Sleepwalking Land
About the book
A boy and an older man's wartime journey intertwines with a story found in notebooks.
Original title: Terra Sonâmbula
Africa · A READING GUIDE
Mozambique
Mia Couto connects war memory with family, silence and violence against women. Paulina Chiziane gives voice to women caught in polygamy, racial hierarchies and colonial assimilation. Luís Bernardo Honwana depicts colonial life in short stories, while Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa challenges monumental histories of the Gaza Empire’s ruler. Lília Momplé concentrates political danger into one night in Maputo.
WHERE TO START
- Sleepwalking LandMia Couto
- The First WifePaulina Chiziane
- We Killed Mangy-Dog & Other StoriesLuís Bernardo Honwana
Books to begin with
An editorial selection · not rankedNo matches. Try another language or search term.
The Tuner of Silences
About the book
Mwanito grows up in an isolated settlement where his father tries to erase the family’s painful past.
Original title: Jesusalém
Confession of the Lioness
About the book
Lion attacks on the women of Kulumani also expose violence against women and their silencing.
Original title: A Confissão da Leoa
The First Wife
About the book
Rami discovers her husband’s other families and begins building solidarity among his wives.
Original title: Niketche: Uma História de Poligamia
The Joyful Song of the Partridge
About the book
A mother and daughter’s story reveals the effects of racism, colonial assimilation and family violence.
Original title: O Alegre Canto da Perdiz
We Killed Mangy-Dog & Other Stories
About the book
Stories, often seen through children’s eyes, reveal racial hierarchies and violence in colonial Mozambique.
Original title: Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso
Ualalapi: Fragments from the End of Empire
About the book
A polyphonic account of Ngungunhane unsettles a simple division between national hero and tyrant.
Original title: Ualalapi
Neighbours
About the book
One night connects families in Maputo against the violence of South African destabilisation.
The Last Flight of the Flamingo
About the book
Mysterious events in postwar Mozambique reveal tensions between a local community and outsiders.
A River Called Time
About the book
A return to the family world raises questions of memory, ancestors and belonging.
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.
- Autor i kontekst literacki / Author and literary context ↗
- Karakter — Mia Couto ↗
- Mia Couto — Biblioasis ↗
- Mia Couto — Harvill Secker ↗
- Paulina Chiziane — Archipelago Books ↗
- Paulina Chiziane — Archipelago Books ↗
- Luís Bernardo Honwana — Heinemann ↗
- Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa — Tagus Press ↗
- Lília Momplé — Apollo ↗
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