Under the Udala Trees - Couverture souple

Okparanta, Chinelo

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1847088384 ISBN 13 : 9781847088383

Editeur : Granta Books, 2017

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

“Chinelo Okparanta tells a unique and devastatingly hopeful story about the paradox of love: Even in the midst of war, and in a world dominated by violence and prejudice, still, love endures."—Mia Couto "With this novel, Chinelo Okparanta has firmly placed her name amongst the ranks of some of our most talented and unflinching writers. Using words with both precision and sensitivity, Okparanta tells a tale of conflict and compromise, of love and power, and of family - those we are born into, and those we make for ourselves. A stunning book. Unforgettable."–Maaza Mengiste, author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze "A searing, yet delicately nuanced, story of an age of innocence first shattered by the vulgarity of war and its aftermath, and then by forbidden desire and religious intolerance. Under the Udala Trees is narrated in lyrical and lucid prose, in a wise and compassionate voice." – Zakes Mda, author of The Heart of Redness and others

Winner of the 2014 O. Henry Prize for “Fairness” 2014 Lambda Awards General Lesbian Fiction Winner 2014 New York Public Library Young Lions Award Finalist 2014 Rolex Mentors and Protégés Arts Initiative Finalist in Literature 2013 Society of Midland Authors Award Finalist 2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, Long-listed 2013 Caine Prize in African Writing Finalist A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice The Guardian's Best African Fiction of 2013   “Full of movement...These tales will break your heart open. Okparanta guides you through her stories with lovely, surreal, haunting clarity.”—New York Daily News   "Okparanta is an unpretentious writer, but her ambition comes through in the lives she renders—young Nigerian women divided between home and a new world."—Vogue.com   "The stories in Okparanta’s first collection are quiet, often unnervingly so, in the manner of a stifled shriek. . . One character notes the silences that fall between her and her mother, ‘as if we no longer valued spoken words, as if spoken words were gaudy finishes on a delicate piece of art, unnecessary distractions from the masterpiece, whose substance was more meaningfully experienced if left unornamented.’ If this is Okparanta’s goal – the distillation of experience into something crystalline, stark but lustrous – she is well on her way there."—New York Times Book Review    "Chinelo Okparanta was chosen as one of Granta’s six new voices for 2012, and it’s easy to see why. Her short story collection, Happiness, Like Water, is a triumph of a book. The ten stories are all short but powerful, tracing the lives of women from Okparanta’s native Nigeria. . . Ultimately Okparanta’s collection is not so much a statement about Nigerian women as it is a depiction of a few women who happen to be Nigerian going through universal issues in their own, unique social contexts. It’s a book about Nigeria, about America, and about women everywhere told in short sentences and simple, matter-of-fact language that manages to be incredibly emotionally evocative nonetheless. Okparanta is a certainly a voice to watch, and clearly deserves a place on any bookshelf beside fellow Nigerian authors Achebe and Adichie."—Bustle.com   "The stories are quiet and understated and lucid and gather up their power almost without the reader realizing it, then they break your heart, just like that. Such subtle and open and strong writing."—The Millions   

"This absorbing story parallels the ongoing struggle for equality in Nigeria and is a powerful contribution to LGBT and African literature. Readers will finish the book hoping that every however-flawed character will find his or her own version of happiness."—Library Journal “Boldly unadorned and utterly heartbreaking—Okparanta dares to tell a story that the world desperately needs to hear. Almost fable-like in its simplicity, Under the Udala Trees interrogates constructions of womanhood, of nationhood, and of sexuality. In these elegant folds of restrained prose lies a searing condemnation: of violence, religion and patriarchy in modern day Nigeria. Raw, emotionally intelligent and unflinchingly honest, Under the Udala Trees is a triumph.” – Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana Must Go   "Under the Udala Tree has all the ingredients of a great novel: set against the backdrop of war, it tells a story of loss, forbidden love, and one woman’s fight against tradition on her journey to becoming who she really is. An African bildungsroman, its direct and folkloric prose captures the spirit and mood of its time and place. This is a brave and timely achievement." – Helon Habila, author of Measuring Time   “Chinelo Okparanta tells a unique and devastatingly hopeful story about the paradox of love: Even in the midst of war, and in a world dominated by violence and prejudice, still, love transcends." – Mia Couto, author of Sleepwalking Land and others   "With this novel, Chinelo Okparanta has firmly placed her name amongst the ranks of some of our most talented and unflinching writers. Using words with both precision and sensitivity, Okparanta tells a tale of conflict and compromise, of love and power, and of family - those we are born into, and those we make for ourselves. A stunning book. Unforgettable."–Maaza Mengiste, author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze "A searing, yet delicately nuanced, story of an age of innocence first shattered by the vulgarity of war and its aftermath, and then by forbidden desire and religious intolerance. Under the Udala Trees is narrated in lyrical and lucid prose, in a wise and compassionate voice." – Zakes Mda, author of The Heart of Redness and others

"With this novel, Chinelo Okparanta has firmly placed her name amongst the ranks of some of our most talented and unflinching writers. Using words with both precision and sensitivity, Okparanta tells a tale of conflict and compromise, of love and power, and of family - those we are born into, and those we make for ourselves. A stunning book. Unforgettable."–Maaza Mengiste, author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze "A searing, yet delicately nuanced, story of an age of innocence first shattered by the vulgarity of war and its aftermath, and then by forbidden desire and religious intolerance. Under the Udala Trees is narrated in lyrical and lucid prose, in a wise and compassionate voice." – Zakes Mda, author of The Heart of Redness and others

Winner of the 2014 O. Henry Prize for “Fairness” 2014 Lambda Awards General Lesbian Fiction Winner 2014 New York Public Library Young Lions Award Finalist 2014 Rolex Mentors and Protégés Arts Initiative Finalist in Literature 2013 Society of Midland Authors Award Finalist 2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, Long-listed 2013 Caine Prize in African Writing Finalist A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice The Guardian's Best African Fiction of 2013   “Full of movement...These tales will break your heart open. Okparanta guides you through her stories with lovely, surreal, haunting clarity.”—New York Daily News   "Okparanta is an unpretentious writer, but her ambition comes through in the lives she renders—young Nigerian women divided between home and a new world."—Vogue.com   "The stories in Okparanta’s first collection are quiet, often unnervingly so, in the manner of a stifled shriek. . . One character notes the silences that fall between her and her mother, ‘as if we no longer valued spoken words, as if spoken words were gaudy finishes on a delicate piece of art, unnecessary distractions from the masterpiece, whose substance was more meaningfully experienced if left unornamented.’ If this is Okparanta’s goal – the distillation of experience into something crystalline, stark but lustrous – she is well on her way there."—New York Times Book Review   

"A searing, yet delicately nuanced, story of an age of innocence first shattered by the vulgarity of war and its aftermath, and then by forbidden desire and religious intolerance. Under the Udala Trees is narrated in lyrical and lucid prose, in a wise and compassionate voice." – Zakes Mda

Quatrième de couverture :

A unique and devastatingly hopeful story about the paradox of love: even in the midst of war, and ina world dominated by violence and prejudice, still, love transcends." Mia Couto

Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls.

When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.

Inspired by Nigeria s folktales and its war, Under the Udala Trees shows through one woman s lifetime how the struggles and divisions of a nation are inscribed into the souls of its citizens. In prose that is elegant and spare, with insights heartbreaking and electrifying, it offers a story shot through with hope that points to a future when a woman might just be able to become fully herself, shaping her life around truth and love.
One day in 1968, at the height of the Biafran civil war, Ijeoma's father is killed and her world is transformed forever. Separated from her grief-stricken mother, she meets another young lost girl, Amina, and the two become inseparable. Theirs is a relationship that will shake the foundations of Ijeoma's faith, test her resolve and flood her heart. In this masterful novel of faith, love and redemption, Okparanta takes us from Ijeoma's childhood in war-torn Biafra, through the perils and pleasures of her blossoming sexuality, her wrong turns, and into the everyday sorrows and joys of marriage and motherhood. As we journey with Ijeoma we are drawn to the question: what is the value of love and what is the

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Granta Books
• Date d'édition: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1847088384
• ISBN 13: 9781847088383
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 336