Transparent City (eBook)

Description

In a crumbling apartment block in the Angolan city of Luanda, families work, laugh, scheme, and get by. In the middle of it all is the melancholic Odonato, nostalgic for the country of his youth and searching for his lost son. As his hope drains away and as the city outside his doors changes beyond all recognition, Odo-natos flesh becomes transparent and his body increasingly weightless.A captivating blend of magical realism, scathing political satire, tender comedy, and literary experimentation,Transparent Cityoffers a gripping and joyful portrait of urban Africa quite unlike any before yet published in English, and places Ondjaki, indisputably, among the continents most accomplished writers.Praise for OndjakiOndjaki delivers playful magical realism with delightful defiance.The Barnes & Noble ReviewAs with Ondjakis other novelsincluding Bom dis camaradas (2001; Good Morning Comrades) and Os Transparentes (2012)this is a strangely deceptive read. Although the narrative often feels rather whimsical, Angolas long history of colonialism and conflict, its various foreign allies and enemies, and the extraordinary suffering of its population, are menacingly present . . . a brave and highly political work.Times Literary Supplement