Glory
First edition (US)
AuthorNoViolet Bulawayo
CountryZimbabwe
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction, Political satire
Set inJidada (fictionalised version of Zimbabwe)
Publisher
Publication date
8 March 2022[1]
Pages416
ISBN978-0-52-556113-2
Preceded byWe Need New Names 

Glory is the second novel of Zimbabwean author NoViolet Bulawayo. Published on 8 March 2022, Glory is a political satire inspired by George Orwell's novel Animal Farm.[2] It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize[3] which was announced on September 6, 2022.[4]

Development and background

The novel was inspired by Animal Farm by George Orwell.[5] According to Bulawayo, she intended to write about the 2017 coup against Robert Mugabe as a nonfiction; instead, she settled for political satire.[2]

Reception

While shortlisting Glory for the 2022 Booker Prize, the jury said, "A fictional country of animals ruled by a tyrannical and absolute power is on the verge of liberation. The fiction becomes almost reality as we picture the parallel between this Animal Farm, Zimbabwe, and the fate of many African nations. An ingenious and brilliant political fable that bears witness to the surreal turns of history."[3][6]

Sarah Ladipo Manyika, writing for The Guardian, said Glory was in good company with Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka, and also observed: "Bulawayo doesn't hold back in speaking truth to power. She writes urgently and courageously, holding up a mirror both to contemporary Zimbabwe and the world at large. Her fearless and innovative chronicling of politically repressive times calls to mind other great storytellers such as Herta Müller, Elif Shafak and Zimbabwean compatriot Yvonne Vera. Glory, with a flicker of hope at its end, is allegory, satire and fairytale rolled into one mighty punch."[2]

Glory was described by The Conversation as "unforgettable" and "an instant Zimbabwean classic".[7] The New York Times stated: "The scope and complexity of the historical material Bulawayo takes on in her tale are ambitious, and she pulls it off."[5]

Reviewing the novel for The Scotsman, Stuart Kelly wrote: "It is too neat to refer to this as a kind of Zimbabwean Animal Farm. ... If there were one book I would compare it to it would be Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow, an equally acerbic, precise, heart-rending and hilarious analysis of tyranny."[8]

Ainehi Edoro comments very favourably in Brittle Paper on the novel's use of language – "Bulawayo's writing is a performance. Colorful, poetic, comedic. Like a masquerade, her writing dances in a blend of contrasts." – and also cautions that "before we start calling Glory African Animal Farm, I want to remind folks that Orwell did not invent the fable as a form of political critique. African literature has a rich tradition of animal stories."[9]

The Financial Times reviewer wrote: "Glory is a memorable, funny and yet serious allegory about a country's plight under tyranny and what individual and collective freedom means in an age of virtual worlds and political soundbites."[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Glory". Goodreads. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Ladipo Manyika, Sarah (23 March 2022). "Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo review – a Zimbabwean Animal Farm". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo makes Booker Prize shortlist with 'Glory'". Bulawayo24 News. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  4. ↑ "Glory | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  5. 1 2 Kupersmith, Violet (6 March 2022). "NoViolet Bulawayo Allegorizes the Aftermath of Robert Mugabe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "Booker Prize 2022 shortlist: A reader's introduction to the six novels". Scroll.in. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  7. ↑ Mushakavanhu, Tinashe (27 July 2022). "NoViolet Bulawayo's new novel is an instant Zimbabwean classic". The Conversation. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Kelly, Stuart (7 April 2022). "Book review: Glory, by NoViolet Bulawayo". The Scotsman.
  9. ↑ Edoro, Ainehi (2 May 2022). "The Many Delights of Animal Stories | Review of Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Nelson, Franklin (14 April 2022). "Glory — NoViolet Bulawayo's Orwellian allegory of dictatorship". Financial Times.
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