Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.
A River Called Time
Mia Couto
€ 16.99
€ 16.71
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for A River Called Time
Paperback. Mariano, who has lived in the city from an early age, is summoned back to his village to attend his grandfather's funeral. But, when he arrives, he discovers two things: firstly, that he has been nominated by his grandfather to take over the running of the family affairs, secondly that his grandfather has not died completely. Translator(s): Brookshaw, David. Num Pages: 192 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 216 x 135 x 16. Weight in Grams: 294.
Mariano, who has lived in the city from an early age, is summoned back to his village to attend his grandfather's funeral. But when he arrives, he discovers two things: firstly, that he has been nominated by his grandfather to take over the running of the family affairs, secondly that his grandfather has not died completely, but is in that frontier space between life and death. In traditional belief, he has died 'badly', and something must happen in order for him to be laid to rest. Mariano starts to receive letters supposedly written by his grandfather, telling him about the family. It is through this strange relationship that he discovers the secret of his own birth, while also cleansing his grandfather's conscience. The novel contains a blend of picturesque and sometimes comic characters and situations.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2009
Publisher
Serpent's Tail
Condition
New
Number of Pages
192
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781846686719
SKU
V9781846686719
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-15
About Mia Couto
Mia Couto was born in Mozambique in 1955. When his country became independent in 1975, Couto interrupted his studies to become a journalist and newspaper editor. Later, he resumed his studies, and is now an environmental biologist. He has published poetry, short stories and a number of novels. His work has been widely recognised in the Portuguese speaking world, and has been translated into a number of European languages.
Reviews for A River Called Time
Couto is considered the most-prominent of the younger generation of writers in Portuguese-speaking Africa. In his novels, Couto passionately and sensitively describes everyday life in poverty-stricken Mozambique
Guardian
Mia Couto is a white Mozambican who writes in Portuguese, perhaps the most prominent of his generation of writers... Couto adroitly captures the chaos and comedy of an abrupt and externally imposed shift in ideologies. No one gets off lightly...The narrative shifts nimbly through a range of registers, from supple wordplay to lyricism.
London Review of Books
Mia Couto from Mozambique has witnessed his country's tumultous struggle for independence, the drama of revolution, and a protracted civil war as a journalist and editor, a poet and novelist, and an environmental biologist. His novels bind national history to ancestral mythology. They are a vindication of how oral legends can be received in any language... The story of the home is told in desperate cries, seductive whispers and childish laughter. The novel has much to teach about patriarchy and change in a pre-industrial, post- revolutionary society. It shares, with the best fiction, mystery and revelation. A River called Time transports the reader to an island in which past, present and future co-exist, and the dead retain a vociferous presence.
Amanda Hopkinson
The Independent
Couto writes with a strong sense of poetry...there are moments when he offers a window into a strikingly different culture.
Siobhan Murphy
London Metro
Couto is without a doubt Portuguese- speaking Africa's most recognised writer and journalist - and, on the strength of this book, rightly so... What starts off as a story of family secrets and revelations takes a turn for the whimsical and poetic, with startling results.
Amina Taylor
Pride
...teasing, touching, thoughtful prose...Couto builds archetypes, only to break them down with diversity; he adds tangibility by imagining possibilities... a fine, satisfying novel.
Heather Thompson
TLS
Guardian
Mia Couto is a white Mozambican who writes in Portuguese, perhaps the most prominent of his generation of writers... Couto adroitly captures the chaos and comedy of an abrupt and externally imposed shift in ideologies. No one gets off lightly...The narrative shifts nimbly through a range of registers, from supple wordplay to lyricism.
London Review of Books
Mia Couto from Mozambique has witnessed his country's tumultous struggle for independence, the drama of revolution, and a protracted civil war as a journalist and editor, a poet and novelist, and an environmental biologist. His novels bind national history to ancestral mythology. They are a vindication of how oral legends can be received in any language... The story of the home is told in desperate cries, seductive whispers and childish laughter. The novel has much to teach about patriarchy and change in a pre-industrial, post- revolutionary society. It shares, with the best fiction, mystery and revelation. A River called Time transports the reader to an island in which past, present and future co-exist, and the dead retain a vociferous presence.
Amanda Hopkinson
The Independent
Couto writes with a strong sense of poetry...there are moments when he offers a window into a strikingly different culture.
Siobhan Murphy
London Metro
Couto is without a doubt Portuguese- speaking Africa's most recognised writer and journalist - and, on the strength of this book, rightly so... What starts off as a story of family secrets and revelations takes a turn for the whimsical and poetic, with startling results.
Amina Taylor
Pride
...teasing, touching, thoughtful prose...Couto builds archetypes, only to break them down with diversity; he adds tangibility by imagining possibilities... a fine, satisfying novel.
Heather Thompson
TLS