8 great books you can read by Abdulrazak Gurnah, who just won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature

8 great books you can read by Abdulrazak Gurnah, who just won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature

Abdulrazak Gurnah, who emigrated to Britain from Tanzania as a refugee in the 1960s when he was 18, just on October 7, making him the first African writer to receive the prestigious award in over a decade. Gurnah first began writing as a 21-year-old living in England, publishing his first novel 18 years later. His work spans diverse experiences of colonialism and its aftermath, from German-occupied Tanganyika in the 19th century to present-day England. In an interview with , Gurnah explained that "the history of colonialism is sometimes claimed as if it is a homogenous account yet...countries encountered colonialism in unique ways…" His latest book, " ," tells the stories of Ilyas, a boy stolen from his home by the German colonial troops, and Hamza, who was sold and came of age in the army. Prior works have dealt with the immigrant experience in Britain, including his debut novel " ," " ," and " " Gurnah's novel " " — about an East African boy's coming-of-age tale — was also shortlisted for the in 1994. As Anders Olsson, the chair of the Nobel Prize committee, said in Thursday's news conference, Gurnah is considered one of the best postcolonial writers