The Last Flight of The Flamingo - Softcover

Couto, Mia

3.93

1,764 ratings by Goodreads

9781852428136: The Last Flight of The Flamingo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1852428139 ISBN 13: 9781852428136

Publisher: Serpent's Tail, 2005

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

"A wonderful mix of magical realism and wordplay that has a similar tone to M�rquez at his best. Couto writes in an idiom all his own that feels authentically African."―Ink

In Mozambique after the end of the civil war, local soldiers have been unaccountably blown up. When it begins to happen to UN peacekeepers, a high-level delegation visits the village of Tizangara to initiate an investigation. As the UN investigation unfolds, Mia Couto brilliantly shows how the perceptions of events both inside and outside the country are altered when interpreted from an African perspective.

Mia Couto was born in 1955 in Mozambique and is the most prominent Portuguese-speaking African writer. He now lives in Maputo, where he manages the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Mia Couto was born in 1955 in Mozambique and is the most prominent writer in Portuguese-speaking Africa. He has been active as a journalist and during the revolutionary struggle headed the AIM news agency. He now lives in Maputo where he works as an environmental biologist and runs the Mozambique part of the Kruger National Park.

From Booklist:

The shocking first sentence is enough to tell you that this will be one strange mystery: "To put it crudely and rudely, here's what happened: a severed penis was found right there on the trunk road just outside Tizangara." UN soldiers in Mozambique have been inexplicably and incredulously exploding, leaving nothing behind but their blue peacekeeper helmets and their "fleshy hyphens." Italian UN official Massimo Risi arrives to investigate this phenomenon, along with his local translator and guide. A bumbling administrator, his haughty wife, and the town's prostitute add flavor to what is essentially the story of a country learning to work the capitalist system ("our destitution is turning a good profit") while trying to keep foreign influence at bay. The surreal haze of folkloric superstitions and raw sensuality akin to Nuruddin Farah's Secrets permeate the tales that the Tizangara translator and narrator collects. Couto creates a striking portrait of postcolonial Africa; unfortunately, his larger messages tend to get sullied with the inherent shock value of his crude plot device. Misha Stone
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

PublisherSerpent's Tail
Publication date2005
ISBN 10 1852428139
ISBN 13 9781852428136
BindingPaperback
Number of pages192
Rating
- 3.93
  
  1,764 ratings by Goodreads

Buy New

Learn more about this copy

US$ 10.86

Convert currency

Shipping: US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

30 Day Return Policy

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Seller Image

Last Flight Of The Flamingo

Couto, Mia; Brookshaw, David (TRN)

Published by Serpent's Tail (2005)

ISBN 10: 1852428139 ISBN 13: 9781852428136

New Softcover Quantity: 5

Seller:

GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Rating

Seller Rating:

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 2042727-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New

US$ 10.86

Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 2.64

Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Seller Image

The Last Flight of the Flamingo (Paperback or Softback)

Couto, Mia

Published by Serpent's Tail 5/1/2005 (2005)

ISBN 10: 1852428139 ISBN 13: 9781852428136

New Paperback or Softback Quantity: 5

Seller:

BargainBookStores
(Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.)

Rating

Seller Rating:

Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. The Last Flight of the Flamingo 0.45. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9781852428136

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New

US$ 13.51

Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE

Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Stock Image