Abdulrazak Gurnah: A Nobel laureate’s reflections on literature, history and migration

Tanzanian-British author says African literature’s worldly tone is responsible for its global appeal

Tanzanian-born British novelist and academic Abdulrazak Gurnah. AFP

For British-Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah, winning the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature was a moment of reaffirmation.

Well into his fourth decade as a critically acclaimed and soulful narrator of African lives shaped by the forces of history, he saw the prestigious accolade – with the accompanying prize of about $1 million – as validation that his meticulous craft was resonating, even if the books weren’t bestsellers.

“You have to consider that quite a lot of the time people are awarded these prizes towards the end of their career and usually it's for a lifetime's work, which means that by then you are pretty well set in your ways of doing things," Gurnah, 76, tells The National ahead of his appearance at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on Saturday and Sunday.

"So it is a wonderful thing to be endorsed, but you still have to sit down and do the work as you were. After all, you can't tell your computer: 'Hey, do you know I am a Nobel Prize winner?'”

But bookstores certainly can tout his achievements, which brings up the next aspect of the distinction – it provides much-needed insight into the dynamic world of African literature, which is often side-lined to more niche events and specialist awards. Gurnah notes how his win took a lot of bookstores off guard, with some in the UK needing up to three weeks to keep up with demand for copies of seminal works such as Paradise and his most recent, Afterlives.

Fortunately, there is much to savour for newcomers with Gurnah's measured prose offering rich insights into the social impact of African colonialism, while providing a broader meditation on some of the cultural dislocation migrants experience in their new homelands.

In Afterlives, initially published to relatively muted response a year before being elevated by the Nobel Prize win, Gurnah offers insight into a lesser-known period of early 20th-century German colonial rule of East Africa – now known as Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Navigating the turmoil in the small coastal Swahili village are three natives: Ilyas, abducted by German troops and forcibly conscripted; his sister Afiya, who endures a life of servitude in his absence; and Hamza, haunted by his experiences as a conscript soldier during the First World War.

These lives all intertwine to tell a story not only of survival under colonial rule, but of some of the enduring emotional scars still reverberating across many independent African nations today.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah. Photo: Penguin Random House

Gurnah, a former professor of English and postcolonial literature at the University of Kent, says Germany's three-decade history in Africa is generally less discussed due to how relatively short it was, despite being immensely brutal.

"The nature of colonialism varied depending on the time period and duration,” he explains. “German colonialism in Africa, which largely occurred during the 19th century, was in a period where they were so confident in their technological and military superiority that they simply demanded deference. Compare this to the earlier British arrival in India, where they had to negotiate, make deals and conduct business ... Germans were largely focused on invasion."

Gurnah explores some the ramifications of these experiences across all his novels, many of which trace the journeys of refugees rebuilding their lives abroad.

By the Sea follows Saleh Omar, a former merchant from Zanzibar navigating the complexities of the UK asylum system, while Pilgrims Way tells the story of Daud, a Tanzanian immigrant in England, who is grappling with racism and isolation while establishing a new life.

Gurnah cautions against the tendency to portray every migrant’s journey as a triumph over adversity, emphasising that successful resettlement is as much a matter of luck as determination.

“One of the more amazing things about refugees is their ability within a few years to rebuild new lives elsewhere. Their children go to school and they go on to succeed, contribute to the countries they settle in,” he says. “Sure, there’s something in that experience that shapes you, but luck plays a role too. If you’re fortunate, you find opportunity – but if you’re not, then tragedy turns to misery."

Rendering these deeply human stories from often bleak historical periods into an arresting narrative requires the same level of rigour as the research process itself, Gurnah adds.

"They're both work, but both activities engage me differently. There are overlaps, certainly, but they offer different pleasures. Academic work isn't just laborious – scholars enjoy developing arguments and ideas,” he says. “Similarly, writing a novel requires planning, grinding away at it, revision. Both require different kinds of attention but provide different satisfactions."

Appearing alongside Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma, author of the Booker Prize finalist An Orchestra of Minorities, at the literature festival on Sunday, Gurnah sees the rising profile of African literature as a testament to more authors from the continent telling stories that demand to be read.

“I think the reason we’re seeing greater exposure and more books being published isn’t out of charity – it’s because the work is good. Readers and bookshops aren’t supporting African literature out of kindness; they’re doing it because these stories are compelling,” he says. “There’s also another factor at play – whatever phenomenon has driven this shift, whether it’s increased travel, the diaspora, or broader global engagement, African writing now carries a more worldly tone, making it resonate with a wider audience.”

Abdulrazak Gurnah will take part in sessions at the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City on Saturday and Sunday