Theft (Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature): A Novel
“Some things seem predictable, after they have happened, when before they might have seemed unlikely.”
Theft is the 11th novel by Abdulrazak Gurnah who was a recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Nobel Committee chose Gurnah "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents." Identity and belonging have often been cited as themes of Gurnah’s work. These characterizations remain valid for Theft: A Novel but are only part of the beauty and heft of this latest work.
Theft is divided into three parts: The first offers an introduction to most of the major characters; the second moves forward in time following the important life developments of some of the characters; the third, brings several conflicts to a head, reveals many of the loose connections in relationships, and contains a strong critique of Europeans and the legacy of colonial culture.
Set in Tanzania on the islands of Zanzibar and on the mainland of the African continent in Dar es Salaam, Theft is placed within the world of Swahili and British colonial culture. The principal figures of the novel are connected by blood or by marriage, although some of those connections are only revealed as the story moves forward. Most of these people are from three extended families, and the narrative extends across a period of approximately 30 years. The British and European characters are, of course, from outside these families, although they are a significant element in story. It is these themes and the relationships between the characters that hold Theft together.
Badar is a servant who has no knowledge of his father. At age 13, he is sent away by his adopted family to serve in another household. Haji and Raya are his new master and mistress, and Haji’s father, known as Uncle Othman, lives there as well. Their son Karim will eventually take in Badar and will find employment for Badar in a small hotel in Zanzibar. Here, in his early twenties, Badar begins to develop a life and identity of his own. The evolution of Badar from country boy to urbanite is slow and detailed and offers insights into the different cultures.
Through all of Badar’s story others appear, and Gurnah develops each character within the larger narrative. In this process, the story grows in depth and width, and Gurnah uses the opportunity to introduce elements of Swahili culture and the physical setting of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. These are vivid and detailed parts of the narrative to the point that not only the physical setting is evoked, but often with it the smells of perfumed air, and the taste of the local foods.
At one point, Badar describes his village to one of his coworkers: “The village houses are small, some of them sticks plastered with mud. You can’t see all of them from the road. Between the houses are vegetable gardens and the cassava rows and fruit trees. If there is a meeting or something like that, it happens under the mango tree by the roadside. People sit there to wait for the bus to town or to sell produce to passing bus passengers or to talk or just to see if anything might pass by. They go there under the tree even when there is no reason to be there.”
As Karim becomes a larger figure in the story, he marries Fausia, a beautiful and intelligent young woman. They first meet at school, and their courtship offers insight into local customs and the constraints they place on the individual. Also, at school, Fausia develops a friendship with Hawa, an energetic and ambitious young girl, and the two become lifelong friends. Their bond proves important as the novel moves forward.
When she was very young, Fausia had a condition known at the time as “the falling disease.” She grows out of it fairly quickly, but it will be of great concern to her throughout her life and, particularly, when she marries and has a child. She fears the falling disease may pass to her baby, and this becomes a significant element in the story.
When Badar goes to work at The Tamarind Hotel, his supervisor offers Badar this advice in dealing with foreigners: “Smile if you have to but always speak directly. These people don’t like cringing. They want you to serve them politely and then get out of their sight. Always remember, they are only tourists. It’s just their money we want, not their love. Don’t argue, don’t answer back. . . . Don’t stare at the men, especially when they wear stupid clothes. Don’t make jokes and don’t laugh out loud. Don’t touch them!”
It is in this third section of the novel that several developments come to a head. It is also where the interaction with tourists brings trouble for many in contact with them. Badar will go through these developments and will learn more about life and people. In the end, he will come through it wiser and with a greater appreciation of the people and life around him.
If there is one weakness in the story, it is that the major developments are sometimes telegraphed, and what should be surprising, is not. This is a small thing that does not detract from the rich rewards of the poetic prose that marks much of the descriptive writing and the rich development of the lives of the major and some of the minor characters.