Afterlives

Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah (1995)

One of Gurnah’s most acclaimed novels, this book was singled out by the Nobel committee as Gurnah’s breakthrough book. Like Afterlives, Paradise is set in Tanzania in the early-20th century, wrestling with themes of colonialism, war, and personal struggles.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (2020)

Written about the same chronological period and also by a Nobel prize-winning author, The Good Earth depicts Chinese citizens forced from their homes by natural disasters, military conflict, and changing governments, much like the characters in Afterlives.

My Reminiscences of East Africa: The German East Africa Campaign in World War One by General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (1920)

Published two years after the conclusion of World War I, the author describes the guerilla warfare the German military used against the British, including famous battles involving numerous characters in Afterlives.

Aspects of Colonial Tanzania History by Lawrence E. Y. Mbogoni (2012)

These essays describe the regular dealings of Tanzanians with their colonizers, providing valuable historical context for readers of Afterlives.

“On Abdulrazak Gurnah: Belonging, Colonialism, Arrival,” the University of Kent (2022)

This is an interactive lecture by Gurnah on the common themes of his novels.