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Paradise

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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah, read by Ashley Zhangazha.

By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature
A BBC RADIO 4 Book at Bedtime
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
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'A poetic and vividly conjured book about Africa and the brooding power of the unknown' Independent on Sunday

'Gurnah evokes his world in poetic prose which is pure and lucid – a small paradise in itself ... The pleasures, sadnesses and losses in all the shining facets of this book are lingering and exquisite' Guardian

'An obliterated world is enthrallingly retrieved' Sunday Times
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Born in East Africa, Yusuf has few qualms about the journey he is to make. It never occurs to him to ask why he is accompanying Uncle Aziz or why the trip has been organised so suddenly, and he does not think to ask when he will be returning. But the truth is that his ‘uncle' is a rich and powerful merchant and Yusuf has been pawned to him to pay his father's debts.

Paradise is a rich tapestry of myth, dreams and Biblical and Koranic tradition, the story of a young boy's coming of age against the backdrop of an Africa increasingly corrupted by colonialism and violence.©1994 Abdulrazak Gurnah (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Africa
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Adequate but not exceptional..compared to other Nobel Laureates ...I will try another of his books to see why he won the Nobel Prize

I would not say this work was exceptional..

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This book evoked the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of its setting in East Africa so brilliantly. I also enjoyed learning about life in another time and place, especially about trading and the practices of debt repayment.

Brilliant Evocations

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I had to relisten to a few bits because it’s quite complex, but didn’t mind with such excellent narration. Generally, very worthwhile and educational.

Fantastic narration

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It was great to listen again to this beautiful and atmospheric novel, and the reading is as good as the RNIB version that I loved so much when I first found it.
I am surprised to have waited so long for Audible to produce it, they having published ‘Aftermath’ and one of the others once Razak got the Nobel prize, but literature of this quality shouldn’t have had to wait so long.
Anyway, I highly recommend it as being both exquisitely written and a neat historical document.

A top-class production!

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It was interesting to learn about Tanzania during colonial times. The performance was great and due to the vivid language you can follow and get to know the characters.

Great historical insights

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