February Author: M.G. Vassanji

[Marieke]

Biography
"M G Vassanji is the author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, a travel memoir about India, a memoir of East Africa, and a biography of Mordecai Richler. He is twice winner of the Giller Prize (1994, 2003) for best work of fiction in Canada; the Governor General's Prize (2009) for best work of nonfiction; the Harbourfront Festival Prize; the Commonwealth First Book Prize (Africa, 1990); and the Bressani Prize. The Assassin's Song was also shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Prize, the Writers Trust Award, and India's Crossword Prize. His work has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and Swahili. Vassanji has given lectures worldwide and written many essays, including introductions to the works of Robertson Davies, Anita Desai, and Mordecai Richler, and the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. In June 2015, MG Vassanji was awarded the Canada Council Molson Prize for the Arts. (Photo: Mark Reynolds)

M G Vassanji was born in Nairobi, Kenya and raised in Tanzania. He received a BS from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, before going to live in Canada. He is a member of the Order of Canada and has been awarded several honorary doctorates. He lives in Toronto, and visits East Africa and India often. "
(source: the author's website)

Themes
"The focus of Vassanji's work is the situation of East African Indians. As a secondary theme, members of this community (like himself) later undergo a second migration to Europe, Canada, or the United States. Vassanji examines how the lives of his characters are affected by these migrations: "[the Indian diaspora] is very important...once I went to the US, suddenly the Indian connection became very important: the sense of origins, trying to understand the roots of India that we had inside us" (Kanaganayakam, p. 21)[citation needed]. Vassanji looks at the relations between the Indian community, the native Africans and the colonial administration. Though few of his characters ever return to India, the country's presence looms throughout his work; his 2007 novel The Assassins Song, however, is set almost entirely in India, where it was received as an Indian novel.

Vassanji is concerned with the effects of history and the interaction between personal and public histories. Public history is memory and folk history, as well as colonial history, all three of which are interrogated in his work. The colonial history of Kenya and Tanzania serves as the backdrop for much of his work; in the Assassin's Song, however, he tackles Indian folk culture and myths. It is, however, the personal histories of the main characters that drive the narrative. Vassanji's presentation of the past is never cut-and-dried. He avoids the impression of, a simple, linear, historical truth emerging. In much of his work the mysteries of the past remain unresolved. (Kanaganayakam p. 22)[citation needed]. He consistently refuses to be pigeonholed by nationality or faith, attempts to do which he finds offensive and malicious.[citation needed]Vassanji's writings have increasingly received attention by a number of literary critics who have focused on issues such as migration, diaspora, citizenship, gender and ethnicity.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]" (source: Wikipedia)

Books
and here is his goodreads page so you can easily add titles to your shelves.

Videos
Here is a short video, about five minutes, about where his ideas come from.

and here is a longer video (about 25 minutes), about his recent memoir And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa, which i have read and thought was fabulous.

[Marieke]

Has anyone chosen a book they plan to read in February?

[Marieke]

I really enjoyed his recent memoir And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa and plan to read The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. Here is a review.

[Carolien]

I picked up The Book of Secrets this morning at the library. I haven't read any books by the author, so this will be new to me. I see this one is partly set in the First World War and my sister-in-law happens to be a world expert on East Africa and the First World War. I'll see if I can find anything interesting to add to the context.

[Isabel]

I haven't read anything by him yet. I'm planning to be in for The In-Between World.

[Jenny]

I'm going to read "The Book of Secrets." Looking forward to it!

[Marieke]

So far everyone has a reading buddy. i think that's great! I'll be picking my book up tomorrow.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

The Book of Secrets looks interesting!

[Carolien]

It's interesting how the books one reads overlap in strange ways. Six months ago I knew nothing of the man-eating lions of Tsavo, then I read Ghosts of Tsavo. The head of one of the actual lions then pitch up in the bar of the Mombasa Club in this book.

As far as I can see from the map in the front of the book, the Uganda railway line will be another point of connection between the books. So far I am enjoying his style and his description of life in East Africa in the early part of the previous century seems very realistic.

[Jenny]

Carolien, have you read Three Weeks in December?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I loved it. I've done a quick summary of my thoughts, here, if you're interested.
http://www.jennycarless.com/2016/02/0...

Happy reading,
Jenny

[Carolien]

Thanks Jenny, that looks lovely. I'll certainly try it.

[Marieke]

I just added it :)

[Marieke]

I think lions of tsavo and railways might be common themes/threads in his books.

[Zanna]

I'm going with The In-Between World of Vikram Lall - my copy is on the way! I've been very slow to get in gear with all my groups so far this year but this is the project I'm most looking forward to in 2016 = ) Thanks so much Marieke & everyone who's contributed already xxx

[Marieke]

Yay Zanna! So happy to hear this. I'm feeling very disorganized in my reading right now but am truly enjoying this book and am feeling inspired to read one of the nonfiction books about the Mau Mau thing.

[Zanna]

I'll start reading as soon as the book comes

[Carolien]

I read this article recently and found it very helpful to provide context to the activities by the Indians in Africa.

The description of how Jamali set up his shop in Kikono (and for that matter Pipa in Moshi and Dar) matches the article exactly. (in fact, the first two paragraphs could have been inserted into the chapter two without any changes to either the article or book). I'm also reading about the Gujaratis in South Africa at the moment and finding a similar pattern.

http://www.economist.com/news/christm...

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

So there were lions and Tsavo mentioned on pg 17 of The Book of Secrets, which made me laugh considering the conversation so far.

I'm not really connecting with it 50 pages in... I know the colonialists are supposed to be unlikeable but they definitely are. Use of the n- word surprised me, the justified violence (although off-screen) surprised me, etc. I'm sure it's to demonstrate the conflict and will keep pushing on.

[Marieke]

I hope it picks up for you, Jenny! I'm really enjoying Vikram Lall and wish I had had more time and energy lately to read bigger chunks of it at a time.

I'm enjoying learning about family dynamics and how different Asian communities relate to each other based on their origins in India/Pakistan.

[Beverly]

I read The In-Between World of Vikram Lall several years ago and really enjoyed. I have always wanted to read more works by the author but never did as I guess too many books, not enough time took hold of me. So I am glad he is the author of the month.

I will be reading The Magic of Saida as this is the book my library has on the shelf.

[Zanna]

The Magic of Saida sounds good - if I like Vikram Lalla (starting today) I will see if I can find that one

[Carolien]

I finished The Book of Secrets over the weekend. It's a slow start, but once in Kikono it picks up momentum and eventually it becomes quite a process to keep the various strands together.

I enjoyed the setting very much and I found the Indian history in East Africa quite refreshing. I also liked the fact that the author deliberately do not answer all the secrets, but leave some for the reader to ponder and resolve as they may.

My sister-in-law recommends his autobiography and I also want to read Vikram Lall.

I must say, I'm having an excellent year with new authors so far.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I finished The Book of Secrets today and have a spoilery question. (view spoiler)[What did Rita tell him that didn't get into the book? (hide spoiler)]

[Beverly]

I have finished The Magic of Saida.

Here are my thoughts:
• The Magic of Saida is the story of Kamal Punja, a successful doctor from Edmonton, Canada, returning to his birthplace a small coastal town called Kilwa, part of what is now known as Tanzania to search for his childhood sweetheart, Saida.
• What started out as story with a theme of looking for a lost love morphs into a fully complex storyline that examines identity, abandonment, love, hope, and dislocation wrapped up with magic realism elements and infused with history of the past and present.
• Once again I was drawn into the skillful storytelling of the author as he looks at East Africa through a lens that explores history, politics, religion, ethnicity and societies yet making it personal and intimate.
• As the storyline fluidity moves between the past and the present in Kamal’s life and the past and present of the history of the region, it is Kamal’s background of having an African mother and Indian father that allows for the exploration of the cultures from an inside view. The reader gets to see sectarian conflicts get ignited by forces that have little to do with many who bear the burden of these conflicts and have even less power to resist.
• As Kamal is given “opportunities” that he is “pushed” to accept, often the price he pays is abandonment by those he loves.
• At times some of the historical parts dragged the story down but they are really so necessary to this story and to our understanding of migration and relocation of this area.
• I learned much about the German colonization of East Africa, the role of WWI on East Africa, and the changeover from the German rule to the British rule
• While all of my questions did not get answered by the end of the book relating to some of the outstanding questions/concerns that Kamal has questioned throughout his life – I did see how the past (even the past we are not aware of) so influences the present. As I look around the world and wonder about conflicts that seem to just sprung up I am learning that that the past is the present.
• This is my second book by the author and once again my knowledge has been enriched in an enjoyable reading experience.
• I highly recommend this book for readers of historical fiction.
• One of my favorite quotes from this book is – “Still, he was different. His features announced it plainly, spoke of provenance, posed questions. There were reminders, the small and large ones, accidental or aimed to wound. He had his memories, his private world to turn to at night. No one could interfere with his memories, they were his solace, his hope for some future resolution in his life. They chained him to his past.”
• Second favorite quote – “But, beware of the mouse who caresses you as he knaws.”

[Zanna]

I was ambivalent about The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, which seemed quite... reactionary. I think Fanon would have made short work of it! It reminded me of Midnight's Children for some reason...

[Beverly]

Zanna wrote: "I was ambivalent about The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, which seemed quite... reactionary. I think Fanon would have made short work of it! It reminded me of [book:Midnight's Childr..."

While I liked the two novels I have read by author, I would agree with your statement. I think it is obvious what Vassanji thinks and what his thoughts on some cultural/social/political issues - especially when it comes to women and though writing fiction it does shade the situation he writes about.

[Zanna]

Thanks Beverly, I really appreciate your corroboration! I won't be reading any more Vassanji.

Oh, and I didn't really finish my thought: I much prefer Midnight's Children but this had a reminiscent structure...

[Marieke]

I see where you are coming from Zanna. I enjoyed Lall but i enjoyed it less and less as the story moved forward. I don't think I'm as perceptive as you and I haven't actually read Fanon so I can't say that that is what I wasn't liking about it. I do plan to read more Vassanji though to see what I make of him. I don't have any other experience with the Asian experience in Africa. Gosh my brain is tired...sorry to not be more erudite.

[Zanna]

No need to apologise Marieke, I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts <333 I did value the Desi-in-Africa perspective as I don't think I've read any other books by such communities.

[Beverly]

Zanna wrote: "Thanks Beverly, I really appreciate your corroboration! I won't be reading any more Vassanji.

Oh, and I didn't really finish my thought: I much prefer Midnight's Children but this had a reminiscen..."

Not sure why I am not that turned off my Vassanji's work - maybe it's because his stories are about the Asian experience in East Africa and/or maybe I am getting more older and realizing more that though I might not like the attitude/thoughts it does not mean that it is not true or it did not prevail.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

The perspective I decided to take to help me absorb a bit more of what Vassanji was trying to do was to think along these lines:

-We are reading 11 authors from Kenya so it is good to have different perspectives
-Colonialization and empire were very big truths in East Africa, and part of the ramifications were a stratified system with Indians above Africans but far below the English. If I were brought in by a colonial power and then had to make a go of things, what would that mean for me? Somehow it was easier to see Vassanji as representing this narrow group's experience in Kenya, not as a holistic representation of the country.
-My other African reads this year have included three novels from Uganda, where the Indians were forced out in 1972. Even if they'd been BORN there. Even if they'd never even BEEN to India. What happens in Uganda must influence Kenya so there must have been a layer of fear in Vassanji's own life, even if that was not represented in the book I chose to read.

I'm not trying to tell anyone how to think but at first I was really put off, and going through this process helped me appreciate it more in the end.

[Carolien]

I've had a very different perspective and experience. Although the author focuses on the Indian experience in Tanzania, similar situations occurred across the continent shaped by the specific country experience.

I'm currently reading Dear Ahmedbhai, Dear Zuleikabehn: The Letters of Zuleikha Mayat and Ahmed Kathrada, 1979–1989 which is a collection of letters written between Ahmed Kathrada and Mrs Mayat while he was held prisoner on Robben Island. She was a formidable lady and amateur historian and many of the stories which they share in the letters support a similar experience by the Gujarati community in South Africa. Her parents owned a successful trading store in Potchefstroom. With apartheid, the owners were forced to sell their properties (including their houses) to the government and only allowed to rent premises in a much less prominent part of town. Kathrada's parents had similar a similar experience.

In South Africa, these communities were first exposed to colonialism and then apartheid and they were in a similar position. Regarded as below the whites, but better than the indigenous black communities. Ghandi became involved in the Indian liberation struggle, after he was thrown off a train in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for being in a whites-only carriage in the early 1900's. He was visiting the Indian community which were brought to South Africa as labourers on the sugar cane estates at the time.

Trading shops such as Pipa's in The Book of Secrets still exist in South Africa. They've been part of the city since Johannesburg was a mining camp in the 1880's. I work in the Johannesburg inner city and you can buy really good breyani in Fordsburg and there are small trading stores as described in the book especially towards the eastern end of the inner city. You can buy anything from blankets to sweets and spices at most of them. (These days some of the stores are owned by Somalis and Pakistanis).

Here's two blog posts by one of my favourite Joburg bloggers describing the Indian culture in Johannesburg. They contain photos of some of those stores:
http://2summers.net/2011/06/06/the-lu...
http://2summers.net/2011/04/03/saturd...

I still interact with descendants of this community on a daily basis - they are my colleagues and my children's friends and their parents. When I have a birthday party for my daughter, I avoid alcohol and all meat since I will be catering for friends from both the Hindu and Muslim part of the South African Indian community. Hashim Amla who captained the South African cricket team is another good example of a contemporary member of this community.

I therefore relate fairly easily to the context of the book and it is part of my history and experience of the continent.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[Zanna]

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. I will elaborate on my own when I manage to review the book :-)

[Jenny]

Just finished The Book of Secrets, and I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, it delivered what I expected: a portrait of the lives of Indians in East Africa. He does a great job at this, I think. I find it really interesting to read about this community’s relations with others and in general under the colonial administration.

The parts I struggled with had to do with the plot and the characters.
Regarding the plot: I’ll second Carolien’s comment that the various strands of plot become quite difficult to follow. Because of this, I wasn’t able to enjoy the novel as much as I could have otherwise. The characterization was uneven, in my experience: Sometimes I could lose myself in the world of the narrator and everything flowed well; other times, I just couldn’t—and then it felt like a real chore to connect with the story.

All that said, overall I’m glad I read it, for the historical and cultural insights.

[Zanna]

I have reviewed The In-Between World of Vikram Lall

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Marieke]

Really thoughtful review, Zanna. It brings to mind one of the things that began troubling me when i read Vassanji's memoir...granted, i have not read a huge amount of Kenyan or other East African/South African (places where large numbers of Asians settled over a long period of time), but it seems that literature written by black writers doesn't even mention Asians at all in its stories, as if they aren't even there. And in Vassanji's work, it's clear that colonialism definitely colored (no pun intended!) the Asian communities' ideas about native black people. I'm not sure where I'm going with this thought...but it just seems apparent how separate the communities were. I would really love to read something from a black author that includes Asian characters so i can see how they are treated. I can not think of a single instance...maybe some of you have recommendations or maybe i'll encounter this at some point this year? perhaps i should do some research....

[Zanna]

I would also love to read some Kenyan literature that is more multicultural... In my review of Weep Not, Child I interpret the pointed inclusion of the Asians, but seen in a 2nd hand racist light, as an invitation to someone from that community to complete the story, and I feel that Vassanji has taken up that invitation, but not quite in the spirit it's offered. That's just my feeling though! Hopefully we'll come across further illumination and depth this year :-)

[Marieke]

Zanna wrote: "I would also love to read some Kenyan literature that is more multicultural... In my review of Weep Not, Child I interpret the pointed inclusion of the Asians, but seen in a 2nd hand ..."

I'm looking forward to delving into Weep Not, Child. I only read your Vassanji review so far.

I asked a South African colleague for some recommendations of books with asian characters written by black authors and she had one suggestion to explore so far: Miriam Tlali. She warned me that the depictions aren't....nice.

[Marieke]

Zanna wrote: "...but seen in a 2nd hand racist light, as an invitation to someone from that community to complete the story, and I feel that Vassanji has taken up that invitation, but not quite in the spirit it's offered. ..."

i think this is a great framework for me to approach my reading of Thiong'o's book. I'm so grateful for your extra sharp mind!

[Zanna]

I read something by Miriam Tlali in Daughters of Africa but I wasn't keen as I recall. I've still got my copy so I'll peek into it again!

Aww thanks Marieke <3 I am SO grateful for all your dedicated organising and research AND discussing. You make my life better xxx

[Marieke]

Zanna wrote: "I read something by Miriam Tlali in Daughters of Africa but I wasn't keen as I recall. I've still got my copy so I'll peek into it again!

Aww thanks Marieke <3 I am SO grateful for ..."

my colleague wasn't exactly keen on this author but it came to mind as a possible example of what I'm looking for. I am not familiar with her work at all.

lol--me and "organizing." haha! i am trying...i'll give myself that. ;)
thanks so much for your kind words. :D

[Carolien]

The only works that come to mind from a South African perspective relates to the work of the liberation movements in the 1950's and 1960's. There was cooperation between the Asian and Black and Communist parts of the movement in for example the drafting of the Freedom Charter and members of all those groups were involved in the Treason and Rivonia Trials. However, the physical separation enforced by Apartheid in the subsequent years had its effect on the intermingling of all race groups and thus literature. There is some mention in Long Walk to Freedom of that period and another Asian alternative is Fighting for Justice by Jay Naidoo who was a Cabinet minister under Nelson Mandela.

[Marieke]

Carolien wrote: "The only works that come to mind from a South African perspective relates to the work of the liberation movements in the 1950's and 1960's. There was cooperation between the Asian and Black and Com..."

Can you think of any novels written by black authors that contain asian characters?

i'm so intrigued now. i guess i ought to also think about comparing that to how white novelists depict asian and black characters.

[Zanna]

Carolien that is really interesting, I like reading stories of solidarity :-)