The Book of Chameleons
On sale
24th May 2007
Price: £7.99
“Ingenious, consistently taut and witty” TLS
Strange, elliptical, charming” Guardian
Set in contemporary Angola, this novel is populated with characters whose victories never quite settle. Like any one of us, they can forget things that have happened to them, and remember things that never did. Theirs is a world where the truth seems to shift from moment to moment, where history itself is up for grabs. Agualusa’s slippery narrator takes us on a vivid and enthralling journey across the shifting landscape of memory and history, and – from his unique perspective – reveals a breathtaking love story too.
Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE
Strange, elliptical, charming” Guardian
Set in contemporary Angola, this novel is populated with characters whose victories never quite settle. Like any one of us, they can forget things that have happened to them, and remember things that never did. Theirs is a world where the truth seems to shift from moment to moment, where history itself is up for grabs. Agualusa’s slippery narrator takes us on a vivid and enthralling journey across the shifting landscape of memory and history, and – from his unique perspective – reveals a breathtaking love story too.
Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE
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Reviews
Fierce originality, vindicating the power of creativity to transform the most sinister acts. Not since Gregor Samsa's metamorphosis have we had such a convincing non-human narrator, brought vividly home to us by Daniel Hahn
Strange, elliptical, charming
Humorous and quizzical, with a light touch on weighty themes, the narrative darts about with lizard-like colour and velocity
Witty and perceptive. Agualusa has the distinction of being the first Angolan writer to be translated into English
A curious tale of memory and how it can be shaped, threaded with literary nods, where dreams and reality interweave, and reality itself is interpreted in myriad ways . . . with truths shifting against a vividly drawn sense of place
A magical tale of metamorphosis, friendship and revenge. Hahn's English translation matches the original's playful inventiveness with language. I loved this book.
A subtle, beguiling story of shifting identities
A poetic, beguiling meditation on truth and storytelling, a political thriller and a wholly satisfying murder mystery.
Lovers of stylish literary fiction will rejoice at this charming tale by Angolan writer Agualusa