Glory
Longlisted For The Women's Prize For Fiction
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3.3 • 8 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022**
Discover an exhilarating novel about power and corruption set in a nation trapped in a cycle as old as time.
'A masterpiece for our times. Gripping and exhilarating' Observer
'Uplifting and original' Stylist
This is the story of a country on the brink of revolution.
It's the story of Destiny, who returns home to witness the uprising.
It's a story for all of us, and a reminder that history can be changed in the blink of an eye.
'A novel with heart and energy' Daily Telegraph
'Bulawayo is really out-Orwelling Orwell. This is a satire with sharper teeth, angrier, and also very, very funny' New York Times Book Review
** SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2023**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 VISIONARY ARTS AWARDS**
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bulawayo (We Need New Names) grapples with political upheaval in a fictional African country with this fierce and playful work featuring animal characters. Jidada, a former colony, gained its independence during the Liberation War and has since been ruled by the ruthless "Father of the Nation," a horse who has maintained his 40-year reign through rigged elections and the persecution of "Dissidents." As such, when he is ousted and succeeded by vice president Tuvy Delight Shasha, another "old horse," many Jidadans become hopeful, believing the latest revolution will bring prosperity to their nation. But when an increasingly totalitarian Tuvy begins to misuse the country's wealth and implement corrupt policies to safeguard his power, Jidadans start to wonder whether his government will be just like his predecessor's, or worse. The consequences of the new government's abuses reverberate in stories of Jidadan families, like that of Destiny Lozikeyi Khumalo, a young goat whose reunion with her mother after a 10-year exile prompts a revelation that will irrevocably alter the course of both Destiny's and Jidada's fate. Throughout, Bulawayo keenly displays the perspectives of political players and the civilians who bear the brunt of their violence. With satire that feels necessary and urgent, Bulawayo brings clarity to a murky political morass.
Customer Reviews
Tholukuthi
A satirical novel based on a country under the rule of dictatorship where human rights are abused.
The novel has deservedly been shortlisted for the Booker prize which will be announced in a couple of weeks. Along with Small things like these by Clare Keegan, it would be a worthy winner of the prize.
Confabulated fable
The author is Zimbabwean (real name Elizabeth Tshele). Her debut novel We Need New Names (2013) was the first book by an African author to be shortlisted for the Booker prize. This, her sophomore effort, has been shortlisted too.
It’s a fable about the coup in a fictional African country populated by animals and named Jidada. The long time leader Old Horse is overthrown and replaced by another horse. In other words, it’s a satire on the overthrow of Robert Mugabe and his replacement by his deputy Emerson Mnangagwa as president of Zimbabwe. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, as they say in the classics.
Like me, Pete Townshend is pale, male, and stale. Ms Bulawayo prefers the lyrics of Tholukuthi Hey! by the now deceased South African rapper Killer Kau, about which I am unable to offer culturally appropriate comment.
The animals here are marginally less anthropomorphised than those in Orwell’s 1945 classic, Animal Farm, but rather more prolix. I never much cared for Animal Farm, but it only ran to 140 pages. This is over 400. Do the math.
Footnote
For the millennials out there, Animal Farm was a satire on Stalinism. Google it. Or not. It’s up to you.