The Book of Chameleons

Description

'Ingenious, consistently taut and witty' TLS 'Humorous and quizzical, with a light touch on weighty themes, the narrative darts about with lizard-like colour and velocity' Independent 'Strange, elliptical, charming' Guardian 'A poetic, beguiling meditation on truth and storytelling . . . from the dreamscapes of magical realism to a gripping political thriller and even a murder mystery' New Internationalist Felix Ventura trades in memories, a slippery character selling new pasts to people whose bright futures lack only a good lineage, and wiping clean the slate of their identity. In a narrative that darts between past and present Angola, a bookish albino man, a beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner and a witty talking lizard come together to discover their real origins. For theirs is a world where the truth seems to shift from moment to moment and where history itself is up for grabs . . . WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE 'A work of fierce originality' Independent 'Without doubt one of the most important Portuguese-language writers of his generation' ANTONIO LOBO ANTUNES 'Cross J. M. Coetzee with Gabriel Garcia Marquez and you've got Jose Eduardo Agualusa' ALAN KAUFMAN Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn

Jose Eduardo Agualusa was born in Huambo in 1960 and is one of the leading young literary voices from Angola, and from the Portuguese language today. His first book, The Conspiracy, a historical novel set in Sao Paulo de Luanda between 1880 and 1911, paints a fascinating portrait of a society marked by opposites, in which those who can adapt have any chance of success. Creole was awarded the Portuguese Grand Prize for Literature, while The Book of Chameleons won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007. He and his translator, Daniel Hahn, won the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award for The General Theory of Oblivion and the novel was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. In 2019, Agualusa won Angola's most prestigious literary award, the National Prize for Culture and Arts. Agualusa lives on the Island of Mozambique.

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 -- Amanda Hopkinson * Independent * Strange, elliptical, charming * Guardian * Humorous and quizzical, with a light touch on weighty themes, the narrative darts about with lizard-like colour and velocity -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent * Witty and perceptive. Agualusa has the distinction of being the first Angolan writer to be translated into English * Herald * 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 * Metro * A magical tale of metamorphosis, friendship and revenge. Hahn's English translation matches the original's playful inventiveness with language. I loved this book. -- margaret jull costa A subtle, beguiling story of shifting identities * Kirkus Review * A poetic, beguiling meditation on truth and storytelling, a political thriller and a wholly satisfying murder mystery. * New Internationalist * Lovers of stylish literary fiction will rejoice at this charming tale by Angolan writer Agualusa * Publishers Weekly *