José Eduardo Agualusa of Angola wins International Dublin Literary Award
Angolan writer José Eduardo Agualusa won the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award worth €100,000 for his novel ‘A General Theory of Oblivion’.
The Award receives its nominations from public libraries in cities around the globe and recognises both writers and translators.
Agualusa beat nine other shortlisted titles from across the world, including Irish author Anne Enright’s The Green Road, to claim the prestigious €100,000 prize which he shares with his translator Daniel Hahn.
Agualusa was born in Angola in 1960 and is one of the leading literary voices in Angola and the Portuguese-speaking world.
Some 147 titles were nominated by libraries worldwide out of which 43 novels were translated to English. Out of the 147 titles six were by African novelists.
The prize is divided into €75,000 for the writer and €25,000 for the translator.
A General Theory of Oblivion, translated from Portuguese to English, revolves around a Portuguese woman, Ludo, who, on the eve of Angolan independence, bricks herself into her apartment where she remains for the next 30 years, living off vegetables and pigeons and writing her story on the walls of her home.
The outside world slowly seeps into Ludo’s life through snippets on the radio, voices from next door, glimpses of a man fleeing his pursuers and a note attached to a bird’s foot. Until one day she meets Sabalu, a young boy from the street who climbs up to her terrace, the Independent reports.
The International Dublin Literary Award was established in 1995 and is now funded entirely by Dublin City Council.
Source: Marie Claire
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
