Author: Abdulrazak Gurnah at LiteretureXchange Festival (2025
Denmark) Photo: Hreinn Gudlaugsson
Postcolonial literature has become a powerful imposition acquiring critical reading of western classics. Almost every African writer has to deal with forerunners to modern literature. The main problem emerges from different writers depending on their cultural, racial, or ideological pretexts which come too much related to politics. Tanzanian author, Nobel Prize winner, Abdulrazak Gurnah’s obsession with homeland positions himself within East African and Indian Ocean literature. Homeland is imagined and produced through memories.
Gurnah has established himself as one of Africa’s finest writers, likely due to his unique ability to blend stories from Africa and the diaspora, coupled with his distinctive storytelling style. His latest novel, Theft, delves into themes of displacement, belonging, and identity, following the coming-of-age journeys of three young individuals – Karim, Fauzia, and Badar – as they navigate their complex lives.
Badar’s story echoes themes from Gurnah’s debut novel, Paradise, which also centres on a servant, and incorporates elements reminiscent of Joseph Conrad’s language. It’s fitting that Theft opens with a quote from Conrad: “In general it’s very difficult for one to become remarkable.” Gurnah skilfully weaves life accounts and memories, crafting a complex narrative web.
As a modern storyteller, he masterfully interlaces childhood and adult experiences, grounding them in historical context. His novels showcase the rich Islamic and Arab cultural heritage of East Africa, presenting a vibrant tapestry of the region’s history and traditions.
When Gurnah won the Nobel Prize in 2021, the awards committee applauded him for “his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.” Yes, his novels can be read as yearning for home.
In many of his novels, narrators mostly lament the collapse of the golden age of Zanzibari centred Arab-Yemeni-Indian-Persian civilization in East Africa. The childhood memories are revisited frequently to shine the myth of this civilizing mission. Though Theft follows three youths, the main character is Badar Ismail, who seems to be displaced and alienated in many ways. The gist of the novel lies in Badar’s life — as the story unfolds, his own story becomes very intriguing and complicated.
In his new novel, Gurnah explores the central theme of being a servant in contemporary Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, an issue that resonates with readers globally. In many African and Gulf countries, the hospitality industry relies heavily on workers in roles such as waiters, servants, and other service staff. Gurnah tackles this issue meticulously, shedding light on the conditions faced by these individuals.
Servants like other service staff are always seen through the lens of employers. In Badar’s case, he is living under surveillance, being observed by the house lady, the Mistress, all the time, he is held accountable for everything he does, though he is encouraged to join prayers in mosques, and well treated accordingly, he never becomes a part of the family he serves. “The Mistress kept an eye on him to make sure he did everything right but she didn’t scold him when he made a mistake.”
The novel covers three decades, from early 1960’s till 1990’s, showcasing Gurnah’s critique of early revolutionaries and identity crises.
Badar is an ‘unwanted boy’, fostered and raised by a family after his mother’s passing. At 13, he’s forced to leave school and become a servant in the household of his wealthy relative, Uncle Othman, in Dar es Salaam. There, he meets and befriends Karim. Before leaving for Dar es Salaam, he’s labelled ‘an insolent little rascal’ by his mother – not his biological mother, as he’s unaware of his true family ties.
He’s frowned upon by his stepfather and bullied by the household children, seen as a source of shame. Even Uncle Othman barely acknowledges him, communicating only through gestures. He only forms a bond with Juma, the gardener. He only has limited space and this liminal position makes him happy enough to reconcile with his environment.
At the end, Badar is accused of stealing groceries and sent to Zanzibar, where Karim helps him secure a job at a hotel. His name, Badar, meaning ‘the battle of destiny’, echoes a significant battle in Islamic history, symbolizing the hardships he faces.
Through Badar’s story, Gurnah explores the societal fault lines and moral complexities that lead to the alienation and displacement of those perceived as outsiders.
Theft is published by Bloomsbury Publishing