Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Memory of Departure

By: Abdulrazak Gurnah
Narrated by: Faaiz Mbelizi
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.27

Buy for $15.27

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah, read by Faaiz Mbelizi.

The debut novel by the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature

Vehement, comic and shrewd, Abdulrazak Gurnah’s first novel is an unwavering contemplation of East African coastal life

Poverty and depravity wreak havoc on Hassan Omar’s family. Amid great hardship he decides to escape.

The arrival of independence brings new upheavals as well as the betrayal of the promise of freedom. The new government, fearful of an exodus of its most able men, discourages young people from travelling abroad and refuses to release examination results. Deprived of a scholarship, Hassan travels to Nairobi to stay with a wealthy uncle, in the hope that he will release his mother’s rightful share of the family inheritance.

The collision of past secrets and future hopes, the compound of fear and frustration, beauty and brutality, create a fierce tale of undeniable power.
____________________
‘Gurnah is a master storyteller' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Exile has given Gurnah a perspective on the “balance between things” that is astonishing, superb' OBSERVER

'A captivating storyteller' GUARDIAN

'Gurnah etches with biting incisiveness the experiences of immigrants exposed to contempt, hostility or patronising indifference on their arrival in Britain' SPECTATOR

©1987 Abdulrazak Gurnah (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth." (The Times)

What listeners say about Memory of Departure

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

#readrazakchallenge

The first chapter was a lot- very vulgar, disgusting, disturbing and raw. It’s my first time reading any of Abdulrazak’s work and I was thrown a back by how his writing is especially in that first chapter. He’s very raw, forthright and inhibited.
Once I got over the shock, I enjoyed the rest of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, An Early Novel of A Nobel Prize Recipient

This is a first novel of eventual Nobel Prize recipient Abdulrazak Gurnah. It is about a young man living in Africa and coming of age and pondering his future. It is not lengthy. It is very well written. I enjoyed it very much. As an audiobook the narration is excellent. However I did read along an actual book due to particular names and locations that were difficult for me. I intend to read more of this author in the future. Thank You…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!