Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah: A review


This story is set in East Africa in the early 20th century and follows the lives of three people - Ilyas, Afiya, and Hamza. Ilyas and Afiya are brother and sister and Hamza is in love with Afiya.

Ilyas was stolen from his family when he was just a child. He was stolen by German colonial troops and was forced to fight in their war against his own people. After years of fighting in their wars, when he is finally able to return home, he finds his family gone. His parents are no longer in their home and his sister has been given away.

Hamza, on the other hand, was sold into the war. He grew up under the tutelage and protection of the German officer who "owned" him. He would become an "Askari" soldier (local soldiers who served in the German Colonial Army). Both Hamza and Ilyas fought voluntarily for the Germans but they seemed to have little understanding of the political implications of the conflict. 

Abdulrazak Gurnah was the 2021 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, thus continuing the string of winners of this prize of whom I had never heard before their winning. Obviously, I've not read anything else by him so I have no way of judging if this book is a fair example of his writing. If it is then I would have to say that I'm not sure why he was deserving of the Nobel. I was just not very impressed by his writing here. The idea of the plot was interesting enough and the historical events on which it was based were certainly important but I could not really identify with any of the characters and so found it hard to have my interest fully engaged.  





 

Comments

  1. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzMarch 29, 2024 at 7:16 AM

    That's disappointing. I must say that as a nonprofessional reader, I often come away from literary award winning books feeling like the read was meh. I am not sure whether it is because my expectations were high or whether it is just because I am not knowledgable about what makes greatness in a story.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 29, 2024 at 10:18 AM

      I find that I am seldom in agreement with the "professionals" in regard to the qualities of greatness in modern day literature. But then I am reading just for my own personal enjoyment and I would guess they are reading for a set of specific qualities.

      Delete
  2. CarmenMarch 29, 2024 at 2:50 PM

    I have this one in my TBR. Now I know what to expect. Too bad you didn’t like it.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 29, 2024 at 6:23 PM

      I'd be interested to know your thoughts after you read it.

      Delete
  3. David M. Gascoigne,March 29, 2024 at 4:07 PM

    The thing that always puzzles me about the Nobel Prize for Literature is how the people who make the decision are able to evaluate authors writing in different languages. Surely even the best translation does not capture all the nuance and flavour the author crafts into the work, and perhaps even constructs subtleties that are not there. Didn't Bob Dylan win the prize for literature? Read what you enjoy, I say, without regard to the winners of the various awards. Use them as a guide, by all means, but they do not represent the final seal of approval for everyone.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 29, 2024 at 6:25 PM

      And that is pretty much what I do. We are once again in agreement, David!

      Delete
  4. Lark March 30, 2024 at 11:42 AM

    You do expect really good writing from a Nobel Prize winner. Maybe they based his award more on his subject matter and what he exposes about that time period.

    ReplyDelete

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