering the confidence to take risks, to forge friendships and to challenge the labels that have been forced upon her.

A masterwork by the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, in which two immigrants’ conflicting stories about their common homeland reveal the buried truths that drove them from it On a late November afternoon, Saleh Omar arrives at Gatwick Airport from his native Zanzibar. With him he has a small bag in which lies his most precious possession—a mahogany box containing incense. He used to own a furniture shop, have a house and be a husband and father. Now he is an asylum seeker from paradise, silence his only protection. Meanwhile, Latif Mahmud, a distinguished young professor, lives quietly alone in his London flat. When the two encounter each other in an English seaside town, the narratives each carries of their mutual past begin to unravel—revealing an infinitely more fascinating story of love and betrayal, seduction and possession, and of a people desperately trying to find stability amidst the maelstrom of their times.

''One of the world''s most prominent postcolonial writers ... He has consistently and with great compassion penetrated the effects of colonialism and its effects on the lives of uprooted and migrating individuals'' Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee Delivered in London on 7 December 2021, ''Writing'' is the lecture of the Nobel Laureate in Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah. Collected here with three further essays, it explores his coming-of-age, his early experiences in 1960s Britain, the narratives of oceans, his lifelong love affair with reading, and the power of writing to subvert the stories that have been handed to us. Generous, funny and wise, this collection is the perfect introduction to the storyteller described as ''one of Africa''s most important living writers''; whose work, now spanning four decades, continues to spin wonder and magic while offering penetrating insight into exile, migration and homecoming. ''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'' Maaza Mengiste ''A wondrous writer'' Philippe Sands

Swahili translation of the Nobel-prize winning author''s 1994 novel Paradise. ufeffMzaliwa wa Afrika ya Mashariki, Yusuf anaondoka kwao kwa ghafla akiwa na umri wa miaka kumi na mbili. Haimjii hata kwa sekunde moja, kwamba atakuwa mbali na wazazi wake kwa muda mrefu, na wala hafikirii kuuliza atarudi lini au kwa nini safari iliandaliwa kwa ghafla kiasi kile. Yusuf anaamini kuwa anamsindikiza Ami Aziz lakini ukweli ni kwamba ''ami'' yake ni Mfanyabiashara, tena tajiri mkubwa, na Yusuf amewekwa rehani ili kulipia madeni ya baba yake. Yusuf anajikuta anasafiri katika miji na vitongoji vingi vingine ambako anakutana na watu wa kila namna. Anabalehe na kukua kwenye dunia inayobadilika kwa kasi kutokana na kuingia kwa ukoloni na udhalimu wake na jamii kuharibika kwa kuvurugwa kwa utamaduni wake. Hii ni tafsiri ya kwanza kwa riwaya za Abdulrazak Gurnah katika lugha ya Kiafrika. Abdulrazak Gurnah ni mshindi wa Tuzo ya Nobel ya Fasihi ya mwaka 2021. Ameandika riwaya kumi ikiwemo hii ya paradise. Gurnah ni Profesa wa Masomo ya Kiingereza na Fasihi za Kikoloni katika Chuo Kikuu cha Kent. Dkt. Ida Hadjivayanis ni Mhadhiri Mwandamizi wa Masomo ya Kiswahili SOAS, Chuo kikuu cha London. Ametafsiri riwaya kadhaa kwa Kiswahili na Kiingereza.

From the Nobel Prize winner, a coming-of-age story that illuminates the harshness and beauty of an Africa on the brink of colonization Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award, Paradise was characterized by the Nobel Prize committee as Abdulrazak Gurnah’s “breakthrough” work. It is at once the chronicle of an African boy’s coming-of-age, a tragic love story, and a tale of the corruption of African tradition by European colonialism. Sold by his father in repayment of a debt, twelve-year-old Yusuf is thrown from his simple rural life into complexities of pre-colonial urban East Africa. Through Yusuf’s eyes, Gurnah depicts communities at war, trading safaris gone awry, and the universal trials of adolescence. The result is what Publishers Weekly calls a “vibrant” and “powerful” work that “evokes the Edenic natural beauty of a continent on the verge of full-scale imperialist takeover.”

With nationalism and the far right on the rise across Europe and North America, there has never been a more important moment to face up to what we, in Britain, are doing to those who seek sanctuary. Still the UK detains people indefinitely under immigration rules. Bail hearings go unrecorded, people are picked up without notice, individuals feel abandoned in detention centres with no way of knowing when they will be released. In Refugee Tales III we read the stories of people who have been through this process, many of whom have yet to see their cases resolved and who live in fear that at any moment they might be detained again. Poets, novelists and writers have once again collaborated with people who have experienced detention, their tales appearing alongside first-hand accounts by people who themselves have been detained. What we hear in these stories are the realities of the hostile environment, the human costs of a system that disregards rights, that denies freedoms and suspends lives. ‘We hear so many of the wrong words about refugees – ugly, limiting, unimaginative words – that it feels like a gift to find here so many of the right words which allow us to better understand the lives around us, and our own lives too.’ – Kamila Shamsie All profits go to the Gatwick Detainee Welfare Group and Kent Help for Refugees.

Um enredo empolgante sobre exílio, memória, amor e traição, sob o pano de fundo da História e das relações tensas entre África e a Europa. Prémio Nobel de Literatura Fugindo de uma paradisíaca ilha de Zanzibar em plena revolução, Saleh Omar aterra no Aeroporto de Gatwick como requerente de asilo político, afirmando não saber inglês. Consigo traz apenas uma caixa de mogno contendo o mais requintado incenso e um passaporte falso. Para comunicar com ele, os serviços sociais recorrem ao seu conterrâneo Latif Mahmud, também ele exilado em Inglaterra. Quando os dois homens se encontram numa pequena cidade junto ao mar, este último acusa o primeiro de roubar a identidade do seu pai e de ser o responsável pela ruína da sua família. Será apenas o começo de uma longa história com duas versões diferentes, que liga os seus passados turbulentos durante e após a revolução, num ajuste final de contas. Romance magistral sobre a perda e a busca de identidade em terra de exílio, Junto ao Mar é uma história sobre honra, traição e redenção, que convida o leitor a redescobrir a história da África pós-colonial e os mitos do oceano Índico que brotam da memória colectiva. Os elogios da crítica: «Um romance com ecos das narrativas intrincadas de As Mil e Uma Noites (...). Uma espécie de beleza.» José Mário Silva, Expresso «Um romance envolvente, repleto de observações oportunas sobre o racismo, o imperialismo e o desconhecimento das realidades africanas.» The New York Times «Gurnah é um contador de histórias exímio.» Financial Times «Quase não ousamos respirar com medo de quebrar o encanto da leitura.» Times «A dedicação de Gurnah à verdade e a sua aversão à simplificação são admiráveis.» Comité do Nobel de Literatura

Do vencedor do prêmio Nobel de literatura, um romance arrebatador que tem como pano de fundo os efeitos brutais do colonialismo na África Oriental. Deutsch-Ostafrika, início do século XX. Os colonizadores avançam violentamente pela África, dizimando povos e impondo regras e costumes. No litoral do oceano Índico, Khalifa e Asha estão tentando ter o primeiro filho e logo conhecem Ilyas, que chega à cidade para trabalhar. Ainda menino, ele fora raptado por um askari das tropas coloniais e anos depois descobre que os pais morreram e que sua irmã, Afiya, está vivendo em condições deploráveis. Já Hamza chega em busca de emprego e segurança e lá acaba se apaixonando por Afiya. Num período de lembranças traumáticas, ele integrara a Schutztruppe, lutando contra o próprio povo ao lado dos colonizadores. Neste romance magistral, Abdulrazak Gurnah joga luz sobre as consequências devastadoras da opressão e do colonialismo sobre todo um continente. Enquanto os personagens vivem, trabalham e se apaixonam, pairam sobre eles o fantasma da guerra e a possibilidade de que novos combates arrasem a vida de todos mais uma vez. "Um relato compassivo do que há de incomum nas vidas comuns, Sobrevidas combina uma narrativa apaixonante com uma prosa cuja rara precisão emocional confirma o lugar de Gurnah entre os mais destacados estilistas da literatura inglesa contemporânea." — Evening Standard

Um dos romances mais representativos de Abdulrazak Gurnah, que reconfirma o seu talento de narrador e de cronista de uma África ainda desconhecida. Prémio Nobel de Literatura Ao romper de mais uma manhã, Hassanali está a caminho da mesquita quando um forasteiro branco, vindo do deserto, desaba a seus pés. Hassanali decide ajudar aquele homem — um explorador e orientalista inglês de nome Martin Pearce — levando-o depois para casa de um oficial, seu conterrâneo. Quando Pearce regressa para agradecer a Hassanali por lhe ter salvado a vida, também conhece a irmã dele, Rehana, com quem viverá uma história de amor proibido. Décadas depois, numa Zanzibar em vésperas da turbulenta independência do poder colonial europeu, Jamila, a neta deRehana, viverá com Amin numa história de amor em tudo semelhante, que desafiará a família, a moral e as convenções da sociedade. Obra representativa do talento de Abdulrazak Gurnah, O Desertor evoca o complexo ambiente social, religioso e cultural da África Oriental na época colonial através de duas histórias de amor, separadas pelo tempo, mas unidas pelo seu desfecho, evidenciando o intricado mosaico de uma África ainda desconhecida. Os elogios da crítica: «O livro tece uma ambiciosa tela do complexo mosaico social, religioso e cultural da África Oriental na época colonial.» Paulo Nóbrega Serra, Expresso [5 estrelas] «Gurnah é um contador de histórias exímio.» Financial Times «Uma proeza admirável... uma profunda investigação sobre a natureza do amor, da raça e do império.» San Francisco Chronicle «[Gurnah] é um escritor no máximo da sua forma, com um forte sentido danarrativa, um olho clínico para as dinâmicas familiares, e uma total compreensão da psicologia corrosiva do colonialismo.» The Seattle Times

Abbas non ha mai raccontato a nessuno del suo passato: di quanto accaduto prima di imbarcarsi in Africa come marinaio d’alto mare, prima di incontrare la sua futura moglie Maryam a Exeter, prima di iniziare con lei una vita tranquilla assieme ai loro figli, Jamal e Hanna. Ora, all’età di sessantatré anni, Abbas è costretto all’afasia a causa di un ictus, e teme di non poter più confessare il segreto che ha sempre portato con sé. Jamal e Hanna sono cresciuti, lasciando i genitori e spiccando il volo verso il mondo. Nati entrambi in Inghilterra, non riescono comunque a scrollarsi di dosso un senso di estraneità al paese in cui si trovano. Hanna, che ha deciso di togliere la H dal suo nome, è andata a vivere col suo ragazzo, ma la famiglia bianca di lui non manca di farle notare la sua differenza. Jamal, affascinato fin da bambino dai racconti delle vite degli altri, si trasferisce in una casa per studenti e rimane stregato da una giovane donna dagli occhi azzurri, e dalla sua complessa storia. La malattia di Abbas costringerà entrambi a un ritorno tra le mura di casa, alle ombre del padre e all’irrequietezza della madre Maryam che, nel forzato silenzio del marito, sembra aver finalmente ritrovato sé stessa. Il premio Nobel Abdulrazak Gurnah racconta l’esperienza dell’immigrazione senza retorica, in un romanzo intenso sull’appartenenza, sull’importanza del perdono e del dialogo. Una storia che scava nei segreti di una famiglia per mostrare quanto è importante comprendere il passato per capire chi siamo veramente, e chi abbiamo davvero di fronte.

Salim è un bambino intelligente, amante dei libri, e ha sempre saputo di essere un figlio indesiderato per suo padre Masud. Così è cresciuto affascinato dallo zio Amir, un uomo brillante ed estroverso, che vive con loro in una casa piena di segreti che alimentano gli incubi notturni del ragazzo. Sono gli anni ’70 e Zanzibar sta cambiando volto: l’arrivo dei turisti sulle spiagge bianche dell’isola offusca rapidamente la memoria dell’indipendenza dal Regno Unito e della rivoluzione che ha dato un nuovo assetto al paese. Quando suo padre, chiuso in una solitudine sempre più impenetrabile, se ne va improvvisamente di casa, Salim è confuso, prova vergogna, e le misteriose assenze della madre peggiorano la situazione. È ancora lo zio Amir, diventato un importante diplomatico, a offrire al giovane una via di fuga, invitandolo a frequentare un college a Londra. Quella città fredda, ostile e affollata, mette a dura prova i sogni di Salim, determinato però a cercare la sua strada mentre scopre i lati oscuri della sua famiglia e conosce la verità sui suoi affetti, sull’amore, il sesso e il potere. Il premio Nobel Abdulrazak Gurnah descrive l’esperienza dell’immigrazione senza retorica, in un romanzo intenso sull’appartenenza e il tradimento: la storia di un ragazzo che impara a difendersi dalla vita con la forza della letteratura. “Un romanzo che ti lascia qualcosa dentro: Gurnah sa che un cuore può spezzarsi senza far rumore, lentamente, e più volte.” Kamila Shamsie, The Guardian

Una historia de iniciación que ilumina la crudeza y la belleza de la África precolonial, por el premio Nobel de literatura 2021. Cuando los padres de Yusuf, de doce años, le dicen que vivirá con su tío Aziz durante una temporada, el chico se muestra entusiasmado. Pero lo que Yusuf no sabe es que su padre lo ha empeñado para saldar una deuda imposible de pagar, ni tampoco que Aziz no es pariente suyo, sino un rico y acaudalado comerciante con el que viajará por África central y las riberas del Congo en vísperas de la primera guerra mundial. A través de los ojos de ese chiquillo descubriremos una naturaleza exuberante y hostil, poblada de tribus despiadadas e invasores desalmados, en la que una vida humana vale tanto como unas cuantas gotas de agua. La crítica ha dicho... « Paraíso nos ayuda a comprender el espanto de la colonización. No se trata de un acontecimiento superado, sino de un drama que sigue marcando nuestro presente. [...] Abdulrazak Gurnah es un excelente narrador, con la capacidad de seducción de una moderna Sherezade. [...] Los gobiernos que levantan muros deberían leer Paraíso, una obra que no levanta barreras, sino puentes.» El Cultural «El gran descubrimiento del texto es la propia escritura de Gurnah, que es uno de esos autores capaces de combinar la precisión formal con grandes niveles de lirismo, misterio y evocación. Es a través de esa escritura intensamente sensitiva como el autor consigue que sobre el descubrimiento se cierna cada vez más poderosa la sombra de la destrucción.» El Correo «La prosa de Gurnah se despliega con una riqueza extraordinaria sobre un tapiz sensorial africano, en contraposición al británico. Es un mundo de aromas [...], de noches al aire libre, de jardines rumorosos, de serpientes, mosquitos y calor tropical. [...] Y de historias que saltan y se entrelazan sin fin, evocando a veces el imán narrativo de Las mil y una noches, componiendo un friso que no busca desenlaces sino vidas y caminos.» El Norte de Castilla «Gurnah evoca su mundo con una prosa poética que resulta pura y lúcida: un pequeño paraíso en sí misma.» The Guardian «Un libro que cobra vida con lo inesperado y donde se rescata de manera fascinante un mundo ya extinguido.» The Sunday Times «Un retrato evocador de un continente africano al borde del cambio. Una meditación conmovedora sobre la naturaleza de la libertad y la pérdida de la inocencia, válida tanto para un único niño sensible como para todo un continente.» The New York Times Book Review

Il sessantacinquenne Saleh Omar è un mercante di mobili di Zanzibar, richiedente asilo in Inghilterra. Come un Sindbad dei giorni nostri, Saleh lascia una terra dove il genio del male si è incarnato in governanti ladri pronti a ogni forma di moderna violenza politica: campi di concentramento, armi e uno stuolo di cortigiani. Al suo arrivo a Londra, all’aeroporto di Gatwick, Saleh mostra un visto non valido, rilasciato in patria da un suo parente e acerrimo nemico, Rajab Shaaban Mahmud. A Saleh è stato consigliato di fingere di non capire una parola di inglese, per cui l’assistente sociale che ha preso in carico il suo caso si trova costretta a chiedere la consulenza di un esperto di kiswahili, uno dei dialetti dell’Africa orientale: per ironia della sorte, l’interprete è Latif Mahmud, il figlio di Rajab, l’avversario di Saleh. L’uomo ha tagliato ogni ponte con la sua famiglia di origine dagli anni ’60, quando ha chiesto asilo come rifugiato in Inghilterra, dove vive nella nostalgia della sua terra. Saleh si trova ora faccia a faccia con Latif in una cittadina inglese sul mare. Entrambi rifugiati, con un’origine e un destino ad accomunarli.

Paradiso è la storia di Yusuf che, a dodici anni, viene dato in pegno dal padre, un locandiere pieno di debiti, a zio Aziz, un ricco mercante. Nel fermento della città, tra swahili, musulmani d’Africa, colonizzatori tedeschi, camionisti sikh, Yusuf ha il suo rifugio nel giardino paradisiaco al centro della casa. È la storia dell’amicizia con Khalil, poco più grande di Yusuf, anche lui comprato da zio Aziz. È anche la storia dell’amicizia interrotta tra i due ragazzi, quando zio Aziz chiede a Yusuf di accompagnarlo in un viaggio d’affari nell’entroterra. È la storia della scoperta dell’amore di Yusuf, cresciuto, bellissimo, nella casa in cui viene educato. E diventa una lezione su come gli amori, soprattutto quelli proibiti, finiscono all’improvviso. È la storia del sultano Chatu che, nella città di Marungu, fa prigioniero Yusuf e i suoi, e li priva di ogni avere. Ma la prima guerra mondiale è alle porte, gli eserciti europei stanno conquistando il continente, e inizierà tutta un’altra storia per l’Africa, per le sue genti, per Yusuf. Un romanzo d’avventura, di formazione, di scoperta, che racconta un mondo alle soglie della sua definitiva trasformazione, dove si intrecciano favole, leggende, cruda realtà, poesia, amore. “Qua e là vi erano aranci e melograni. Agli alberi erano appesi degli specchi, posti troppo in alto perché Yusuf potesse vedersi riflesso. Anche se non l’avrebbe mai ammesso, in quei momenti il più grande desiderio di Yusuf era quello di essere imprigionato in quel giardino per un tempo indefinito.” “Avventure di viaggio, racconto sociale, atto d’accusa politico e una storia d’amore maledetta. Paradiso prende vita negli imprevisti, è l’affascinante riscoperta di un mondo dimenticato.” The Sunday Times “Un suggestivo ritratto dell’Africa sull’orlo del cambiamento. Una commovente meditazione sulla natura della libertà e la perdita dell’innocenza, tanto vera per un bambino quanto lo è per un intero continente.” The New York Times Book Review “Un libro emozionante. Assolutamente da leggere.” Stern

La más reciente novela del Premio Nobel de Literatura 2021, inédita al español en varios países. Una conmovedora historia de amor con la guerra y el colonialismo como telón de fondo. Cuando todavía era un niño, Ilyas les fue arrebatado a sus padres por las tropas coloniales alemanas; tras años de ausencia y de batalla contra su propio pueblo, regresa a la ciudad de su infancia, donde sus padres han desaparecido y su hermana Afiya ha sido dada en adopción. Otro joven regresa al mismo tiempo: a Hamza no lo robaron para que combatiera, sino que lo vendieron. Con tan solo sus ropas a la espalda, se limita a buscar trabajo y seguridad... y el amor de la hermosa Afiya. Apenas acaba de comenzar el siglo XX y alemanes, británicos, franceses y demás países se han repartido el continente africano. A medida que estos jóvenes supervivientes intentan rehacer sus vidas, la sombra de una nueva guerra, en otro continente, amenaza con llevárselos de nuevo. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, a sweeping, multi-generational saga of displacement, loss, and love, set against the brutal colonization of east Africa. A moving love story set against the backdrop of war and colonialism. When he was just a boy, Ilyas was stolen from his parents on the coast of east Africa by German colonial troops. After years away, fighting against his own people, he returns home to find his parents gone and his sister, Afiya, abandoned into de facto slavery. Hamza, too, returns home from the war, scarred in body and soul and with nothing but the clothes on his back--until he meets the beautiful, undaunted Afiya. As these young people live and work and fall in love, their fates knotted ever more tightly together, the shadow of a new war on another continent falls over them, threatening once again to carry them away.

Il giovane Ilyas è poco più che un bambino quando viene rapito dalla famiglia per mano di un soldato askaro di stanza nelle colonie tedesche dell’Ostafrika. Cresce affidato a un agricoltore europeo, impara la lingua e si guadagna un’istruzione, ma la vita insieme ai colonizzatori lo allontana dal suo popolo, ne fa un forestiero a casa propria. Allo scoppio della prima guerra mondiale si arruola volontario per combattere al fianco dei tedeschi, lasciando la sorella Afiya nella casa dell’amico Khalifa. Qui la ragazza incontra il giovane Hamza, tornato dal conflitto senza un soldo e con molte cicatrici nel corpo e nell’anima: dalla loro unione nasce una speranza, un figlio chiamato Ilyas come lo zio scomparso. Ma ormai sono gli anni trenta, la guerra che sta per scuotere ancora l’Europa arriva fino alle colonie africane, e il piccolo Ilyas comincia a sentire una voce misteriosa che sembra parlare solo con lui.

Près de la mer entremêle le destin de deux hommes réfugiés politique en Angleterre. Un grand texte sur l’exil et la dignité. Un soir de novembre 1994, Saleh Omar, soixante-cinq ans, débarque à l''aéroport de Londres, un faux passeport en poche. Dans son ancienne vie, sur l’île de Zanzibar, Saleh possédait une boutique, était marié et père de famille. Aujourd''hui, tenant contre lui un petit sac dans lequel se trouve son bien le plus précieux, une boîte en acajou contenant de l''encens, il est demandeur d’asile dans un pays qui ne veut pas de lui. À l’autre bout de la ville, Latif Mahmud attend impatiemment de rencontrer Saleh. Lorsque les deux hommes se retrouvent dans une ville côtière, une histoire se dévoile. Une histoire qui mêle amour et trahison, séduction et possession. À travers le destin mouvementé de deux hommes se dessine le combat d’un peuple qui tente désespérément de faire face à une succession d’événements tragiques. Un grand roman d’amour et d’exil, de déchirements mais aussi d’espoir.

Africa orientale, 1899. Hassanali è un piccolo commerciante che ogni mattina ha l’incarico di aprire la moschea e chiamare i fedeli alla preghiera. Un giorno, nella luce dell’alba, scorge un uomo esausto avanzare dal deserto, in fin di vita, e lo salva: è un viaggiatore inglese, Martin Pearce, scrittore e studioso d’Oriente. La sorella di Hassanali, Rehana, si prende cura dello straniero e tra i due nasce un sentimento tanto appassionato quanto proibito. Zanzibar, anni ’60. Amin e Rashid sono due fratelli, brillanti studenti cresciuti in una famiglia di insegnanti. Amin si innamora di Jamila, la nipote di Rehana, ma deve lottare contro l’opposizione dei suoi genitori. Rashid è attratto dall’Europa e vuole continuare gli studi all’estero, proprio quando sulla sua isola sta per scoppiare la rivoluzione. Il premio Nobel Abdulrazak Gurnah intreccia due storie d’amore che sfidano le convenzioni, per seguire il destino di tre generazioni misteriosamente legate tra loro. Un romanzo sulle conseguenze del passato, sulla forza combattiva dell’amore, sul potere salvifico della letteratura.