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The Book of Chameleons
The Book of Chameleons
paperback
Published:
24 May, 2007
Popular Books by Jose Eduardo Agualusa
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Description
"Ingenious, consistently taut and witty" TLS
Strange, elliptical, charming" Guardian
Set in contemporary Angola, this novel is populated with characters whose victories never quite settle. Like any one of us, they can forget things that have happened to them, and remember things that never did. Theirs is a world where the truth seems to shift from moment to moment, where history itself is up for grabs. Agualusa's slippery narrator takes us on a vivid and enthralling journey across the shifting landscape of memory and history, and - from his unique perspective - reveals a breathtaking love story too.
Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE
Prizes
Winner of Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2007
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781905147656 |
| ISBN10 | 1905147651 |
| Number Of Pages | 208 |
| Item Weight | 1000 g |
| Publisher / Reseller | Quercus Publishing |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
Fierce originality, vindicating the power of creativity to transform the most sinister acts. Not since Gregor Samsa's metamorphosis have we had such a convincing non-human narrator, brought vividly home to us by Daniel Hahn
-- Amanda Hopkinson * Independent *Strange, elliptical, charming * Guardian *
Humorous and quizzical, with a light touch on weighty themes, the narrative darts about with lizard-like colour and velocity
-- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Witty and perceptive. Agualusa has the distinction of being the first Angolan writer to be translated into English
* Herald *A curious tale of memory and how it can be shaped, threaded with literary nods, where dreams and reality interweave, and reality itself is interpreted in myriad ways . . . with truths shifting against a vividly drawn sense of place
* Metro *A magical tale of metamorphosis, friendship and revenge. Hahn's English translation matches the original's playful inventiveness with language. I loved this book. -- margaret jull costa
A subtle, beguiling story of shifting identities * Kirkus Review *
A poetic, beguiling meditation on truth and storytelling, a political thriller and a wholly satisfying murder mystery. * New Internationalist *
Lovers of stylish literary fiction will rejoice at this charming tale by Angolan writer Agualusa * Publishers Weekly *
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Jose Eduardo Agualusa was born in Huambo in 1960 and is one of the leading young literary voices from Angola, and from the Portuguese language today. His first book, The Conspiracy, a historical novel set in Sao Paulo de Luanda between 1880 and 1911, paints a fascinating portrait of a society marked by opposites, in which those who can adapt have any chance of success. Creole, which has evoked comparisons with Bruce Chatwin's The Viceroy of Ouidah, was awarded the Portuguese Grand Prize for Literature, while The Book of Chameleons won the Independent Foreign
Fiction Prize in 2007. The Rainy Season was published in 2008. Agualusa lives on the island of Mozambique.