‘This Mournable Body’ is the latest book written by a Bellagio resident to enter the Bellagio Library.
The book continues the story of Tambudzai, the protagonist of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s acclaimed first novel, Nervous Conditions. After leaving a dead-end job, Tambudzai finds herself living in a run-down youth hostel in downtown Harare.
At every turn, she is faced with a fresh humiliation. As a last resort, she takes an ecotourism job that takes her back to her parents’ impoverished homestead. A homecoming that culminates in an act of betrayal…
Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize
‘MAGNIFICENT.‘ Guardian ‘A MASTERPIECE.’ New York Times ‘HYPNOTIC.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT.’ Literary Review ‘A MUST READ.’ Helon Habila, ‘DAZZLING.’ FT
About the author – Tsitsi Dangarembga is the author of two previous novels, including Nervous Conditions, winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. She is also the director of the Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa Trust. She lives in Harare, Zimbabwe.
I wrote around 60,000 words while there, and that was the book. Within a month I was giving a TEDx talk, and I had more than a dozen other speaking engagements. I’m still promoting my ideas using my book. It’s all only been possible because of the residency.
Any individual who decides that they’re going to use their personal agency for good can be incredibly powerful. You go to a place like Bellagio, and you’re humbled by how extraordinary these people are. It gives you hope for humanity, and that’s not a well I get the chance to go to often these days.
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