Afterlives
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Summary
Editor's review
The novel is set in the East African coastal region in the early twentieth century, during the period of German colonial rule. Through the perspective of a young man, Ilyas, the story depicts the profound impact of colonial rule, war (especially the spread of World War I in East Africa), and rapid social change on ordinary people's lives. Ilyas is conscripted by the German colonial army and forced into a war that has nothing to do with him; his personal fate and family bonds are torn apart in the torrent of history. With his customary delicate touch, Gurnah shows the smallness and struggle of individuals within grand historical narratives while profoundly exploring the complex legacy of colonialism—not only in land and politics but also in cultural, identity, and spiritual trauma.
The book's literary value lies in this: Gurnah does not adopt a posture of fierce indictment but lets history's own cruelty emerge slowly through calm, restrained, even slightly detached narration. His characters are not simple symbols of victimhood but complex individuals with their own desires, weaknesses, and resilience. This faithful portrayal of human complexity makes the effects of colonial history more concrete and piercing. For Chinese readers, reading Afterlives is not only a way to learn about a relatively unfamiliar colonial history of East Africa but also to see through the eyes of a world-class writer how power, violence, and memory shape the way we understand past and present. Its literary texture is quiet and powerful, requiring the reader to immerse themselves in it.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in works by Nobel laureates, especially postcolonial and diaspora literature
- Readers who want to understand African history, particularly the colonial history and culture of East Africa
- Literary readers who appreciate calm, restrained narratives focused on psychological depth and historical weight
- Readers curious about themes of identity, memory, trauma, and family narrative
Not a good fit for
- Readers looking for light entertainment and fast-moving plots
- Readers completely unfamiliar with Africa and colonial history who are unwilling to invest effort in understanding the background
Reading tips
- Before reading, a brief acquaintance with the early twentieth-century German colonial history in East Africa and the overview of World War I in the African theater can help in understanding the setting.
- Gurnah's pacing is slow; set aside uninterrupted reading time to enter the literary atmosphere he creates.
- Read in dialogue with other works by Gurnah, such as Paradise and Praise of Silence, to grasp more fully the themes and evolution of his writing.
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一部
- 一
- 二
- 第二部
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 第三部
- 八
- 九
- 十
- 十一
- 十二
- 第四部
- 十三
- 十四
- 十五
- 附录
FAQ
Is this book a new work written after Gurnah won the Nobel Prize?
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About the author
Abdulrazak Gurnah is an important contemporary novelist whose works have been translated into Chinese in more than a dozen editions, often classified under foreign literature and classics. His writing centers on migration, diaspora and identity, with a quiet, restrained style that reveals the psychological tensions of characters crossing geographical and cultural boundaries through everyday detail. Representative works include Paradise, Afterlives, Admiring Silence, By the Sea, Gravel Heart and The Pilgrims' Way, along with two five-volume collected editions of his works. Because public information is limited, basic details such as his dates and nationality remain to be confirmed; yet the translated works show his concern with colonial legacies, memory and belonging, and a narrative that combines realism with symbolic depth, offering a distinctive perspective on contemporary African and migrant experience.
Public information about Li Heqing is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background cannot be confirmed at present. Judging from the seven works held in the catalogue, he is mainly active in the translation and editing of foreign literature and classics, with selections spanning British, American and European literature, including Henry James's novel The Ambassadors, John Updike's art essays in Still Looking, Maugham's short-story collection The Lotus Eater and Cthulhu Mythos: The Magic Beyond Time and Space. He also took part in publishing the first set of Gurnah's collected works (five volumes), showing sustained attention to contemporary African English literature. His editorial and translation work covers both literary classics and genre fiction as well as art essays, reflecting a broad reading range.
