Travelers (novel)

Travelers is a 2019 novel by Nigerian author Helon Habila. It was published by W. W. Norton & Company.[1] The story revolves around the life of a Nigerian expatriate who travels around Europe to know more about African refugees.[2][3]

Travelers
AuthorHelon Habila
CountryNigeria
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
Set inGermany/Italy/UK/US
PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
Publication date
June 18, 2019
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages288
ISBN978-0-393-23959-1
Preceded byThe Chibok Girls 

Plot

Travelers is about a Nigerian graduate student living in the United States who relocates to Berlin with his wife Gina, who has won a prestigious arts fellowship. In Berlin, he meets the community of African refugees and encounters with his identity and the privilege of being able to travel freely. Due to racial problems, he divorces with his wife and decides to travel around Europe in order to meet with more African refugees.[4][5]

Characters
  • Gina – the narrator's wife
  • Mark – a Malawian transgender student who is the narrator's friend
  • Manu – a Libyan surgeon of Nigerian extraction who the narrator meets in Berlin
  • Portia – the daughter of a Zambian writer
  • Juma
  • Karim
  • Flaubert

Reception and award

Emad Mirmotahari of World Literature Today wrote that the novel "refuses nostalgia for the cultural energies of African decolonization and the restorative promise of pan-Africanism".[6] Washington City Paper described it as a novel that "does not deal in stereotypes".[7] Otosirieze Obi-Young of Brittle Paper commented that it "appears to be aiming for a kind of completeness".[8] Edward Docx writing for The Guardian felt that it was "replete with literary references that twist and gleam through the narrative, adding light and riches and setting off unexpected resonances".[3] It was shortlisted for the 2019 Grand Prix of Literary Associations.[9] and was also shortlisted for the 2020 James Tait Black Memorial Prize.[10][11]

References
  1. Habila, Helon (June 18, 2019). "Travelers". W. W. Norton. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  2. "Fiction Book Review: Travelers by Helon Habila. Norton, $25.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-393-23959-1". Publishers Weekly. April 10, 2019.
  3. Docx, Edward (June 21, 2019). "Travellers by Helon Habila review – bravura exploration of the refugee crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  4. Habila, Helon (April 28, 2019). "TRAVELERS | KIRKUS REVIEWS". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  5. Habila, Helon (June 24, 2019). "EXCERPT FROM TRAVELERS – Literary Hub". Literary Hub. GROVE ATLANTIC AND ELECTRIC LITERATURE. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  6. Mirmotahari, Emad (2020). "Travelers by Helon Habila". World Literature Today. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  7. Ottenberg, Eve (September 19, 2019). "Helon Habila's Travelers Is a Profound Look at the Refugee Experience". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  8. Obi-Young, Otosirieze (May 8, 2019). "Helon Habila's Fourth Novel, Travellers, Is a Roaming Exploration of the Lives of African Immigrants in Three European Countries". Brittle Paper. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  9. Online, Bamenda (May 8, 2020). "GPLA 2019: Seven Nominees for the Seventh Edition". Bamenda Online.
  10. Ibeh, Chukwuebuka (June 25, 2020). "Helon Habila's Travelers Shortlisted for the 2020 James Tait Black Memorial Prize". Brittle Paper. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  11. James Murua (June 28, 2020). "HELON HABILA, SAIDIYA HARTMAN ON JAMES TAIT BLACK MEMORIAL PRIZE 2020 SHORTLISTS". Retrieved October 20, 2021.
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