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Harare North

Brian Chikwava

$27.99

Paperback

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English
Vintage
15 April 2010
A shocking, powerful and hugely acclaimed first novel, about life as a refugee.

When he lands in Harare North, our unnamed protagonist carries nothing but a cardboard suitcase full of memories and a longing to be reunited with his childhood friend, Shingi.

He ends up in Shingi's Brixton squat where the inhabitants function at various levels of desperation. Shingi struggles to find meaningful work and to meet the demands of his family back home; Tsitsi makes a living renting her baby out to women defrauding the Social Services.

As our narrator struggles to make his way in 'Harare North', negotiating life outside the legal economy and battling with the weight of what he has left behind in strife-torn Zimbabwe, every expectation and preconception is turned on its head.

This is the story of a stranger in a strange land - one of the thousands of illegal immigrants seeking a better life in England - with a past he is determined to hide.
By:  
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 130mm,  Spine: 15mm
Weight:   170g
ISBN:   9780099526759
ISBN 10:   0099526751
Pages:   240
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Brian Chikwava is among the exciting new generation of writers emerging from the African continent. His short story Seventh Street Alchemy was awarded the 2004 Caine Prize for African Writing. He has been a Charles Pick fellow at the University of East Anglia, and lives in London.

Reviews for Harare North

Page by page, line by line, Brian has created a perfectly original and true narrative voice. ..Full of surprises, delicious little tics, and real fire-in-the-belly creativity ..but importantly, the voice comes off as effortless, and therefore true...it's a major accomplishment. Tod Wodicka author of ALL SHALL BE WELL Chikwava's sharp irreverent levity...Harare North's wit and suggestiveness' -- Mary Fitzgerald New Statesman ...Chikwava has created an utterly compelling anti-hero...This is a brave thing for any writer, especially for a first-time novelist to attempt, but Chikwava pulls it off...Chikwava's great skills are his humour and his ability to create a powerful and original voice -- Aminatta Forna Guardian a shocking indictment of the way we treat those who come here seeking a better life -- Steve Bloomfield Independent on Sunday Chikwava looks to have few problems hooking the reader -- Trevor Lewis Sunday Times


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