Awards
2007 PEN/Beyond Margins Award Finalist
Synopses & Reviews
"Not since Jerzy Kosinskis
The Painted Bird or Agota Kristofs Notebook Trilogy has there been such a harrowing novel about what its like to be a young person in a war. That Chris Abani is able to find humanity, mercy, and even, yes, forgiveness, amid such devastation is something of a miracle.”Rebecca Brown, author of
The End of Youth"The moment you enter these pages, you step into a beautiful and terrifying dream. You are in the hands of a master, a literary shaman. Abani casts his spell so completelyso devastatinglyyou emerge cleansed, redeemed, and utterly haunted."Brad Kessler, author of Birds in Fall
Part Inferno, part Paradise Lost, and part Sunjiata epic, Song for Night is the story of a West African boy soldiers lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut, a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other minesweepers. The book is written in a ghostly voice, with each chapter headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war.
Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail (a New York Times Editors Choice), and GraceLand (a selection of the Today Show Book Club and winner of the 2005 PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award). His other prizes include a PEN Freedom to Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California.
Review
"Chris Abani might be the most courageous writer working right now. There is no subject matter he finds daunting, no challenge he fears. Aside from that, he's stunningly prolific and writes like an angel. If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point." Dave Eggers, author of What Is the What
Review
"Not since Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird or Agota Kristof's Notebook Trilogy has there been such a harrowing novel about what it's like to be a young person in a war. That Chris Abani is able to find humanity, mercy, and even, yes, forgiveness, amid such devastation is something of a miracle." Rebecca Brown, author of The End of Youth
Review
"The moment you enter these pages, you step into a beautiful and terrifying dream. You are in the hands of a master, a literary shaman. Abani casts his spell so completely so devastatingly you emerge cleansed, redeemed: and utterly haunted." Brad Kessler, author of Birds in Fall
Review
"Abani is a fiction writer of mature and bounteous gifts...Abani, himself incarcerated and tortured for his writings and activism in Nigeria in the mid-'80s, writes about the body's capacity for both ecstasy and pain with an honesty and precision rarely encountered in recent fiction..." New York Times Book Review
Review
"Song for Night has the feel of a prose poem, with its primary focus on imagery (the consumption of fish, the dripping of water, the feverish repetition of dreams) and its spare, musical language. The lyrical intensity of the writing perfectly suits the material." Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
Fiction. In SONG FOR NIGHT, My Luck, a West African boy soldier who has lost his voice, leads us on a terrifying yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. Masterful, haunting, and written in a ghostly yet lyrical voice, this is a remarkable and emphatic story of courage, grace, morality, and triumph. "If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point"--Dave Eggers. Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, GraceLand, and BECOMING ABIGAIL.
Synopsis
Part Inferno, part Paradise Lost, and part Sunjiata epic, Song for Night is the story of a West African boy soldier's lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut; a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other minesweepers. Written in a ghostly voice, each chapter is headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war.
Synopsis
Abani's new novella furthers his tremendous success in becoming today's most acclaimed young African
About the Author
Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail (a New York Times Editors' Choice), and GraceLand (a selection of the Today Show Book Club; winner of the 2005 PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award). His other prizes include a PEN Freedom-to-Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California.