Zanzibari Worlds : a Relational Reading of Abdulrazak Gurnah’s By the Sea and Adam Shafi Adam’s Vuta n’kuvute

Abstract

Abstract

en My aim is to bring two novels into conversation, each one by a renowned author from Zanzibar: Abdulrazak Gurnah’s By the Sea (published in 2001) and Shafi Adam Shafi’s Vuta n’kuvute (“Tug of War,” published in 1999), which offer literary imaginings of Zanzibari worlds in the turbulent 1960s. The two novels—written in English and Swahili, respectively—have never been brought into relation with each other, since they belong to two different literary worlds. Reading the novels in relation means allowing them the possibility to interrogate each other, question perspectives, and open up new viewpoints. I will show moments where the novels overlap, situate Gurnah’s By the Sea in a local Zanzibari context, and sketch out the more global panorama and multitude of narratives in Shafi’s Vuta n’kuvute, while also drawing attention to the novels’ differences: the sensuous construction of different parts of Zanzibar Town will be a particular point of discussion. Ultimately, the reading of the two novels in relation offers the possibility to expand the critical vocabulary and perspective of Indian Ocean literary studies. I argue that Indian Ocean literary studies needs to take into account greater literary diversity in terms of discourse, language, narrative, and historical perspective in order to gain a more diverse perspective on Indian Ocean worlds.