Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah review – a masterclass in quicksilver storytelling

The Nobel laureate’s wonderful new novel connects a trio of east African teens as they come of age, moving from small-scale dramas to wide-ranging social panoramas
The receipt of a big award inevitably ramps up the pressure on whatever the winner publishes next, but there can be no such fears over Abdulrazak Gurnah’s new novel, Theft, his first since becoming a Nobel laureate in 2021. Set between his birthplace, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it’s a quietly powerful demonstration of storytelling mastery, at once coming-of-age chamber piece and wide-angled postcolonial panorama, pegged to the inner lives of its central trio – all teenagers followed into adulthood. Meanwhile, sketched between the lines, is family heartache spread over several generations, all narrated in a quicksilver style that gives you the pleasurable sense that you’re putty in the hands of a warm yet clear-eyed authorial intelligence.
It begins by tracing the marital misery that led to one of its characters, Karim, growing up under the eye of a stepbrother who nurtures his ambition to go to university. His story is twined with the unexplained arrival of a younger boy, Badar, an orphan seemingly taken into servitude in Karim’s well-off household; a murky arrangement considered payback for an ancestral wrong alluded to in the book’s title, and a state of affairs that unsurprisingly lights a slow-burn fuse of envy, suspicion and resentment.
Continue reading...-
Athol Fugard, South African political dissident playwright, dies aged 92
A giant of political drama, Fugard captured the injustices of apartheid in works such as Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. The South African playwright and director Athol Fugard, whose works ...The Guardian - Mar. 9 -
New Novels to Read This Spring
Watch for a new “Hunger Games” prequel; a quirky romance from Emily Henry; novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ocean Vuong; and more.The New York Times - 5d -
Ten Pound Poms series two review – this trashy, soapy migration drama is a knockoff Call the Midwife
Michelle Keegan is the only nurse in this 50s-set drama about Brits emigrating to Australia, but its slight take on social issues that are relevant today recalls the BBC birthing drama . Sunday ...The Guardian - Mar. 9 -
Movie Review: Russo brothers' sci-fi ‘The Electric State’ is big, ambitious and dull
The Russo brothers bring Simon Stålenhag's illustrated novel “The Electric State” to life in the new big budget Netflix filmABC News - 5d -
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced Mod-Conversion Tool Coming From Rockstar-Owned Team
The PC version of Grand Theft Auto 5 has been out for almost a decade, and it's been endlessly modded in the intervening 10 years. However, the recently released Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced ...GameSpot - 4d -
Rock, Paper, Grenade — an unflinching portrait of 1990s Ukraine
Artem Chekh’s latest novel is a provocative and moving exploration of his country’s coming of ageFinancial Times - Mar. 10 -
These New Era baseball caps yanked from shelf now selling on eBay because they are risqué
A trio of New Era baseball caps for the Angels, Astros and Rangers pulled from stores are selling on eBay for big bucks because of their mistakes.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Karaban, Johnson help UConn men pull away from Villanova for 73-56 win in Big East Tournament quarterfinal
NEW YORK – Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson took over down the stretch as the UConn men’s basketball team pulled away from Villanova for a 73-56 win in the quarterfinal round of the Big East ...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Nobel laureates urge frozen Russian funds to be used for Ukraine
Yahoo News - Mar. 10
More from The Guardian
-
Strikes that shattered ceasefire not a ‘one-day attack’, Israel says, after deadliest 24 hours in Gaza since start of war – Middle East crisis live
Benjamin Netanyahu says attacks were carried out to ‘achieve war objectives’ as Hamas labels strikes a ‘blatant violation of humanitarian conventions’. Israeli strikes kill hundreds in Gaza ...The Guardian - 32m -
Trump and Putin agree to seek limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure after leaders hold call on Ukraine – Europe live
Vladimir Putin issues long list of conditions and demands that require ‘further consideration’. Speaking for the Greens, who are expected to back the CDU/CSU and the SPD today after a political ...The Guardian - 38m -
German MPs approve €500bn spending boost to counter ‘Putin’s war of aggression’
Historic levels of spending on military and infrastructure secured in Bundestag with last-minute backing of Greens. Europe live – latest updates Germany’s parliament has voted in favour of ...The Guardian - 2h -
German man with green card ‘violently interrogated’ by US border officials
Berlin checking if US immigration policy has changed after Fabian Schmidt becomes third German to be detained. Berlin is investigating whether US immigration policy has changed, after a German ...The Guardian - 49m -
Canada’s Liberals on course for political resurrection amid trade war, polls show
Mark Carney-led ruling party projected to form majority months after political wipeout seemed inevitable. In January, Canadian pollsters and political pundits struggled to find fresh ways to ...The Guardian - 1h
More in World
-
Live Updates: Israel Launches Deadly Strikes on Gaza, in Breakdown of Cease-Fire
The assaults targeting Hamas killed more than 400 people, local officials said, and were the first major strikes in Gaza since both sides agreed to a truce in January.The New York Times - 7m -
Israel Resumes Attacks in Gaza After Stalled Cease-Fire Talks with Hamas
While the Israeli government has stopped short of a ground invasion for now, its new strikes in Gaza seem to be an effort to force concessions from Hamas.The New York Times - 7m -
Real Madrid v Arsenal: Women’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg – live
Updates from first-leg tie, kick-off 5.45pm (GMT) Quarter-final previews | And you can email Sarah 2 min : Both teams are just finding their feet in the early stages of this one but a ball ...The Guardian - 17m -
Hungary bans Pride events and plans to use facial recognition to target attenders
Amnesty International describes legislation as ‘full-frontal attack’ on country’s LGBTQ+ community. MPs in Hungary have voted to ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition ...The Guardian - 20m -
Supreme court chief justice says Trump call for judge’s impeachment ‘not an appropriate response’ – live
John Roberts issues rare public statement after US president escalates rightwing attacks on the judiciary . White House’s defense for not recalling deportations ‘one heck of a stretch’, says ...The Guardian - 23m