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By the Sea (Paperback)

by Abdulrazak Gurnah (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.03 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this book with The Rainbow (Wordsworth Classics) by D.H. Lawrence

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (8 Jul 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747557853
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747557852
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 165,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #4 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > G > Gurnah, Abdulrazak

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Abdulrazak Gurnah's By the Sea tells of an elderly man coming to Britain from Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, as an asylum seeker. Rajab Shaaban--the name on his passport--does not explain to the British immigration authorities why he needs asylum, expecting only to be accepted, as the government of Zanzibar has been officially designated "as dangerous to its own citizens". The picture Gurnah paints of the asylum-seeker's lot in late 20th-century Britain is not a favourable one. Shaaban comes to Britain claiming he cannot speak English, yet understands all that is said to him. Through this deception he meets, after 30 years, the son of his namesake; Latif Mahmud has settled in Britain and is presented as an academic expert who will speak Rajab's language. We also receive glimpses of the torture and imprisonment of Shaaban in his own country, where men abuse their power after independence from colonialism. However, this unfair treatment is marginalised by the deception, bitterness and revenge that reverberates between the two families of Gurnah's story.

By the Sea does not present the reader with sympathetic characters and the tales that are woven are often confusing and petty. Mahmud and Shaaban take it in turns to tell their side of the story, almost drenching the reader with too much detail. Notably, Gurnah always makes his characters point out that they do not tell each other the whole truth; they leave gaps as if to protect each other and their families. Unfortunately, this makes the narrative distant and incomplete. It is hard to appreciate the stories and lives being unravelled when the narrators themselves seem unlikeable and distrustful. However, this may merely be a reflection of the bitterness and deprivation suffered in post-colonial Zanzibar, and the desolation that refugees find when away from their birth land. --Olivia Dickinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Review

'Rarely in a lifetime can you open a book and find that reading it encapsulates the enchanting qualities of a love affair one scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment' The Times
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate tale of colonialism and its aftermath., 10 Nov 2002
By Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
I cannot imagine why this thoughtful and beautifully constructed novel by an author of immense talent is so little known and so little praised. It's a very strong book, filled with sensual images, subtle feelings, vibrant scenes, carefully plotted intrigue, and clear messages. Its scenes of family life and strife in Zanzibar, contrasted with the "civilized," bureaucratic, and officious behavior of the British at home and abroad, establish strong contrasts and illuminate the themes.

The book begins as a leisurely portrait of two lonely immigrants to England from Zanzibar, one of them a distinguished young professor and the other a 65-year-old asylum seeker who has just arrived, pretending he understands no English. As the points of view shift back and forth between the two men in succeeding sections of the novel, we come to know each man well--his life, his aspirations in Zanzibar, his extended family, the family's business connections there, and ultimately, the how and why of each man's emigration to England. Coming from two different generations, each man has a different view of his former country, the older man having spent most of his life there, escaping to England when all other hope is gone, and the younger having left as a young student, but still longing for the connections he left behind.

Powerful ironies drive the action. Each man knows who the other is, or was, in Zanzibar, and each believes that the other's family has brought about his own family's downfall there. As the two men tentatively explore the past and the old man reveals information the young man could never have known, the pace quickens until the past and the present merge and each of the men discovers hidden truths and new strengths. This is passionate book of clear vision, a book which recognizes harsh truths and still remains compassionate. Mary Whipple

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing novel, 14 Aug 2002
By A Customer
I stumbled across this book a few weeks ago and the writer's name immediately caught my attention as he was my tutor at Kent University over 10 years ago. I hadn't actually heard anything about the book although the reviews on the back suggested that I would enjoy it. I was gripped immediately by the emerging story of the asylum seeker and his past life. The style of writing is very engaging and I was particularly fascinated by way in which the stories intertwined and the way that we are kept guessing about the reason for Saleh's arrival in England. The writer vividly conjures Zanzibar as a place of beauty, intrigue and complexity and juxtaposes it with the grim realities of life for an asylum seeker in England. I found it a fascinating and very moving story and would recommend it highly.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly reading, 30 Jul 2002
By lucie (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
This beautiful book describes the arrival of an elderly refugee from Zanzibar in the UK. The events causing him to flee "paradise" are gradually revealed. When he makes contact with a younger man who shares some of his history more and more layers are peeled away to reveal entwined human tragedies. The events are shocking yet understated and the narrators voice is not self pitying. Abdulrazak Gurnah's writing is lyrical and moving. The storytelling is even-paced yet I found it impossible to put this book down. I recommend it highly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful novel.
I would perhaps have never read 'By the Sea' but for it being a set text in one of my modules at university. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Alice Cherry

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthy, but ...
The synopsis is accurate so I won't bother summarising the plot. However, I just don't see what all the rave reviews see in this book. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars shear poetry
This is one of the most poetic books I have ever read. The language flows easily, with a real lyrical quality: it belongs to an oral tradition, and I found myself wanting to read... Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2002

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