US-based Zimbabwean author Elizabeth Zandile Tshele who uses the pen name NoViolet Bulawayo recently published a fictional novel titled “Glory,” a modern, Zimbabwean ‘Animal Farm.’
In the book, NoViolet Bulawayo completely removes the vocabulary of “people” from the story and the language of its characters, who are all animals.
 |
| NoViolet Bulawayo Image by Nye’ Lyn Tho |
Bulawayo, 40 adopted her pen name in tribute to her hometown. She was born in Tsholotsho and attended Njube High School and later Mzilikazi High School for her A-levels. She lives in Oakland, California where she works as a teacher at Stanford University.
She feels a kinship with writers such as Tsitsi Dangarembga, Petina Gappah, Novuyo Rosa Tshuma, and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, among others. “I’m really delighted,” she says in a conversation with LA Times, “to be writing along with a cohort of writers and artists who are very dedicated to telling difficult stories.”
The book is set in Jidada, a fictional African country that can be understood as a sort of fantasia of Zimbabwe in the period between the 2017 military overthrow of its president, Robert Mugabe, and his death two years later.
Find below snippets of great reviews the book has received so far and visit The New York Times website to read their full review here
 |
| Glory cover Image by Viking/Penguin |
“Manifoldly clever…brilliant… ‘Glory’ is its own vivid world, drawn from its own folklore. This is a satire with sharper teeth, angrier, and also very, very funny.”—Violet Kupersmith, The New York Times Book Review“A crackling political satire.”—The New York Times“Genius.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds“Few writers possess a literary voice as inimitable as Bulawayo’s…[The] dazzling voices of this novel will draw you deep into its ambitious and mystifying heart.”—Vulture“An absurd yet captivating examination of themes such as toxic masculinity, hero-worship, and performative change.”—TIME“Bulawayo’s storytelling gifts…are prodigious…Any satire worth its weight in talking animals is really a warning — to the powers that be, the complicit, and anyone who thinks nothing so terrible could ever happen to them…By almost any measure, ‘Glory’ weighs a ton.”—Washington Post“[One of the] most anticipated books of 2022.”—Oprah Daily“With ingenuity and skill, Bulawayo masterfully controls her story.”—San Francisco Chronicle“Throughout, Bulawayo keenly displays the perspectives of political players and the civilians who bear the brunt of their violence. With satire that feels necessary and urgent, Bulawayo brings clarity to a murky political morass.”—Publishers Weekly“Conjure[s] a mood of an epic folktale.”—Kirkus Reviews“Glory is like nothing we’ve read before. It’s a strange, creative, experimental book that will take the reading world by storm, a satire grounded in hope.”—Book Riot“A surreal venture that lays the struggles of social upheaval bare.”—Leanne Butkovic, Thrillist“Inspired by the fall of Robert Mugabe, [Glory] promises an incisive parable for our times.”—Tom Beer, Kirkus Reviews
Loved this report? Support Greedysouth by buying the team a cup of coffee. Your support assists the production of such quality reports. Thank you.