Description

Samahani, the latest work by Sudanese author Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, winner of the 2020 Prix de la Litterture Arabe, means ‘forgive me’ in Swahili, two words that stand in stark contrast to everything that happens in this novel.

Set in 19th century Zanzibar, this is a dark story of slavery, cruelty and vengeance, that depict the agonies of the native Zanzibaris at the hands of both Europeans and Arabs, that turns their apparent island paradise into a living hell of cruelty and exploitation. Through the relationship between a spoilt, scheming, powerful Omani princess and her eunuch African slave Sundus, captured and castrated by Arab slavers, Sakin builds a grand narrative that paints a picture of barbarism and man’s inhumanity to man and becomes a furious cry against persecution in all its forms.

Publisher Review

'A masterpiece tinged with caustic earthiness that makes you laugh until you cry' - Jean-Paul Brighelli, Marianne 18 November 2022 * Marianne * 'A dazzlingly audacious novel about a tragic period' - Valerie Marin La Meslee, Le Point 01 December 2022 -- Valerie Marin La Meslee * Le Point * A more thoroughgoing account of a historical era's devastating impact on an overlooked society is explored in... this finely structured, fascinating novel. -- Declan O'Driscoll * The Irish Times *