Dance of the Jakaranda - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846592097 ISBN 13: 9781846592096

Publisher: Saqi Books

Synopsis

1963. Kenya is on the verge of independence from British colonial rule. In the Great Rift Valley, Kenyans of all backgrounds come together in the previously white-only establishment of the Jakaranda Hotel. The resident musician is Rajan Salim, who charms visitors with songs inspired by his grandfather's noble stories of the railway construction that spawned the Kenya they now know. One evening, Rajan is kissed by a mysterious woman in a shadowy corridor. Unable to forget the taste of her lavender-flavoured lips, Rajan sets out to find her. On his journey he stumbles upon the murky, shared history of three men - his grandfather, the owner of the Jakaranda and a British preacher - who were implicated in the controversial birth of a child. What Rajan unearths will open his eyes about the birth not just of a child, but of an entire nation.

About this title

About the Author

Born in 1971 in Kenya, Peter Kimani started his career as a journalist. Also an established poet, he has won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature, Kenya's highest literary honour. A rising star with global readership, Kimani earned his doctorate in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston, and is a faculty member at Aga Khan University in Nairobi. Dance of the Jakaranda is his third novel.

Review

`This funny, perceptive and ambitious work of historical fiction by a Kenyan poet and novelist explores his country's colonial past and its legacy ... Kimani has done a game job managing the carpentry of this ambitious novel, bringing great skill to the task of deploying multiple story lines, huge leaps back and forth in time and the withholding and distribution of information ... I have never read a novel about [Kenya] that's so funny, so perceptive, so subversive and so sly.' New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice; `A rich tableau of layers and textures. The book has some brilliant moments of vivid and evocative writing.' Huffington Post; `In this racially charged dance of power, the railroad into the interior of the country becomes a journey into the hearts of men and women. It is a dance of love and hate and mixed motives that drive human actions and alter the course of history. Kimani's writing has the clarity of analytic prose and the lyrical tenderness of poetry.' Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of Birth of a Dream Weaver; `A memorable family drama set against radical social changes in pre-independence Kenya.' Asian Review of Books; `Dance of the Jakaranda is a rare gem: a new story, a new voice, a new way of seeing the world. This is what a brilliant novel looks like.' Matt Johnson, author of Loving Day; `Kimani's descriptive and inventive prose recounts personal stories of love and tragedy within a context of racial hierarchies and the fallout of colonial rule ... Babu's story feels weighted by history in a way that will remind readers of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.' Booklist; `Kimani illustrates the discordant history of East Indians in Kenya through a fabulously complicated set of intriguing characters and events ... Highlighted by its exquisite voice, Kimani's novel is a standout debut.' Publishers' Weekly; `Lyrical and powerful ... Kimani weaves together a bitter, hurtful past and hopeful present in this rich tale of Kenyan history and culture, the railroad, and the men and women whose lives it profoundly affected.' Kirkus; `Destined to become one of the greats ...This is not hyperbole: it's a masterpiece.' The Gazette; `Kimani writes with such vivid detail.' Library Journal; `The novel has way more strengths than I can describe here, including the beauty of lyrical narration that combines irony, flashback, humour, allusions and inter-textual references... a gem of a story.' Daily Nation; `Kimani's descriptive and often smartly playful language, is a delight throughout...In our pandemic of fake news, this is sensible advice; we today might better seek important truths from storytellers like Kimani than our too often compliant and compromised mass media.' The Star; `A multi-racial nation-building tale.' Toronto Star; `A fascinating part of Kenya's history, real and imagined, is revealed and reclaimed by one of its own.' Minneapolis Star Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: Saqi Books
• ISBN 10: 1846592097
• ISBN 13: 9781846592096
• Binding: Paperback