Paradise is not a place, but a state of mind
PARADISE Abdulrazak Gurnah “They offered me freedom as a gift. She did. Who told her she had it to offer? I know the freedom you are talking about. I had that freedom the moment I was born. When these people say you belong to me, I own you, it is like the passing of the rain, or the setting of the sun at the end of the day.” These touching words are an excerpt from 2021 Nobel Prize Winning 'Paradise' by Tanzanian Writer Abdulrazak Gurnah. It follows around Yusuf , a Muslim teenage boy , in East Africa. He is unknowingly sent with his 'Uncle Aziz' , just to know later that he has been sold to him by his parents for money and a temporary escape from poverty. Life isn't easy. He has to travel long to reach his destination. Even after reaching their life isn't easy. It is the story of coming of age of Yusuf against the backdrop of an Africa of myth, dreams and Biblical and Koranic tradition. The book also ends with a creeping in of corruption and colonialism
Very nice story!! Keep it up!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete