"Afterlives" by Abdulrazak Gurnah - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Abdulrazak Gurnah

Birth and Early Life:
- Abdulrazak Gurnah was born on December 20, 1948, in Zanzibar, which was then a British protectorate.
Education:
- Gurnah pursued his education in Tanzania and later in the United Kingdom. He earned a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Dar es Salaam and later completed a Master's degree in development studies at the University of Kent.
Academic Career:
- Abdulrazak Gurnah has had a significant academic career, teaching English and Postcolonial Literatures. He was associated with the University of Kent, where he worked for many years.
Literary Career:
- Gurnah is best known for his novels that critically examine the impact of colonialism, displacement, and cultural identity. His works often draw on his experiences and insights into the complexities of postcolonial Africa.
Notable Works:
- One of Gurnah's notable works is the novel "Paradise" (1994), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel explores the consequences of colonialism and migration in East Africa.
- Another significant work is "By the Sea" (2001), which delves into themes of love, betrayal, and historical upheavals in Zanzibar.
- "Afterlives" (2020) is another novel by Gurnah that explores the impact of German colonial rule in East Africa.
Recognition and Awards:
- Abdulrazak Gurnah's literary contributions have been recognized with awards and nominations. His works have gained acclaim for their depth, historical context, and exploration of complex human experiences.
Themes in His Works:
- Gurnah's novels often explore the complexities of postcolonial identity, displacement, and the historical legacies of colonial rule in East Africa. His storytelling is known for its nuanced portrayal of characters navigating the challenges of cultural and historical change.
Legacy:
- Abdulrazak Gurnah's writings contribute significantly to the body of postcolonial literature. His exploration of the consequences of colonialism and the intricacies of identity has earned him a place among influential contemporary African writers.

Synopsis

From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, a sweeping, multi-generational saga of displacement, loss, and love, set against the brutal colonization of east Africa. When he was just a boy, Ilyas was stolen from his parents on the coast of east Africa by German colonial troops. After years away, fighting against his own people, he returns home to find his parents gone and his sister, Afiya, abandoned into de facto slavery. Hamza too, is back from the war. He was not stolen but sold into service, where he became the protégé of an officer whose special interest has left him literally scarred for life. With nothing but the clothes on his back, he seeks only steady work and safety - until he meets the beautiful, undaunted Afiya. As these young people live and work and fall in love, their fates knotted ever more tightly together, the shadow of a new war on another continent falls over them, ready to snatch them up and once again carry them away. Spanning from the end of the nineteenth century, when the Europeans carved up Africa, on through the tumultuous decades of revolt and suppression that followed, AFTERLIVES is an astonishingly moving portrait of survivors refusing to sacrifice their humanity to the violent forces that assail them.

Historical Timeline

1902: Zanzibar becomes a British protectorate.
1919: After World War I, the League of Nations grants Britain mandates over Tanganyika (former German East Africa) and the former German East Africa territories.
1920s: Resistance movements against colonial rule emerge in various parts of East Africa.
1940s-1950s: Post-World War II period sees increased nationalist movements advocating for independence in East African colonies.
1950s: Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya against British rule.
1960-1963: Most East African colonies gain independence:
- 1960: Madagascar gains independence from France.
- 1961: Tanganyika (former German East Africa) gains independence from Britain.
- 1962: Burundi and Rwanda gain independence from Belgium.
- 1963: Kenya gains independence from Britain.
1964: Zanzibar gains independence from Britain, and later in the year, it merges with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.
1977: Mozambique gains independence from Portugal.
1993: Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia.
2011: South Sudan gains independence from Sudan.

This timeline provides a broad overview of the colonization of East Africa, highlighting major events leading to the establishment of European control and subsequent struggles for independence. It's important to note that the history of colonization is complex, and there were various local, regional, and international factors influencing the process.

The colonization of East Africa involved various European powers and occurred over a period of several decades. Here is a simplified timeline outlining key events in the colonization of East Africa:

1498: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches the coast of East Africa, marking the beginning of direct European contact with the region.
16th Century: Portuguese establish trading posts and forts along the East African coast.
17th Century: Omani Arabs exert influence along the coast, establishing control over certain territories.
19th Century:
- 1800s: European interest in East Africa increases due to the slave trade, ivory trade, and the search for navigable waterways.
- 1885: The Berlin Conference takes place, resulting in the partition of Africa among European powers. East Africa is divided into spheres of influence.
- 1888: Imperial British East Africa Company establishes control over present-day Kenya.
- 1889: Sultanate of Zanzibar grants concessions to Germany, leading to the establishment of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania).
1890: The Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty between Britain and Germany defines colonial boundaries in East Africa.
1895: Italy establishes control over Eritrea.
1896: The British establish control over Uganda.

1902: Zanzibar becomes a British protectorate.
1919: After World War I, the League of Nations grants Britain mandates over Tanganyika (former German East Africa) and the former German East Africa territories.
1920s: Resistance movements against colonial rule emerge in various parts of East Africa.
1940s-1950s: Post-World War II period sees increased nationalist movements advocating for independence in East African colonies.
1950s: Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya against British rule.
1960-1963: Most East African colonies gain independence:
- 1960: Madagascar gains independence from France.
- 1961: Tanganyika (former German East Africa) gains independence from Britain.
- 1962: Burundi and Rwanda gain independence from Belgium.
- 1963: Kenya gains independence from Britain.
1964: Zanzibar gains independence from Britain, and later in the year, it merges with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.
1977: Mozambique gains independence from Portugal.
1993: Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia.
2011: South Sudan gains independence from Sudan.

The colonization of East Africa involved various European powers and occurred over a period of several decades. Here is a simplified timeline outlining key events in the colonization of East Africa:

1498: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches the coast of East Africa, marking the beginning of direct European contact with the region.
16th Century: Portuguese establish trading posts and forts along the East African coast.
17th Century: Omani Arabs exert influence along the coast, establishing control over certain territories.
19th Century:
- 1800s: European interest in East Africa increases due to the slave trade, ivory trade, and the search for navigable waterways.
- 1885: The Berlin Conference takes place, resulting in the partition of Africa among European powers. East Africa is divided into spheres of influence.
- 1888: Imperial British East Africa Company establishes control over present-day Kenya.
- 1889: Sultanate of Zanzibar grants concessions to Germany, leading to the establishment of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania).
1890: The Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty between Britain and Germany defines colonial boundaries in East Africa.
1895: Italy establishes control over Eritrea.
1896: The British establish control over Uganda.

1902: Zanzibar becomes a British protectorate.
1919: After World War I, the League of Nations grants Britain mandates over Tanganyika (former German East Africa) and the former German East Africa territories.
1920s: Resistance movements against colonial rule emerge in various parts of East Africa.
1940s-1950s: Post-World War II period sees increased nationalist movements advocating for independence in East African colonies.
1950s: Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya against British rule.
1960-1963: Most East African colonies gain independence:
- 1960: Madagascar gains independence from France.
- 1961: Tanganyika (former German East Africa) gains independence from Britain.
- 1962: Burundi and Rwanda gain independence from Belgium.
- 1963: Kenya gains independence from Britain.
1964: Zanzibar gains independence from Britain, and later in the year, it merges with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.
1977: Mozambique gains independence from Portugal.
1993: Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia.
2011: South Sudan gains independence from Sudan.

MLN Materials

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Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Call Number: FICTION Gyasi
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Call Number: FICTION Hosein
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Palmares by Gayl Jones
Call Number: FICTION Jones
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Dangerous Love by Ben Okri
Call Number: FICTION Okri
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The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
Call Number: FICTION Serpell
On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the epic story of a small African nation, told by a mysterious swarm-like chorus that calls itself man's greatest nemesis. The tale? A playful panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction. The moral? To err is human.
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
Call Number: FICTION Ward
Let Us Descend is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching. Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader's guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation. From one of the most singularly brilliant and beloved writers of her generation, this miracle of a novel inscribes Black American grief and joy into the very land--the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South.