Afterlives

Afterlives is a 2020 historical fiction novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Zanzibar-born British author Abdulrazak Gurnah. It was first published by Bloomsbury Publishing on 17 September 2020.[1] Set mainly in the context of the first half of the 20th century, the plot follows four protagonists living in an unnamed town on the Swahili coast of what is now Tanzania from the time of the German colonial rule until a few years after independence.[2][3] In April 2021, the novel was longlisted for the Orwell Prize of Political Fiction.[4]

Afterlives
First edition
AuthorAbdulrazak Gurnah
GenreHistorical fiction
PublisherBloomsbury
Publication date
17 September 2020
Pages288
ISBN978-1-5266-1585-5
Preceded byGravel Heart 

Critical reception

The novel received generally positive reviews. David Pilling of the Financial Times described it as a "book of quiet beauty and tragedy".[2] In a review for The Guardian, Maaza Mengiste praised its narrative details of colonialism and depiction of psychologically complicated relationships, though she felt that the ending was rushed. Referring to the "deliberate exclusion of an African perspective" from historical archives, she concludes: "In Afterlives, he considers the generational effects of colonialism and war, and asks us to consider what remains in the aftermath of so much devastation."[5]

It was selected for The Washington Post's "10 Best Books of 2022" list.[6]

References
  1. "Afterlives". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. Pilling, David (22 October 2020). "Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah — forgotten Africa". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  3. Carington, Francesca (7 October 2021). "Afterlives by Adbulrazak Gurnah, review: love and loss in German East Africa". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. Comerford, Ruth (9 April 2021). "Granta and Dialogue claim multiple titles on Orwell Prize longlists". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. Mengiste, Maaza (30 September 2020). "Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah review – living through colonialism". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. "The 10 Best Books of 2022". The Washington Post. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.


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