Transparent City
About the book
In a decaying Luanda apartment block, Odonato becomes transparent as his neighbours struggle through daily life.
Original title: Os Transparentes
Africa · A READING GUIDE
Angola
Ondjaki portrays Luanda through children and residents of a city marked by war and social transformation. José Eduardo Agualusa examines invented pasts and attempts to shut history out. Pepetela follows the independence generation from utopia to disillusionment. Manuel Rui and José Luandino Vieira introduce shorter forms, everyday speech and oral storytelling.
WHERE TO START
- Transparent CityOndjaki
- A General Theory of OblivionJosé Eduardo Agualusa
- The Utopian GenerationPepetela
Books to begin with
An editorial selection · not rankedNo matches. Try another language or search term.
Good Morning Comrades
About the book
A child’s perspective reveals everyday life in Luanda during socialism and civil war.
Original title: Bom dia camaradas
Granma Nineteen and the Soviet’s Secret
About the book
Children in Luanda try to protect their neighbourhood from a vast construction project.
Original title: AvóDezanove e o segredo do soviético
A General Theory of Oblivion
About the book
Ludo walls herself into her apartment before Angolan independence, receiving the country’s history in fragments.
Original title: Teoria Geral do Esquecimento
The Book of Chameleons
About the book
A gecko narrates the story of a man who sells invented genealogies and pasts.
Original title: O Vendedor de Passados
The Utopian Generation
About the book
The lives of an independence generation trace the path from revolutionary hopes to disillusionment.
Original title: A Geração da Utopia
Yes, Comrade
About the book
These stories depict ordinary people during Angola’s liberation struggle and political transformation.
Original title: Sim, camarada!
Luuanda
About the book
Three stories draw on oral culture and everyday life in colonial Luanda’s poor neighbourhoods.
The Society of Reluctant Dreamers
About the book
A journalist’s dreams intertwine private love with Angola’s political unrest.
The Whistler
About the book
A lyrical tale of an unusual visitor and the power of musical sound.
Context and sources
Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.
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