Paraíso
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- Create Date：2021-11-26 12:15:57
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Abdulrazak Gurnah
- ISBN：8418968095
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Summary
Cuando los padres de Yusuf， de doce años， le dicen que vivirá con su tío Aziz durante una temporada， el chico se muestra entusiasmado。 Pero lo que Yusuf no sabe es que su padre lo ha empeñado para saldar una deuda imposible de pagar， ni tampoco que Aziz no es pariente suyo， sino un rico y acaudalado comerciante con el que viajará por África central y las riberas del Congo en vísperas de la primera guerra mundial。
A través de los ojos de ese chiquillo descubriremos una naturaleza exuberante y hostil， poblada de tribus despiadadas e invasores desalmados， en la que una vida humana vale tanto como unas cuantas gotas de agua。
A través de los ojos de ese chiquillo descubriremos una naturaleza exuberante y hostil， poblada de tribus despiadadas e invasores desalmados， en la que una vida humana vale tanto como unas cuantas gotas de agua。
Reviews
Mariana Salazar
，
Es un libro que aunque no lo parezca （o tal vez si） trata de la colonización de África y como los europeos llegaron a trastocar a una cultura milenalia。No es fácil de leer y a pesar de ser corto， el ritmo con el que se desenvuelve lo vuelve un tanto pesado。
Andrea Nathaly
，
Paraíso nos lleva hacia un recorrido por África en un momento previo a la Primera Guerra Mundial。 Sus descripciones sobre el periplo que emprende Yusuf junto al comerciante Aziz son extensas y bien elaboradas， existe un universo bien colocado y personajes bien anudados a la costura del relato: Aziz， Khalil， Maimuna， Kalasinga， Amina。 Este hecho en la novela denota un trabajo que rebasa la mera fabricación psicológica de los personajes， es más bien una especie de captura o recording de las voces Paraíso nos lleva hacia un recorrido por África en un momento previo a la Primera Guerra Mundial。 Sus descripciones sobre el periplo que emprende Yusuf junto al comerciante Aziz son extensas y bien elaboradas， existe un universo bien colocado y personajes bien anudados a la costura del relato: Aziz， Khalil， Maimuna， Kalasinga， Amina。 Este hecho en la novela denota un trabajo que rebasa la mera fabricación psicológica de los personajes， es más bien una especie de captura o recording de las voces de esos seres que nos hablan desde lo inhóspito de la selva o de los poblados indios y musulmanes que recorren y habitan。 Aunque es costoso escarbar en el subtexto， se puede afirmar que es un relato sobre la libertad y la posibilidad de un Paraíso ahí en donde las situaciones más sórdidas se suceden: el servilismo， la sumisión， la ciega obediencia y la supervivencia en condiciones humanas extremas。 Rodeado de muerte y enfermedad Yusuf es capaz de “mantener la cabeza por encima de los escombros y posar los ojos en el horizonte”， un personaje con una cierta dignidad que no se explica y que no he logrado desentrañar del todo en el relato。 Pero que se confirma en el acto final de fuga， en la negación de una vida bajo servidumbre y en la posibilidad que todos tenemos de hallar ese jardín-paraíso， incluso donde la libertad es esquiva， donde la luz del sol escasea， la posibilidad de un Paraíso。 。。。more
Antara Vinayachandran
，
Yusuf’s coming of age in east Africa as a slave for his “Uncle Aziz。” It’s his story as a young boy living a poor， but loving life with his mother and father until he is inexplicably sent away with “Uncle Aziz” whom he is later introduced as the “seyyid” - Master。 His life isn’t uncomfortable but it isn’t free。 What’s interesting is Yusuf’s understanding of freedom in the very last pages of the book where he falls in love with one of his seyyid’s wives - Amina。 His story ends on a cliffhanger - Yusuf’s coming of age in east Africa as a slave for his “Uncle Aziz。” It’s his story as a young boy living a poor， but loving life with his mother and father until he is inexplicably sent away with “Uncle Aziz” whom he is later introduced as the “seyyid” - Master。 His life isn’t uncomfortable but it isn’t free。 What’s interesting is Yusuf’s understanding of freedom in the very last pages of the book where he falls in love with one of his seyyid’s wives - Amina。 His story ends on a cliffhanger - I wondered what could’ve happened？ So then what about Paradise？ Yusuf and Amina lived in what their neighbours called a paradise - large house， tended garden with fruits， abundant food。 But what of Yusuf and Amina？ Could they have built their own Paradise？Gurnah doesn’t say :-） 。。。more
Annemarie Kramer
，
I didn't want to less the year pass without reading something by this year's Nobel Prize winner。 "Paradise" by Abkulrazak Gurnah was a sore disappointment。 I haven't read anything else by this author， but saw that Paradise was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize ！ （Yes， an exclamation mark）。The story takes place in East Africa， Tanzania。 The protagonist is yong Yusuf， who was sold to his uncle by his father in order to pay off a debt。 The most we find out about Yusuf， is that he's "beauftiful" I didn't want to less the year pass without reading something by this year's Nobel Prize winner。 "Paradise" by Abkulrazak Gurnah was a sore disappointment。 I haven't read anything else by this author， but saw that Paradise was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize ！ （Yes， an exclamation mark）。The story takes place in East Africa， Tanzania。 The protagonist is yong Yusuf， who was sold to his uncle by his father in order to pay off a debt。 The most we find out about Yusuf， is that he's "beauftiful" and that people everywhere are enchanted by him。 Otherwise， he's a rather vague and totally uninteresting and unmotivated character。 He accompanies his uncle on his travels， and various things happen to him; a lot of the time， I felt I was reading something out of Disneyland。 Many of the characters seemed contrived。 Even Uncle Aziz undergoes a mixtur of descriptions， from aloof and big and impressive， to something more non-descript， and "smiling gently" and laughing。 The book is crowded with adjectives and adverbs， and although I don't mind strong descriptions， （even with a few adjectives and adverbs）， I simply can't envisage something like "。。。。his eyes rummagin through Yusuf's hair"。 We gradually realize it's Tanzania that Gurnah is talking about， basically by vague references to Germans here and there in the book， and then of course the ending with the Germans。All in all， I felt that Gurnah rushed from one scene to another without going in more deeply where I felt a scene deserved more detail。 I was even surprised to read towards the end "after all the years Yusuf had been journeying with his uncle"。。。。。it had only seemed like a few weeks to me。 Although there are a few characters that might have been focused on， this was not done， and the book left me feeling very unsatisfied。 The mystic-like scenes were unconvincing and contrived。Not a book I enjoyed or would recommend。 。。。more
Katrin
，
I would probably never have read this book if it were not for the Nobel Prize committee - and what a shame this would have been。 I tend to reserve five star reviews for books that present the narrative in a skillful， original structure or that one way or another shake me to the bone。 Paradise did both。 So I was surprised seeing the many mediocre reviews here on Goodreads。 For me， this book is a rare gem: In the comparatively short 246 pages， it comprises a whole world view， an attempt to provide I would probably never have read this book if it were not for the Nobel Prize committee - and what a shame this would have been。 I tend to reserve five star reviews for books that present the narrative in a skillful， original structure or that one way or another shake me to the bone。 Paradise did both。 So I was surprised seeing the many mediocre reviews here on Goodreads。 For me， this book is a rare gem: In the comparatively short 246 pages， it comprises a whole world view， an attempt to provide an exploration of colonialism and personal freedom that is uniquely articulated and convincingly presented。 The language is comparatively unembellished and the view on the main character at times distant but for me this worked very well in the context of this novel's message: the utter lack of agency and the lack of prospect even for a character like Yusuf who， we are told， is beautiful （so beautiful that it defines his whole being and is considered lucky to everyone around him） and who is so clearly liked and favoured even through the most despairing turn of events。 Yet， through the distance that is created in the story telling， we are asked to observe and let the events unfold - and in the process， begin to believe with Yusuf in his own charms only to end up feeling just as powerless as he does。 To me， it is the build up of the story and the character's life to the last two or three pages and in particular the last sentence which took me by surprise and admittedly left me speechless that distinguishes this book。 This is a rare enough reading experience to make the book outstanding and I am certain that this story will stay with me for a long time for how masterfully it built and contrasted themes around beauty and ugliness， religion and transgression， benevolence and imprisonment to deliver its final message in an unflinching， unapologetic blow。 。。。more
Susan Knell
，
This book could be greatly improved with a little editing。 The cultural references were definitely interesting。 I'm not sure who the audience was， but I never really knew where they were when they were home or trading。 The characters needed more development。 The author had an odd habit of referring to the same character by 2 to 3 different names or titles in the same paragraph， and until I was about 3/4 of the way through the book， I wasn't sure if he was referring to the same person， or someone This book could be greatly improved with a little editing。 The cultural references were definitely interesting。 I'm not sure who the audience was， but I never really knew where they were when they were home or trading。 The characters needed more development。 The author had an odd habit of referring to the same character by 2 to 3 different names or titles in the same paragraph， and until I was about 3/4 of the way through the book， I wasn't sure if he was referring to the same person， or someone else。 For example: Uncle Aziz/Seyyid/merchant 。。。more
Susan Smith
，
No wonder he won the Nobel Prize。 Was curious about him。 Usually read mostly fantasy but this does not disappoint even though it is coming of age。 The culture is rich with lore and the plot with happenstance。 Great brief read！
ECL
，
El primer libro que leo del nuevo Nobel de literatura me gustó mucho。 Paradise te lleva de la mano por los claroscuros de la colonización y no maquilla las peores caras de los distintos actores。 Quiero ya leer otro libro escrito por él。
Nat Dell
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book tells the story of the trading adventures of an indentured servant。 I quite enjoyed the writing style and the recounting of events。 At one point， the tradesman have their supply stolen by a tribe。 They rejoice in the arrival of the Europeans to return their stolen goods to them。 So the Europeans were successful in generating distrust between tribes and pitting tribes against each other。 I didn’t understand the end。 Why was Yusuf running after the German troops？
Arthur
，
This coming-of-age story， set in pre-WWI Tanganyika （now Tanzania） when it was a German colony， condemns the brutal exploitation of people in all dimensions: work， marriage， and property。 At it's end the book portrays German colonialist brutality as paradise when compared to the semi-slavery of the old pre-colonial regime。The story follows Jusuf， a young boy given to a prosperous merchant as an unpaid servant while waiting for his parents to repay a debt。 At the merchant's house he's teamed up w This coming-of-age story， set in pre-WWI Tanganyika （now Tanzania） when it was a German colony， condemns the brutal exploitation of people in all dimensions: work， marriage， and property。 At it's end the book portrays German colonialist brutality as paradise when compared to the semi-slavery of the old pre-colonial regime。The story follows Jusuf， a young boy given to a prosperous merchant as an unpaid servant while waiting for his parents to repay a debt。 At the merchant's house he's teamed up with Khalid and trained to be a shopkeeper under Khalil's tutelage。 Khalil is in many respects the opposite of Jusuf， observant of the limits of his position and of his limited prospects。 Jusuf by contrast， through much of the story has a panglossian innocence， doing as he's instructed， but not buying into the society。 It's significant that while he's attracted by women and is attractive to both women and men， he remains a virgin。One of the high points of the book is a trading trip to the interior of the country， where manufactured goods were to be traded for gold and ivory。 The trip doesn't go well。 They are afflicted by hostile locals， disease and the brutal actions of the venture's foreman。 When they reach their destination， the local chief confiscates the merchant's goods claiming that it was a make good for being shortchanged by another merchant。 The Germans arrive to sort things out and the merchant gets a lot of his goods back。 Jusuf's story takes a significant turn when he returns。 No longer the innocent， he's drawn into the Trader's house by the trader's elderly wife， who thinks that he's blessed with the ability to cure her facial disfigurement。 He's escorted to these meetings by the trader's younger wife， the sister of Khalil。 He falls I love with her and proposes that they elope。 She is not Khalil's sister， but is also an orphan bought by the merchant。 The merchant returns and announces that it's time for Jusuf to be married。 Khalil's fantasy is that they will marry sisters and live in adjoining houses。。 Jusuf rejects this fate and the indentured servitude life that could be his fate and runs off to join the Germans， choosing the adventure of the unknown over the certainty of a constrained life。 。。。more
Chris Wharton
，
This was Gurnah’s most-mentioned work when the Zanzibarian writer was awarded the Nobel literature prize earlier this year， and since it addresses a setting that interests me—colonial Africa—I decided to try it。 And was not disappointed as it paints a very interesting and vivid picture of the time （circa 1915？）; place （then German East Africa， soon to become the British colony Tanganyika， now Tanzania）; and most of all the mix of peoples involved （Arabic/Omani Muslim and Indian traders in coasta This was Gurnah’s most-mentioned work when the Zanzibarian writer was awarded the Nobel literature prize earlier this year， and since it addresses a setting that interests me—colonial Africa—I decided to try it。 And was not disappointed as it paints a very interesting and vivid picture of the time （circa 1915？）; place （then German East Africa， soon to become the British colony Tanganyika， now Tanzania）; and most of all the mix of peoples involved （Arabic/Omani Muslim and Indian traders in coastal towns， indigenous inland tribes who are the end users of the traders’ goods） and their interactions。 There are no European characters; the Germans and English are only mentioned with reference to imperial depredations。 Most interesting to me was the account of a trading caravan’s expedition to the interior from the coast， led by a prosperous Muslim trader and accompanied by the novel’s protagonist Yusuf （whom the trader acquired/adopted as a boy as repayment of a debt）; managerial functionaries of various skills and backgrounds; and a host of locally hired porters， hangers-on， and camp followers。 （This account put me in mind of various historical and literary works I’ve read—eg， Adan Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost， Tim Jeal’s biography of Stanley， Heart of Darkness， and especially Petina Gappah’s recent Out of Darkness， Shining Light， a fictional account of the expedition to recover the remains of David Livingstone and return them to Britain。 Some of Yusuf’s companions on the expedition are old enough to recall the historical expeditions and slave trading of the late 19th century， and mentions are made of Stanley’s Emin Pasha Relief Expedition and the Afro-Omani slave trader Tippu Tip。） After the expedition， Yusuf sojourns in the trader’s home in a coastal town and in the trader’s absence has difficult and somewhat confusing entanglements with “the Mistress” and her attendant until history offers him a way out。 As with Gappah’s aforementioned work， an earlier （1994） overall fascinating view of colonialism/imperialism from the receiving-end point of view。 。。。more
Amina Ahsan
，
Did not enjoy it。
Sam Duffy
，
Gurnah's novel has a brisk pace and covers much ground while being willing to pause on the small moments。 I loved the different shades we see of characters and the ways we expirience them。 I started out hating Mohammed， then thinking he may've been alright， then condemning him again。I'm still grappling with the ending and what it has to say about Yusef's character。Longer review to come Gurnah's novel has a brisk pace and covers much ground while being willing to pause on the small moments。 I loved the different shades we see of characters and the ways we expirience them。 I started out hating Mohammed， then thinking he may've been alright， then condemning him again。I'm still grappling with the ending and what it has to say about Yusef's character。Longer review to come 。。。more
Irene
，
A 12 year old African boy becomes the indentured servant of a merchant at an unspecified time （I suspect the turn of the 20th century） in an unspecified African land。 Taken from his rural family to pay off his father’s debt， he is brought to a larger city where he learns to read and calculate， works at the small general store and travels with the merchant on trading expeditions into the interior parts of the country， meets people of varied races and languages and encounters the highs and lows of A 12 year old African boy becomes the indentured servant of a merchant at an unspecified time （I suspect the turn of the 20th century） in an unspecified African land。 Taken from his rural family to pay off his father’s debt， he is brought to a larger city where he learns to read and calculate， works at the small general store and travels with the merchant on trading expeditions into the interior parts of the country， meets people of varied races and languages and encounters the highs and lows of life。 We watch him mature from a fearful， uncertain， naive boy into a man with aspirations， self-confidence and the seeds of real insights。 。。。more
Fernando Zitter
，
Siempre que escribo estos comentarios lo hago para mi， para dejar por escrito rasgos que me parecieron importantes o algun aspecto que me gusto， pero al estar en una red social se que lo que escribo tambien va a ser leido por alguien， asi que futuro lector te digo hola （？。Lo unico que me gusta de los premios literarios es la posibilidad que te dan de descubrir a un autor del cual tal vez no tenias ni idea， gracias a eso decidi leer a Gurnah， en este caso fue una lectura que me gusto mucho， sient Siempre que escribo estos comentarios lo hago para mi， para dejar por escrito rasgos que me parecieron importantes o algun aspecto que me gusto， pero al estar en una red social se que lo que escribo tambien va a ser leido por alguien， asi que futuro lector te digo hola （？。Lo unico que me gusta de los premios literarios es la posibilidad que te dan de descubrir a un autor del cual tal vez no tenias ni idea， gracias a eso decidi leer a Gurnah， en este caso fue una lectura que me gusto mucho， siento que si lo hubiera leido con 15 años me hubiera fascinado tiene un estilo parecido al de Gabriel Garcia Marquez， el hecho de ser una novela muy descriptiva， de alargar la frase。 La novela trata sobre la esclavitud y de como estos viven la vida pero no solo en el ambito local con la venta de esclavos entre pueblos sino de la esclavitud sufrida por la dominacion de los europeos， se trata tambien de la busqueda simbolica del paraiso en la tierra， busqueda infructousa。 Trata tambien de los cambios， de un estilo de vida que queda viejo y otro nuevo que se ve peor。Tiene un par de capitulos que me encantaron， de esos capitulos que despues de que los lees volves constantemente a releerlos sin importar el contexto porque tienen un mensaje o un algo que te deja huella。 Encontre un paralelismo bastante importante entre "Mi vida entre la maleza de los muertos" de Amos Tutuola， la diferencia radica en que este tiene un estilo mas realista mientras que la novela de Tutuola es del genero fantastico， entonces， si alguien que llego leyendo hasta aca se tomo la molestia de revisar cuanto la puse a mi vida en la maleza de los muertos y encuentra que califique a aquella con mas puntaje y se pregunta porque paso esto， la respuesta es sencilla: la traduccion， esto no quiere decir que esta novela esta mal traducida， todo lo contrario pero la traduccion en la novela de Amos Tutuola tiene un juego que a mi me encanto。Ahora si terminado de escribir todo esto y aunque desvirtue hablando de cosas que no tenian nada que ver del libro， me despido probable lector， diciendote que es una lectura recomendable en toda regla。 。。。more
Ben
，
The boundaries between slavery and freedom， and the webs of indebtedness in which we all find ourselves entangled。。。
Gertraud
，
One of the reviews I read mentioned that the reader would never have dragged herself through the 274 pages of this book had the author not just received the Nobel price in Literature。 My take after reading the book is different。 Had the author not received the Nobel Price， I would not have known about him and not read the book。 While， yes， at times there are detailed descriptions of countryside or a litany of tribesmen’s names that don’t have much to do with the story， I found the book very inte One of the reviews I read mentioned that the reader would never have dragged herself through the 274 pages of this book had the author not just received the Nobel price in Literature。 My take after reading the book is different。 Had the author not received the Nobel Price， I would not have known about him and not read the book。 While， yes， at times there are detailed descriptions of countryside or a litany of tribesmen’s names that don’t have much to do with the story， I found the book very interesting。 The main characters are doomed to a life they had been forced into on account of their parents needing to repay a debt。 They don’t stand a chance at choosing a path for themselves。 That this Is their fate， despite their youth and love of life， is devastating。 The book offers a unique perspective into African life in the middle of the 20th century。 。。。more
Claudia
，
Disappointing。 Neither much insight into African conditions at the time， nor an interesting plot。 Nevertheless the book is written in exquisite English。
Bruna
，
Per metà libro dici " Bello， però。。。"。 Semplice， dignitoso， tradizionale， tutto un po' troppo。 Poi la storia acquista una spessore diverso， e ti accorgi che è più complessa di come sembri。 Non è un semplice romanzo di formazione， è tante cose ancora: è la storia dell'Africa che passa da una schiavitù ad un'altra， è la ferocia degli uomini， è la complessità linguistica che nasconde una complessità culturale， dove chi traduce ha un potere， è il significato della libertà。 Per metà libro dici " Bello， però。。。"。 Semplice， dignitoso， tradizionale， tutto un po' troppo。 Poi la storia acquista una spessore diverso， e ti accorgi che è più complessa di come sembri。 Non è un semplice romanzo di formazione， è tante cose ancora: è la storia dell'Africa che passa da una schiavitù ad un'altra， è la ferocia degli uomini， è la complessità linguistica che nasconde una complessità culturale， dove chi traduce ha un potere， è il significato della libertà。 。。。more
Daniel
，
3。5 stars - 4 until the ending
Matthew
，
The New York Times called this “a meditation on the nature of freedom and the loss of innocence，” according to the cover。 I’m pretty wary of “meditations” on anything， because it’s usually code for “poetic but incomprehensible。” I didn’t think “Paradise” was either。 There is a garden， and it’s not the Garden of Eden， so the title is ironic， I guess。 The hero’s name is Yusuf and he’s taken from his parents， and there are dreams， sort of， and wolves， sort of， and Potiphar’s wife， sort of， and kind The New York Times called this “a meditation on the nature of freedom and the loss of innocence，” according to the cover。 I’m pretty wary of “meditations” on anything， because it’s usually code for “poetic but incomprehensible。” I didn’t think “Paradise” was either。 There is a garden， and it’s not the Garden of Eden， so the title is ironic， I guess。 The hero’s name is Yusuf and he’s taken from his parents， and there are dreams， sort of， and wolves， sort of， and Potiphar’s wife， sort of， and kind of a “Heart of Darkness” trip in the middle， and there were a few nice parts but for the most part， although the characters were not free， I don’t feel like I learned much about freedom from the book。 It bothered me a little that all the women in the story were basically props。 。。。more
Abdul Jalal
，
Gripping。。 A story of a boy who wondered far away from out of his liking to pay a debt that he had never owed。 His Master， who is merchant took him wilderness to accompany him with his business。 The story follows a lane of tragedy and violence in the adventure。 Abdulrazak Gurnah writes about the enslavement of Africans by Europeans and Arabs and how it depicted human weakness。 Gripping。。 A story of a boy who wondered far away from out of his liking to pay a debt that he had never owed。 His Master， who is merchant took him wilderness to accompany him with his business。 The story follows a lane of tragedy and violence in the adventure。 Abdulrazak Gurnah writes about the enslavement of Africans by Europeans and Arabs and how it depicted human weakness。 。。。more
Teri
，
What i love in a book is being taken to places， ideas and thoughts i have never had before。 This book does that for me。 I am dismayed by the familiar human story i am convinced has happened to endless people over the history of humankind。 It doesn’t make it any prettier but I am made more aware of my safe and simple life。
bimri
，
Abdulrazak mesmerized me with his articulate and fanciful writing！ It was pleasant for me to read his works。 With subtle humor（especially between Kalasinga and Hamid）。 All in all， I found this narrative refreshing， thoughtful， remarkable， relatable （setting sceneries of the book） and definitely memorable！
Federico Sosa Machó
，
El mayor mérito de la novela es que permite asomarse a una realidad desconocida para muchos lectores， pero que eso sea lo más resaltable es un signo de que literariamente no me pareció gran cosa。 Es posible que el premio recientemente otorgado a su autor haya despertado demasiadas expectativas que obviamente no fueron satisfechas， pero lo cierto es que esperaba más de una novela que se va diluyendo e incluso se alarga bastante hacia el final。
Lesley Pories
，
A chronicle of a time I don't hear or read much about， and I found myself constantly trying to visualize how all these groups of people fit together in this moment。 A compelling tale that makes you pause and think about bigger things。 A chronicle of a time I don't hear or read much about， and I found myself constantly trying to visualize how all these groups of people fit together in this moment。 A compelling tale that makes you pause and think about bigger things。 。。。more
Paul Fulcher
，
The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2021 ws awarded to the Abdulrazak Gurnah， “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”。In their biobibliography （https://www。nobelprize。org/prizes/lit。。。） the Nobel Committee explained that:Gurnah’s fourth novel， Paradise （1994）， his breakthrough as a writer， evolved from a research trip to East Africa around 1990。 The novel has obvious reference to The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2021 ws awarded to the Abdulrazak Gurnah， “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”。In their biobibliography （https://www。nobelprize。org/prizes/lit。。。） the Nobel Committee explained that:Gurnah’s fourth novel， Paradise （1994）， his breakthrough as a writer， evolved from a research trip to East Africa around 1990。 The novel has obvious reference to Joseph Conrad in its portrayal of the innocent young hero Yusuf’s journey to the heart of darkness。 But it is also a coming of age account and a sad love story in which different worlds and belief systems collide。 We are given a retelling of the Quran’s story of Joseph， against the background of a violent and detailed description of the colonisation of East Africa in the late 19th century。 In a reversal of the Quran story’s optimistic ending， where Joseph is rewarded for the strength of his faith， Gurnah’s Yusuf feels forced to abandon Amina， the woman he loves， to join the German army he had previously despised。 It is characteristic of Gurnah to frustrate the reader’s expectations of a happy ending， or an ending conforming to genre。 Which rather sums the novel up， so little need to add any comments of my own， although I found the Azīz figure （Potiphar in the Biblical account） - here Uncle Aziz -the strongest character and I would have liked to have seen more focus of him and less on the rather hapless Yusuf: His Uncle Aziz came to visit him at that time。 His visits were brief and far between， usually accompanied by a visits were of travellers and porters and musicians。 He stopped crowd with them on the long journeys he made from the ocean to the mountains， to the lakes and forests， and across the dry piains and the bare rocky hills of the interior。 His expeditions were often accompanied by drums and tamburis and horns and siwa， and when his train marched into town animals stampeded and evacuated themselves， and children ran Out of control。 Uncle Aziz gave off a strange and unusual odour， a mixture of hide and perfume， and gums and spices， and another less definable smell which made Yusuf think of danger。 His habitual dress was a thin， flowing kanzu of fine cotton and a small crocheted cap pushed back on his head。 With his refined airs and his polite， impassive manner， he looked more like a man on a late afternoon stroll or a worshipper on the way to evening prayers than a merchant who had picked his way past bushes of thorn and nests of vipers spitting poison。 Even in the heat of arrival， amid the chaos and disorder of tumbled packs， surrounded by tired and noisy porters， and watchful， sharp-clawed traders， Uncle Aziz managed to look calm and at ease。 On this visit he had come alone。（Oddly even when the story directly follows the Quran version， with the plot hinging on a shirt being ripped from behind， as the characters directly acknowledge， Azīz is referred to as the Pharaoh）As for the Nobel Prize？ Well my twin Gumble's Yard， who had read this and one other novel by Gurnah pre the Nobel and is now reading most of his novels commented on reading one of them that this was "a Prize I am increasingly realising feels justified less by his often-flawed individual novels than by their collective power and the intelligence， insight and importance of their themes and ideas" （and I'd add Gurnah's contribution to the study of post-colonial literature）。 This was also shortlisted for the 1994 Booker， one of the Prize's oddest shortlists， referred to at the time as the 'Mogadon Booker' and dull but well-written at the sentence level and worthy is perhaps the best description for this one。 。。。more
Nando
，
El Nobel de literatura es， junto al de la paz por sus sonadas cagadas， uno de los más transversales。 Nadie discute si el Nobel de fisica esta bien o mal dado。 Imagino que en gremio de fisicos habrán codazos y guiños， pero al resto del mundo se la trae floja un descubrimiento esencial sobre como bailan neutrinos o no sabemos discernir si eso da para premio o no。 Con la literatura es otro cantar。 Mucha gente lee libros， mucha menos que antes， pero sigue siendo algo de amplio calado acerca de lo qu El Nobel de literatura es， junto al de la paz por sus sonadas cagadas， uno de los más transversales。 Nadie discute si el Nobel de fisica esta bien o mal dado。 Imagino que en gremio de fisicos habrán codazos y guiños， pero al resto del mundo se la trae floja un descubrimiento esencial sobre como bailan neutrinos o no sabemos discernir si eso da para premio o no。 Con la literatura es otro cantar。 Mucha gente lee libros， mucha menos que antes， pero sigue siendo algo de amplio calado acerca de lo que cualquiera puede opinar。No hace tanto el Nobel premiaba a un autor por una trayectoria poco discutible。 Siempre ha sido un premio concedido por un jurado de 20 personas， arriba o abajo， y siempre ha estado expuesto al politiqueo del momento y a la labor de alcoba y el correveidilismo de despachos （por eso Cela lo tiene y Delibes no， con lo que no digo que Cela no lo merezca sino que lo merece al mismo nivel de Delibes） pero el mensaje del Nobel era claro， estos autores son canon y su puto nombre quedará esculpido en mármol， sin que ello lo salve de olvidos imperdonables （Borges es uno de los escritores en lengua castellana más influyentes， al menos en otros escritores） o premiados que han sufrido regulero el paso del tiempo y que hoy día tienen una vigencia muy limitada por no decir que no la tienen。Sin embargo eso cambió。 Incluso antes del Dylanazo es imposible no advertir cierto desnortamiento en el premio。 Sigue siendo el criterio de un grupo de personas sujeto a presiones varias， pero el mensaje se ha desvirtuado。 Los objetivos parecen menos definidos y menos absolutos y abarcan desde epatar hasta descubrir a escritores que a ellos les parecerán dignos de los honores pero que， a fin de cuentas， ni han trascendido por su literatura ni gozan del consenso generalizado。 Eso nos lleva a autores semidesconocidos al menos en ciertos lares， exotismos， o apuestas por escritores menos conocidos， al tiempo que es muy complicado no pensar que se penaliza a autores cuya calidad nadie discute por razones tan peregrinas （suponemos） como vender bien o por su nacionalidad， que digo yo， si la narrativa americana es de las mejores y más fecundas， pues se reconoce y ya está， pero no Roth palmó sin lo que hubiese sido un premio merecido y poco discutido。Pero el Nobel sigue siendo el Nobel， aunque nos tenga algo despistados respecto a que pretende ser aunque， al menos en mi caso， prefiera la concepción inicial a que trate de ser una invitacion a conocer autores desconocidos o un premio a otro tipo de activismos o politiqueos de cualquier tipo， quiero decir， es muy respetable， pero para eso debería haber otros canales。Poner en la palestra a gente como Tokarczuk con bibliografias que no llegan a las 10 novelas y ninguna de particular éxito es una putada gorda cara a hincarles el diente， ellos que estarán contentos de la vida， pero “descubrir” a alguien con la etiqueta de Nobel condiciona aunque se trate en este caso del juicio de un soplagaitas como yo。 Tokarczuk， apenas traducida， me pareció bien pero ni mucho menos una autora imprescindible en ninguna faceta， mucho menos como para ser Nobel。En el caso de Gurnah solo habia llamado la atención de una pequeña editorial española。 Para jodernos el cuento de hadas， el premio les llegó cuando ya habian quebrado， asi que ni de eso se han podido beneficiar。 Gracias al Mola gate estamos viendo que hoy dia publicar tiene mucho más que con cosas como los likes， followers， ruido que hagas en las redes sociales o incluso tu edad y género que con la calidad de lo que hagas， pero no deja de ser un dato。 Gurnah no había llegado al radar de nadie de relevancia en español con fuerza para publicarlo aunque eso dice mucho en detrimento del mundo editorial en español。 Aunque tenga etiqueta exótica， Gurnah es profesor de literatura en Kent， vamos que no lo han sacado de la selva ni va en taparrabos y ha sido finalista un par de veces del Booker。 Que un perfil asi sea susceptible de recibir el Nobel y que a ninguna editorial española de fuste le haya dado por traducirlo te cuenta todo sobre como está el mercado， y sobre porque lees mierda tras mierda de gente que no tiene nada que contar y a gente que ni te suena le dan el Nobel。Pero vamos al libro。 Paraiso nos pone frente a Yusuf， un crio de 10 años que es enviado junto a su tio Aziz como ayudante hasta que se entera que en realidad， esta siendo el pago de una deuda contraida por su padre con el tal Aziz que ni tio ni nada， sino contrabandista y mercader （aunque piadoso y justo hay que decir）。La acción transcurre en la Tanzania justo anterior a la I guerra mundial y tiene tres partes diferenciadas， la primera la llegada de Yusuf a la casa de Aziz y el descubrimiento de un nuevo mundo y de su situación （que en ningún momento supone ningún trauma ni nada por el estilo ni implica ningún trato vejatorio）。 La segunda su viaje iniciático al centro de Africa en una expedición comercial que sale regulinchi y que ha servido para que busquen parentela con Konrad bastante cogidas por los pelos en mi opinión。 Y la tercera que habla de los momentos posteriores， como ha madurado Yusuf hasta el final que es la llegada del conflicto europeo a las colonias y que sirve para cerrar el libro。La lectura es ágil， viva， colorida y responde a lo que te puedes esperar de un escritor tanzano （aunque， reitero， enseñe literatura en Kent）。 El libro se lee bien y es más Kipling， e incluso Kapuściński en Ebano que desde luego Konrad。 A ratos es aventura， a ratos relato de maduración （“-Yusuf， ve con ellos y fijate en lo despreciable y necia que es la naturaleza humana”）。 Los personajes no responden al tópico inmediato （Aziz es bueno y protege a Yusuf al menos no lo trata como un esclavo）。Por supuesto por buscarle la chicha hay varias puyas al tema colonialismo y al papel de Africa como espectador mudo objeto de expolio de los europeos （“Tengo miedo de los tiempos que tenemos por delante （…） Todo está alborotado。 A esos europeos se los ve muy decididos y， mientras luchan or la prosperidad de la tierra， nos aquilarán a todos。 Habría que ser un estúpido para pensar que estáan aquí con el fin de hacer algo bueno。 No es el comercio lo que buscan， sino la tierra。 todo lo que hay en ella…， incluidos nosotros。”） o su subordinación a la tiranía del hobre blanco （“”El sur es una casa de locos。 Allí se han hecho realidad toda clase de fantasías crueles。 Y deja que te diga algo sobre esos afrikaaners。 Están locos。 No quiero decir que sean sencillamente salvajes y sanguinarios， sino mucho más que eso。 El ardiente sol ha convertido su cerebro holandés en sopa。”）。También aparece el asunto religioso （“-Ahi vive su Dios。 Los salvajes creen en cualquier cosa si es lo bastante descabellada。 No conviene decirles que esto o aquello es infantil。 No se puede discutir con ellos。”）， pero ya digo， nada demasiado espeso。La conclusión es que es una lectura interesante， amable， entretenida， de lectura sencilla， poco densa que no se ceba en victimismos， simplezas o maniqueismos varios。 ¿Da la cosa para nobel？ Pues no se， realmente no diría que me ha asombrado， todo está bien， responde un poco a las expectativas y no cae en lugares comunes o simplezas， pero tampoco puedo decir que me haya deslumbrado。 Es uno de sus obras más reconocidas y sin duda me parece un buen libro pero me resulta insuficiente para hacerme un juicio sobre la trayectoría del autor como galardonado por lo que supongo que lo mejore es pillarlo y disfrutarlo sin pensar en estas consideraciones de antemano。 。。。more
Colby
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Poetry。 A story。A marvel。
Daniel Chaikin
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This is simply wonderful， but of course not in a way I can capture。 Gurnah takes us into the world of caravan trading in what is now Tanzania in southeast Africa， and what was then a cultural mélange， a world of merchants from different parts of Africa， Arabia and India， along with the leftovers around that trade， under German colonial rule。 No dates， but there is an automobile， and a war coming; and the traditional ways， along with all their tragedy and risk and romanticism， are coming to an en This is simply wonderful， but of course not in a way I can capture。 Gurnah takes us into the world of caravan trading in what is now Tanzania in southeast Africa， and what was then a cultural mélange， a world of merchants from different parts of Africa， Arabia and India， along with the leftovers around that trade， under German colonial rule。 No dates， but there is an automobile， and a war coming; and the traditional ways， along with all their tragedy and risk and romanticism， are coming to an end。Yusuf （whose significantly biblical name took me about 90% of the book to figure out， because of the spelling） finds himself taken from his parents by a rich uncle， and dumped in a shop， and then later on and off a caravan right out of something Marco Polo might have experienced， but here westward into the very distant heart of Africa。 The civilized Islamic traders dealing with isolated pagan Africa tribes。 Except this isn't the 1300's。 This is a colonial ruled territory in the 20th century。 Yusuf grows up， and encounters various characters， and their large personalities， and expounding on their philosophies and playing their tricks and trying to manage the traditions and changes。 My first time reading the new Nobel Prize winner。 An LT friend sent this my way in April of 2019， after posting to me in her Club Read thread， "If one is going to try to hook someone on an author， one must do it properly！" It took me over two years and that prize to finally open it up and see what she meant。 I'm anxious to read more by Gurnah。-----------------------------------------------48。 Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnahpublished: 1994format: 247-page paperbackacquired: 2019 – sent from an LT friendread: Oct 8-16time reading: 8:12， 2。0 mpprating: 5locations: circa 1910 Tanzaniaabout the author: born 1948 in the Sultanate of Zanzibar。 Fled to England after the Zanzibar Revolution in 1968。 Now a retired professor of English and postcolonial literature at the University of Kent。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Paraíso
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Paraíso&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Paraíso&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0