A general theory of oblivion
Agualusa, José Eduardo, 1960-2016
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On the eve of Angolan independence, an agoraphobic woman named Ludo bricks herself into her apartment for 30 years, living off vegetables and the pigeons she lures in with diamonds, burning her furniture and books to stay alive and writing her story on the apartment's walls. Almost as if we're eavesdropping, the history of Angola unfolds through the stories of those she sees from her window. As the country goes through various political upheavals from colony to socialist republic to civil war to peace and capitalism, the world outside seeps into Ludo's life through snippets on the radio, voices from next door, glimpses of someone peeing on a balcony, or a man fleeing his pursuers.
A general theory of oblivion / José Eduardo Agualusa ; translated from the Portuguese by Danny Hahn.
Agualusa, José Eduardo, 1960-, authorHahn, Daniel, translator
London : Vintage, 2016.
240 pages ; 20 cm
This translation originally published: London: Harvill Secker, 2015.
English PEN Award 2015
9780099593126 (pbk)
EnglishPortuguese
81811