Memory of Departure

By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

De: Abdulrazak Gurnah

Narrado por: Faaiz Mbelizi

Bloomsbury presents Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah, read by Faaiz Mbelizi.

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.
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‘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©1987 Abdulrazak Gurnah (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Reseñas de la Crítica

[A] captivating storyteller, with a voice both lyrical and mordant, and an oeuvre haunted by memory and loss. His intricate novels of arrival and departure … reveal, with flashes of acerbic humour, the lingering ties that bind continents, and how competing versions of history collide

Gurnah is a master storyteller (Aminatta Forna)

Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth

Exile has given Gurnah a perspective on the “balance between things” that is astonishing, superb

Gurnah etches with biting incisiveness the experiences of immigrants exposed to contempt, hostility or patronising indifference on their arrival in Britain

Excellent, An Early Novel of A Nobel Prize Recipient

This is a first novel of eventual Nobel Prize recipient Abdulrazak Gurnah. It is about a young man living in Africa and coming of age and pondering his future. It is not lengthy. It is very well written. I enjoyed it very much. As an audiobook the narration is excellent. However I did read along an actual book due to particular names and locations that were difficult for me. I intend to read more of this author in the future. Thank You…

#readrazakchallenge

The first chapter was a lot- very vulgar, disgusting, disturbing and raw. It’s my first time reading any of Abdulrazak’s work and I was thrown a back by how his writing is especially in that first chapter. He’s very raw, forthright and inhibited.
Once I got over the shock, I enjoyed the rest of the book.