The "Anthills of the Savannah" starts as a satire and unfolds as a political thriller towards a theatrical ending. All in brilliant prose, which is tyThe "Anthills of the Savannah" starts as a satire and unfolds as a political thriller towards a theatrical ending. All in brilliant prose, which is typical of Chinua Achebe.
The satire bit didn't work quite well for me. Distant in time and geography, it felt like an inside joke which I didn't quite get. Yet I bet it feels different to a Nigerian who lived through the times. All I got is that in a totalitarian state (USSR in my case) satire was often the only lightning rod available to divert the absurdist drama of daily life.
It was serendipitous to read this novel next to "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Adichie for it captures the atmosphere leading to the coup d'etat in the post-independence Nigeria, which in turn leads to the civil war in Biafra region.
Now, Adichie and Achebe's literary styles are worlds apart, yet both Nigerian authors (and both Igbo by ethnicity) dig into the same past and extract meaning that shapes the present. What can I say: literature works in mysterious ways!...more
What a great voice from Africa. I have picked the book in Rome about seven years ago and it silently occupied its place on the shelf since. Thanks to What a great voice from Africa. I have picked the book in Rome about seven years ago and it silently occupied its place on the shelf since. Thanks to Naipaul's "A Bend on a River" (Tanzania, Congo) Africa was in my mind and that drove me to this "war and peace" novel about post-independence Nigeria.
It is masterfully written. At first, I thought how different it could have been, if written by a man. He would have used the civil war as a centerpiece with the web of relationship as a canvas. In Chimamanda Adichie's account, the relationships are in focus, whereas the civil war is the canvas. Not at the expense of the novel's quality, mind you. I often found that depiction of emotions by female writers are much superior, more precise.
My bad. As the narrative progresses, the escalation of the war brings its atrocities into focus untill this blots out the human relationships, reducing them to mere acknowledgements of characters being either dead or alive. Or else. In any case, every word rings true. I have "Amerikanah" on the shelf next to this title. It will not remain unread for long....more
Same factual style of writing. No drama, no confessions, no fun. At the same time, I found the memoirs intriguing. All the characters were real peopleSame factual style of writing. No drama, no confessions, no fun. At the same time, I found the memoirs intriguing. All the characters were real people, flesh and blood. All that happened was there and then, during a critical juncture when British East Africa was turning into independent Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the latter two morphing into the present days Tanzania.
Another dimension: no Kenyan fiction existed before Ngugi wa Thiong'o embarked on this endeavor. How is it to be a pioneer? First Kenyan play, then the first novel. Of course, there are role models from other African countries, Chinua Achebe and such. But still. Laying the foundation stone for a body of literature is mind-blowing.
All in one, his is a personal history which merges so closely with the national one. Memoirs to be enjoyed, but also studied....more
I haven't read anything that good in a while. The sharpness of focus, the clarity of details, the consideration for words brings together a vista whicI haven't read anything that good in a while. The sharpness of focus, the clarity of details, the consideration for words brings together a vista which is grand and unsettling at the same time. Yes, it leaves a taste which is bitter.
In the cataclysmic change woman and man have but a few options: seek shelter, lay low, grasp an opportunity for profit, respond violently and perish. Fatalism is proper: pleasure or pain - it all amounts to experience. In the end, only survivors can live to tell the story.
No names are mentioned, but one can guess a flight from Tanzania to eastern Congo, one can recognize the leopard hat of Mobutu Sesse Seko, it is not a fictional place, the post-colonial Africa as such. Things took a different turn in other places. I have read that Naipaul was criticized for colonial nostalgia, but I didn't think the novel was that narrow in perspective. It highlights the West as a place of refuge, for now, exposed to the same rottenness that comes with loss of roots.
Then there's the larger theme: there's order and people long to settle and there's chaos and one has to remain fluid. So much wisdom on 278 pages....more
It's great that André Aciman brought back to life these memoirs and allowed readers to partake in his experience of leaving behind Alexandria, aged 14It's great that André Aciman brought back to life these memoirs and allowed readers to partake in his experience of leaving behind Alexandria, aged 14, with other members of his picturesque family. His was a forced exile, unlike that of the Jews leaving Egypt under Moses leadership centuries before. Nonetheless, a vivid metaphor of migration and refugees of all times and all kinds....more
Protagonistul lui Llosa e un personaj real, Roger Casement, recunoscut pentru meritele în apărarea drepturilor omului în Congo și Peru. La fel de adevProtagonistul lui Llosa e un personaj real, Roger Casement, recunoscut pentru meritele în apărarea drepturilor omului în Congo și Peru. La fel de adevărată i-a fost sentința pentru trădare de patrie. Cum un diplomat britanic, apreciat de toată lumea, face pact cu inamicul, încercând să smulgă independența Irlandei natale, e un mister pe care scriitorul peruan s-a apucat să-l elucideze.
După mine, distanța psihologică dintre cele două ipostaze ale "eroului" n-a fost explicată. Un idealist, în mod clar, și un romantic. Unul care, văzând "iadul pe pământ", își promite să citească "Divina comedie" (n-o face). Unul care face paralelă între atrocitățile comise în Congo și Peru și statutul Irlandei ca domeniu dependent de Coroană. În fine, unul vrăjit de trecutul eroic al țării sale, care se apucă să învețe irlandeza (nu-i reușește). Un personaj nu prea simpatic, un homosexual neasumat, care-și caută iertarea "păcatelor" în religie. Un tip cu ochii legați.
Ar fi fost mai logic dacă depista, bunăoară, că interesul Coroanei Britanice era să elimine un rival în Congo (Regatul Belgiei) sau să submineze concurența în producerea cauciucului (având interese comerciale în Asia). Simțindu-se astfel trădat, Sir Roger, ar trăda la rândul său, schimbând loialitatea față de angajator pe cea față de o patrie mică și inocentă. Dar nu am văzut această tranziție în personajul lui Llosa și asta nu m-a convins.
În general, am impresia că Mario Vargas Llosa a debutat în forță cu romanele scrise în tinerețe ("Orașul și câinii", "Povestașul" sunt superbe!), devenind treptat un scriitor de meserie, pe alocuri comercial. Păcat....more
First class journalism neighboring a history lesson. Thanks to Michela Wrong, Zaire, Eritreea, Kenya aren't so outlandish. Now Rwanda too. What fascinFirst class journalism neighboring a history lesson. Thanks to Michela Wrong, Zaire, Eritreea, Kenya aren't so outlandish. Now Rwanda too. What fascinates me is that this is not some 'once upon a time in Rwanda' story. It's about today. A murderous and blood-thirsty dictator is going on and the Western democracies are dancing with him as if nothing happens. In that, this book changes the narrative about Rwanda for years to come and possibly has put a gunpowder keg on fire....more
An alternative portrayal of the immigrant. Not the entrepreneurial, smart person who takes destiny upon himself or herself, but one that has been betrAn alternative portrayal of the immigrant. Not the entrepreneurial, smart person who takes destiny upon himself or herself, but one that has been betrayed by his or her own country, shuts up on the world and carries on failure by not talking about pain. A victim really, not a survivor.
It rung true, but the I didn't sense the conflict as liberating. Lots of sarcasm, self-pity and self-deception. A resolution is to break up the silence but there is fear, so much fear of ending up worse. The original sin of having left something behind, unfixed and broken, casts a long shadow. Anyway, good literature....more
The Nobel Committee was spot on this year. Abdulrazak Gurnah is so intense, so lucid and so at home in a wide range of emotions. And it's only his debThe Nobel Committee was spot on this year. Abdulrazak Gurnah is so intense, so lucid and so at home in a wide range of emotions. And it's only his debut novel. He certainly deserves a bigger audience....more
Amusing yet slightly predictable. Perhaps it's the right moment to take a break from Mma Ramotswe agency which is only short from becoming matrimonialAmusing yet slightly predictable. Perhaps it's the right moment to take a break from Mma Ramotswe agency which is only short from becoming matrimonial. I'll be back for more....more
The originality of MMA Ramotswe is that not only she finds out what happened (as any decent detective would) but also decides how to go about the infoThe originality of MMA Ramotswe is that not only she finds out what happened (as any decent detective would) but also decides how to go about the information in hand. The Solomonic justice gets delivered in a way that our 'rule of law' fails to....more
Not the usual catch and kill stuff and not cabinet mystery solving either. I loved the setting and learning things about Botswana while sticking arounNot the usual catch and kill stuff and not cabinet mystery solving either. I loved the setting and learning things about Botswana while sticking around. Smart and unspoiled persons doing the right thing, drinking bush tea on a veranda in the shadows of Bougainvillea trees - suddenly I couldn't resist it....more
A series of portraits of Egyptians across several generations. Arranged alphabetically, and akin to letters which don't mean much before they are combA series of portraits of Egyptians across several generations. Arranged alphabetically, and akin to letters which don't mean much before they are combined into words, the portraits to not converge into a narrative. Perhaps, that's the point: citizens don't converge into a nation by simply having family ties. But that's the foundation. Similarly, letters are the foundation of speech, words, language....more
Short and deep. We all bear the mark of history and the safest place to be is becoming an uninvolved observant of the passing life (a neighborhood cafShort and deep. We all bear the mark of history and the safest place to be is becoming an uninvolved observant of the passing life (a neighborhood café is a perfect vantage point for that matter). With that comes some wicked optimism: things will improve eventually because things are in a constant flux....more
Povestea în sine e captivantă și umple cumva golul informațional despre Libia lui Gaddafi. Autobiografică - da, dar pe cât de autentică? Ca text literPovestea în sine e captivantă și umple cumva golul informațional despre Libia lui Gaddafi. Autobiografică - da, dar pe cât de autentică? Ca text literar, narațiunea încetează să funcționeze din moment ce se vede asaltată de patos și clișee ("nu sunt genul de om care să țină un jurnal" zice scriitorul care în următoarele pagini citează din acel jurnal). E destul de evidentă încercarea de a încropi o legendă din soarta tatălui, deși anxietatea fiului e foarte credibilă.
Un minus vine din cauza traducerii: Ona Frantz nu face deosebirea dintre libian și libanez, considerându-le (pe semne) sinonime. Citatul din Jean Rhys (autoare din Caraibe) este masculinizat, o fi crezând traducătoarea că e un filozof francez......more
Sunt interesante opiniile lui Coetzee, interesante și originale. Despre democrație, stat, stânga, dreapta, coțofene etc. Faptul că a introdus elementuSunt interesante opiniile lui Coetzee, interesante și originale. Despre democrație, stat, stânga, dreapta, coțofene etc. Faptul că a introdus elementul de biografie ficționalizată își are și el meritele. Atâta doar că e un pic disconcentrant să urmărești trei linii de subiect compartimentalizate formal pe o singură pagină. Evident, sunt curioase intersecțiile. Par să pună întrebarea: în ce măsură opiniile (tranșante) ne aparțin realmente din moment ce tonul, tema, poziția de viață sunt determinate de circustanțe aparent întâmplătoare? Aici cred că a vrut să ajungă, astfel că din acest punct de vedere - punct țintit, punct ochit....more
Sunt contrariat. E o continuare, desigur, după Copilăria lui Isus, dar nu pare să ducă undeva anume. Apar tot mai multe personaje în spațiul kafkian uSunt contrariat. E o continuare, desigur, după Copilăria lui Isus, dar nu pare să ducă undeva anume. Apar tot mai multe personaje în spațiul kafkian unde are loc acțiunea, metaforele se înghesuie - răspunsuri la întrebări care nu mă preocupă. Povestea merge mai departe din inerție, dar nu știu dacă mă mai interesează sfârșitul, nu mă convinge....more