Published in 1994, Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah is a novel set in East Africa around the end of the 19th century, when European colonial powers were beginning to divide and claim the continent for themselves. The story follows Yusuf, a twelve-year-old boy whose father hands him over to a wealthy merchant named Aziz to pay off a debt. At first, Yusuf works in Aziz’s shop and gardens, but soon he joins the merchant on long trading journeys deep into the African interior. Along the way, Yusuf s...
"Magical Wound" [Magiczna rana] by Dorota Masłowska
A sharp observer of Polish reality and a virtuoso of language, Dorota Masłowska returns with her long-awaited novel, Magical Wound. This latest work is, in fact, a collection of loosely connected short stories. These dozen-page narratives resemble the rapid-fire nature of TikTok videos—entertaining, moving, and intriguing modern readers whose attention span is increasingly fleeting. Each story immerses the reader in a different piece of this fragmented mosaic, depicting characters struggling ...
Leïla Slimani, the renowned Franco-Moroccan writer and multiple award winner (including the prestigious Prix Goncourt), returns with the final volume of her The Country of Others trilogy, titled I Will Carry the Fire. This novel continues the story of Amin and Mathilde’s family, this time focusing on their daughter Aïcha, her husband Mehdi, and their children, Mia and Inès. The narrative spans a vast period, from Inès’ birth to Mia’s tumultuous youth, all the way to Amin’s death and Mehdi’s w...
