M.G. Vassanji
Hardcover | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 3.42 | 518 Users | 82 Reviews
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| ISBN: | 0385667140 (ISBN13: 9780385667142) |
| Edition Language: | English |
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The Magic of Saida tells the haunting story of Kamal, a successful Canadian doctor who, in middle age and after decades in North America, decides to return to his homeland of East Africa to find his childhood sweetheart, Saida. Kamal's journey is motivated by a combination of guilt, hope, and the desire to unravel the mysteries of his childhood--mysteries compounded by the fact that Kamal is the son of an absent Indian father from a well-to-do family and a Swahili African mother of slave ancestry. Through a series of flashbacks, we watch Kamal's early years in the ancient coastal town of Kilwa, where he grows up in a world of poverty but also of poetry, sustained by his friendship with the magical Saida.This world abruptly ends when Kamal is sent away by his mother to live with his father's family in the city. There, the academically gifted boy grows up as a "dark Indian," eventually going to university and departing for Canada. Left behind to her traditional fate is Saida, now a beautiful young woman. Decades later, Kamal's guilt pulls him back to Kilwa . . . where he discovers what happened to Saida during a harrowing night of sinister rites. This complex, revelatory, sweeping and shocking book, is a towering testament to the magical literary powers of M.G. Vassanji.
Mention Epithetical Books The Magic of Saida
| Title | : | The Magic of Saida |
| Author | : | M.G. Vassanji |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | September 25th 2012 by Doubleday Canada (first published January 1st 2012) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. Africa. Historical. Historical Fiction. Canada. Literary Fiction. Eastern Africa. Tanzania |
Rating Epithetical Books The Magic of Saida
Ratings: 3.42 From 518 Users | 82 ReviewsCriticism Epithetical Books The Magic of Saida
There's really no way to read a Vassanji book quickly. His stories are so rich with historical and cultural details that if you don't take stock of the timelines and explorations of cause-and-effect throughout, you miss out on a lot. I admittedly had a difficult time with the first book of his I read, but something compelled me to try another, and now I relish the feeling of being drawn into one of his generational epics. The Magic of Saida was no exception.Kamal Punja has been called chotara,As I said before, this was a kind of journey down memory lane. In terms of places, their history, their people, their food! The author is a very good story-teller for sure. He has nicely woven the local history into his tale! I read somewhere that one should not visit the place where one grew up as a child for it might shatter the image one has so preciously stored in one's memory! And that was perhaps the reason I avoided revisiting my birth-place when I was offered a chance. For, as a child
A magical novel of a quest for homecoming to East Africa. Vassanji seamlessly weaves themes of family,immigration,religion, politics, history,slavery,colonization,love,spirituality,and identity over the life cycle. Vassanji is a master, mystical storyteller whose prose seems to be talking directly to you-the reader. A must read!!
An interesting read; I enjoyed the history, culture and story. I found that many of the terms and words that seemed foreign to me were not in the dictionary. I did find some with a google search but I didn't stop to do that often as I was reading the paper edition. Footnotes would have been very helpful.
Follows one man, Kamal, in his journey to his homeland of Tanzania to track down his one true love from his childhood. Kamal's ancestors (and the ancestors of his sweetheart) are part of the story, which shows how Indian and African cultures come together in Arab-controlled East Africa and the devastating effects of European colonization, revolts, wars, and racism.There is a lot of detail in the book, which can be hard to follow. Especially for those of us previously unfamiliar with this
Vassanji is a beautiful writer and in this novel, he powerfully evokes a time and place. Some critics have said this is borderline magic realism. In reality, it delves into African magic and, yes, there is a suspension of disbelief required, but it's different than MR. Not less, just different and I attribute that to it's place of origin: Africa. Perhaps a new term is needed: African magic realism? That's lame, but perhaps explains it in part. The story is compelling as it slowly unravels to
Do we owe anything to the past?A silly question-the past is over- or a profound one-we are part of a continuum. p31Kamal has become a successful physician in Edmonton, in Canada, when he is drawn back to his native village by nothing more than an escalating nostalgia and a gathering desire to find his first love, Saida, abandoned when he left to peruse his medical studies and find a life elsewhere. The doctor is already experiencing displacement.His story is recounted by a chance acquaintance, a
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