Maps

Blood in the Sun #1

by Nuruddin Farah

Askars Geburt im Ogaden, dem von Äthiopien annektierten Hochland, wird von traurigen Ereignissen überschattet: Seine Mutter stirbt kurz nach der Entbindung, sein Vater, Angehöriger der Western Somali Liberation Front, ist bei einem Kampfeinsatz ums Leben gekommen. Askars Ziehmutter wird Misra, die nicht aus Somalia, sondern aus Äthiopien stammt. Zwischen den beiden entwickelt sich eine Welt von Liebe und Vertrauen, die sich von der Gewalt des Bürgerkriegs abhebt. Doch Misra lebt nicht nur für Askar; auch Askars Onkel Qorrax und Aw-Adan, Priester des Dorfes, erheben Anspruch auf ihre Zuneigung. Schließlich treiben die politischen Wirren den halbwüchsigen Jungen in die Hauptstadt Mogadischu; und dort trifft er Jahre später wieder auf Misra, die beschuldigt wird, somalische Freiheitskämpfer an Äthiopien verraten zu haben.

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Though he has lived in exile for the last 20 years, Nuruddin Farah's eye never strays far from his native Somalia. In Maps and Secrets, the first and third volumes in his Blood in the Sun trilogy, he explored the devastating effects of tribal hatred and civil war on his society; the middle volume, Gifts, however, is of a different stripe altogether. Though also set in Somalia, it is a sunnier, more optimistic novel, and a love story, to boot. The protagonist is Duniya, a nurse at a maternity hospital in Mogadishu. Once widowed and once divorced, she has experienced the injustices heaped upon women in her culture--as a young girl Duniya was given by her father to an elderly man to be his wife; after his death she remarried, only to have her child taken from her by her alcoholic husband's family when they divorced. Free at last, she has no intentions of getting entangled again--until she meets Bosaaso, an American-educated economist who has returned to Somalia to help his country during its economic crisis:

Duniya thought that marriage was a place she had been to twice already, but love was a palace she hadn't had the opportunity to set foot in before now. If what she and Bosaaso were doing was the beginning of a long courtship that might eventually lead to such a many-roomed mansion of love, so be it. So far she had only seen glimpses of it, in a rear-view mirror, in the eyes of a driver who wasn't a taxi driver.

But love is not all Nuruddin has on his mind. He constantly reexamines the theme of gifts, from the personal gifting of one's body or heart to the impersonal "aid" bestowed by wealthy nations upon the poorer ones. But Gifts is hardly a political tract, for it consistently eschews the general in favor of the particular. In tracing Duniya's budding relationship with Bosaaso, Nuruddin not only tells the love story of two individuals but also etches a remarkable portrait of women in Somalia. The relationship between Duniya and Bosaaso is sweet, funny, and tender, but it is in her ties to her women friends and daughters that the book shines. As she learns to swim and drive, to stand up to her overbearing former in-laws and to trust her heart, it is within the context of an extended web of friends and family. Maps and Secrets expose the uglier aspects of war-torn Somalia; Gifts, on the other hand, offers its hidden strengths. --Alix Wilber

Genres: Africa, Fiction, Somalia, African Literature, Historical Fiction, Literature, Novels

363 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Nuruddin Farah (Somali: Nuuradiin Faarax, Arabic: نور الدين فرح‎) is a prominent Somali novelist. Farah has garnered acclaim as one of the greatest contemporary writers in the world, his prose having earned him accolades including the Premio Cavour in Italy, the Kurt Tucholsky Prize in Sweden, the Lettre Ulysses Award in Berlin, and in 1998, the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature. In the same year, the French edition of his novel Gifts won the St Malo Literature Festival's prize. In addition, Farah is a perennial nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Reviews

[Sawsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

خرائط الحدود وخرائط المحبة
الأولى تحدد هوية الانسان والثانية لهوى القلب والشعور بالسكن والأمان
سرد ذاتي للراوي الصومالي عسكر يحكي فيه عن حياته من الطفولة إلى الشباب
بجانب أحداث ومآسي الحرب بين الصومال واثيوبيا بسبب النزاع على اقليم أوجادين
التفاصيل بين الواقع والمشاعر والأفكار المُتداخلة ورمزية الأحلام
والمرأة لها حضور قوي في السرد في صور مجتمعية مختلفة
يعرض نور الدين فارَح الكاتب الصومالي قضايا بلده الاجتماعية والسياسية
وأهمها أثر الحروب والاستعمار واختلاف التركيبة العرقية على تشتُت الهوية والانتماء
رواية خرائط هي الجزء الأول من ثلاثية "دماء في الشمس

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story from the Muslim world in the “Horn” of East Africa, a peninsula that juts out toward Saudi Arabia. It’s kind of blank spot on the map for many of us, but it consists of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The story is set in the 1970’s.

A young boy grows up in a world of women – his father has been killed in the endless territorial disputes of this area especially the on-going feud over Ogaden, a region disputed by Somalia and Ethiopia. His mother died at his birth, so he was adopted by the childless midwife. In this world of women he even comes to believe that he has menstruated. This is referred to more than a dozen times in the novel to the point where it seems overdone.

The main character grows up as a bright, scholarly “little adult” who looks down on the games and silliness of other kids his age. He is in love with his schooling and his wall maps, trying to figure out his place in the world literally and figuratively.

This is a diverse regions with many peoples. He grows up in a tiny village in a Somali-speaking world, but his adoptive mother is Oromo, from Ethiopia and she speaks Amharic (not Aramaic). This ethnic difference is critical because later in the story she is accused of treason by the Somalis and the boy has to decide if he believes this or not and deal with his feelings.

The young boy ends up being quasi-adopted by a well-off uncle and his wife in the big city of Mogadishu. In the transition from tiny village to big city, a whole new world opens up to him. Contrary to stereotypes of the Muslim world, the wife is very modern and drives to work as a college professor while her husband stays home to cook and keep house. The boy loves his country and wants to go to war to defend it and to get his territory back. His aunt and uncle want him to pursue his education and forget about these endless, futile territorial wars. So a big theme is the pen vs. the sword.

I found this to be a so-so read as a novel but its main value is in the local color of a part of the world that few novels emerge from. (Another that comes to mind is Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah.)

[طَيْف · Rating 3 out of 5]

حكاية طفل تسكنه التساؤلات والكلمات...الأسماء ورموزها...الأرض والسماء، القلم والكتاب، والخرائط...وتسكنه الأحلام التي احتلت مساحة كبيرة من حياته ومن الرواية...والتي تركت آثارها على نمو ذاته

والأكثر من ذلك أنها حكاية الصومال وإقليم أوغادين المتنازع عليه بين الصومال وأثيوبيا والحرب الدائرة بينهما عام 1977...وحكاية المآسي التي أصابت الصوماليين فيها، من مذابح وتهجير وقتل واغتصاب للنساء العفيفات


عسكر...قتل والده في تلك الحرب...وماتت أمه عند ولادته...وربته الأثيوبية "مصرا" صاحبة القدرات التنبئية، في قريته "كالافو" التابعة لإقليم أوغادين...ليغادرها وهو في السابعة إلى بيت خاله في مقديشو...مفارقات كثيرة يحياها الفتى وهو ينتقل بين أجواء متناقضة...ليتكيف مع حياة جديدة...في كنف خاله وزوجته المثقفين...فتتسع مساحة أسئلته...ويحاول البحث عن خريطته الذهنية لذاته وللحدود التي تفصله عن "مصرا"، في الوقت الذي يتمحور اهتمامه حول خريطة الصومال وأفريقيا وحدودهما...وكيف اتسعت أوروبا على حسابها...في إشارة لأزمة الهوية التي يحاول تحديدها وفهمها

فكما يقول فارح:

"لذلك فإن رغبتي في الكتابة، جاءت من الرغبة في إعادة اختراع عالم، يستطيع فيه أي طفل صومالي أن يتعرف إلى ذاته"

وربما لهذا رسم فارح شخصية عسكر بوعي مبكر بتجاوز حدود عمره بكثير

"خرائط" الرواية الأولى ضمن ثلاثية "دماء في الشمس"، والتي تتضمن "هدايا" و"أسرار"...والسرد فيها يتنوع بين ضمير المخاطب والمتكلم والغائب...تنوعا لا يفقد الرواية تماسكها...ويتراوح في الزمن بين الحاضر والماضي


حتى الصفحة 130 تملكني الإحباط من نزول توقعاتي بعد ما قرأته عن كاتبها والإشادة به، وبعد انتهائي من روايتي "وول سوينكا"، وبعد ذلك بدأت الرواية تتخذ منحى مختلفا خاصة مع حوارات عسكر وخاله الفلسفية، وتساؤلاته المصيرية حول ما يربط الصوماليين ببعضهم ودور الحب كرابط أصيل وبديل لرابط الدم...وهل الأولوية للتطوع في جبهة التحرير أم الانتساب للجامعة الوطنية لإكمال الدراسة، بمعنى آخر الأولوية لتحرير الأرض أم لبناء الإنسان؟؟


لماذا ثلاث نجمات؟؟

لأنه ركز في جزئه الأول على علاقة عسكر بمصرا مربيته الأثيوبية من ناحية حسيّة بإيحاءات تقود إلى توقع علاقة جسدية بينهما رغم أنه غادرها إلى مقديشو وعمره سبع سنوات، وللتكرار والحشو أحيانا كثيرة دون فائدة تذكر، وللحوارات التي جاءت مباشِرة في العديد من صفحات جزئها الثاني لفرض رؤية سياسية يتبناها الكاتب...والحوارات التي لم أجدها منطقية في نهاية الرواية

ولأنه عزز مفهوم الهوية الصومالية على حساب الهوية العربية الإسلامية، بل غمز في أكثر من موضع باستنكاره للوجود العربي على أرض الصومال...وقد عرض تصوره لأمة صومالية تمتد من جيبوتي إلى أجزاء من كينيا إلى الأوغادين...لها لغتها وثقافتها وهويتها الخاصة، حتى اعتبر العرب غزاة هيمنوا بلغتهم المكتوبة على لغة أهل البلاد الشفاهية


ورغم كل ذلك...فقد فتح أمامي الكتاب بابا على إقليم أوغادين ومأساته والأحداث الدامية التي حدثت فيه، مما قادني للبحث والقراءة عنه وعن المآسي التي عانى منها الصوماليون في مواجهة الأثيوبيين

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic coming-of age story. For a culture as mysterious as that of the Somali, this book gives an interesting insight into the people and the wars that they fought, both to liberate themselves and to get to know who they truly are.
While the switch in points of view was confusing, it became easier to follow with time. The worldview of Askar, the main character, keeps changing as he grows older, and as the people that surround him react to their worlds, they give him an insight into human nature, and he learns what his place in this world is.
First Nurudding Farah book I am reading. Definitely not the last.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't give up on this book too soon. I feel the book completely turns around when Askar arrives in Mogadishu and one meets with Hilaal and Salaado. They are marvelous!

This is what I thought before this point: I wanted to like this book...... but I don't. I always check Kirkus Reviews because usually they do not praise a book or an author unless it is really good. In their review of Maps, shown on the Barnes and Noble site,they say it is "One of the best novels out of Africa in some time." I am very disappointed, both in the book and in the B&N review. I have not finished the book yet; I am about half way through. I will force myself to finish the book. I do not like the narrative. I do not think it gives insight of Somalian life. Please read Jess' review below. I agree with every sentence of her review! It seems silly to just repeat what she has said, but read her review and believe it. If I search for something good to say about Maps it would be that sometimes Farah does express intriguing thoughts, such as: "Annoy a child and you will discover the adult in him. Please an adult with gifts and the child therein re-emerges." Think about it, this is true! But on the whole this book is tedious, repetitive and boring. Buying this book was a mistake. If when I finish the book my opinion has changed I will let you know.

Well my opinion has changed! I love Farah's writing, and maybe all that I disliked before makes me appreciate the writing now even more. The book does give insights into Somalian life and the ethnic problems at the root of the Ethiopian and Somalian conflict. It also sheds light on other African conflicts.

Still reading ......

So in conclusion I would have to say that I do like Farah's writing. I personally do not like books that only express the dark side of life because all life includes sparkles of happiness and humor. Sometimes the sparkles are few and far between, but they are there. A book that dispenses with all sparkles is not true to life and is oh so difficult to read! This book does balance the despair and hopelessnes in Misra's life with hope and understanding and purpose, seen in the lives of Hilaal and Salaado. Askar is in the middle, confused and not knowing which way to be drawn. It is he who must define where he stands, and thus who he is.

This book is not easy reading, but well worth the effort. It is not only about African ethnic differences and their implications but also about the balance between body versus mind and fate versus our ability to control our lives. Hilaal and Salaado did not have an easy life, but they chose to direct their own lives and made a point of seeing life's sparkle. They remained compassionate and understanding of others and Misra.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annoy a child and you'll discover the adult in him[...]Please an adult with gifts and the child therein re-emerges.

This book's meaning builds with all the speed of a complacent elephant suddenly provoked to stampede during the last few instances. I will admit to not especially engaging with the beginning, but much as childhood becomes immensely more contextualized upon reaching adulthood, I began comfortably swimming in my preferred ideological medium once the exigencies of the paradigms of gender, nationality, and postcolonialism were introduced through various states of dreaming landscapes. It built to a gripping enough question of whether physical or mental fortitude guaranteed liberation that I'll most likely be picking up the sequels should I come across them, although I refrain from digital commitment for one vague reason or another. This reading result made me glad that, if it's taking me a while to acquire a certain work that would introduce me to an author, I'm likely to pick up any in the relevant bibliography should I come across them, as I'm still waiting on Farah's Knots showing up, five years after I added it and two years after I acquired 'Maps'. Farah's no Soyinka or Ngũgĩ, but he has a certain sensibility regarding the work he's doing that I'm very much a fan of, to the point that the novelty of him hailing from Somalia is no longer as vitally necessary for getting my attention.

This work is yet another bildungsroman, but unlike what is commonly taunted in pop culture, including the part that thinks itself far more rigorous in its ivory tower nonsense, this story describes invasion, freedom fighting, the division of an oral culture into at least five different language scripts, both African and otherwise, and a persistent undermining of the trope of the child soldier as discussions of cartography, citizenship, and linguistics come into play at the tender age of ten. The talk of blood and other bodily excretions will likely be off putting to some, especially during the beginning of the work, but to shy away from repeated talk of menstruation in a media caked to the gills with portrayals of gory violence is pathetic at best and bad faith at worse. I will admit to not being a fan of the trope of woman in a refrigerator that the story culminated with, but the conclusion is supported enough by the burgeoning narrative complexity that such an end was definitely not done for edgy lulz or out of lazy complacency. Beyond that, this work, forces Eurocentric types to recalibrate in the face of a history that is still being lived today, of contemplations of poets in the time of war, and Italian spoken alongside readings of the Koran in schools and at funerals.. In word, this work is truly 'modern', a living blend of corners of the world that refuses white categorization through its very life and soul. I've heard Farah's name traded in whispers regarding future Nobel Prizes for Lit, and after reading this, while it's not a favorite work, I can't say that I can't see where such hypotheses are coming from.

It's nice to stretch my international muscles a tad and discover that I can still appreciate the worlds far removed from mine. It's even nicer to go into a more modern realm and discover that the many old things under the sun can still be contorted into new confabulations by enterprising authors, and my thought son gender, warfare, revolution, identity, culture, and what it means to be willing to bleed for something greater than oneself are as much in flux as they were when I read Hugo's 'Les Mis' for the first time all those years ago. Speaking of such politically infused narratives revolution around collective action, 'Maps' is no God's Bits of Wood, but if you've read that and/or any of the other authors I've mentioned, you might as well add Farah to your stacks. I still run across the term "African" being used to encompass merely a single country/culture/people who happen to hail from within the bounds of the continent, which tells me that, whatever (white) people are reading, it's not enough to separate in their minds Nigeria from Kenya from Somalia from Botswana from Côte d'Ivoire from South Africa from etc, etc, etc. A number of African countries have come into being since Farah penned this tome, and it would be best to jump start one's awareness before one's left behind.

You look at a map, of the British colonies in Africa, say, a map whose pinkish portions competed in terms of size and imagination with the green which represented the portions of the continent under the French. Now compare the situation today with its ghostly past and someone may think that a great deal of change has taken place and that names of a number of countries have been altered to accommodate the nationalist wishes of the people of these areas. But has the more basic truth undergone a change? Or have we?

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

In effetti sarebbero 2,5 stelline e se fossi davvero onesta dovrei arrotondare per difetto, ma c'è qualcosa che me lo impedisce. Tutto sommato la storia è interessante e anche la scrittura di Farah è buona, inoltre se non fosse stato per questo libro non avrei mai saputo la storia dell'Ogaden, regione a prevalenza somala ma sotto il controllo dell'Etiopia, teatro di guerre per la riannessione alla Somalia.

Mi ha molto infastidito l'alternarsi di capitoli in prima, seconda e terza persona, addirittura in uno dei capitoli c'è un'alternanza interna, ma non sono minimamente riuscita a capire se ci sia una logica dietro questa scelta stilistica. Secondo me non c'è, è un puro esercizio di stile che dal mio punto di vista l'autore ci poteva risparmiare. Inoltre ci sono continui salti temporali e incursioni nel realismo magico quando si raccontano i sogni di Askar, cose che a me non piacciono molto.

È la storia di Askar e con lui quella di Misra, che lo trova neonato di pochi giorni accanto al cadavere della madre. Misra sarà per lui più che una madre, ma ancora bambino sarà mandato dagli zii Hilaal e Salaado a Mogadiscio per sfuggire alla guerra nell'Ogaden. Particolare interessante, Misra è etiope ma vive nell'Ogaden a maggioranza somala. Per questo sarà successivamente accusata di tradimento, con conseguenze gravissime e con grande turbamento di Askar, che non saprà bene cosa credere.

Non penso che ricorderò a lungo questo libro, ma in futuro vorrei dare un'altra chance a questo autore.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maps is a novel by Nuruddin Farah, a chronicler of modern Africa's sociopolitical turbulence and growth who has lived in exile from his native Somalia since 1974. The first in a trilogy of novels, Maps is rich in concept and execution, beautifully worked in the dense, intricate prose. It tells the story of Askar, orphaned as a child, who is rescued from his dead mother's side and raised in a small village by Misra, an older woman who develops a mysterious, protective bond with him.

Eventually he moves to the capital to live with his prosperous Uncle Hilaal; however, Askar's origins continue to preoccupy him, and he grows into a serious, introspective youth fixed on the urgent question of his identity. Thus we have the central theme of this novel - identity - a theme that is woven with complexity as Askar begins with close ties to Misra, his substitute mother, and as he grows into young manhood with ties to the land, Somalia, metaphorically represented by maps which he studies and learns about first from Misra and later from Hilaal. It is with Misra that the boy Askar begins his journey toward becoming a man.

"Indubitably, she had done a most commendable job, training him in the nomadic lore of climatic and geographic importance -- that it was the earth which received the rains, the sky from whose loins sprang water and therefore life; that the earth was the womb upon whose open fields men and women grew food for themselves and for their animals. And man raised huts and women bore children and the cows grazed on the nearby pastures, the goats likewise; and the boy became a man," (p 134)

There are unique and striking images presented as Askar lives with Misra. Those of water and of blood, dreams of a future that is yet unknown.
"Water: I associate with joy; blood: not so much with pain as with lost tempers and beatings. But I associate something else with blood -- future as read by Misra. Once I even made a pun -- my future is in my blood." (p 36)
It gradually becomes true that Askar's blood and future are indelibly connected with Somalia. But her continues his search for identity. His father had died for the future of Somalia and Askar is taught about the past:
"'Whose are the unburied corpses?' Then the man smiled. He said: 'Our memories, our collective or if you like, our individual pasts. We leave our bodies in order that we may travel light -- we are hope personified. After all, we are the dream of a nation." (p 129)

Hilaal, the cook and nurturer in his city home of Mogadiscio, is able to provide some answers for his baffled nephew on the subjects of African tradition, Somalian manhood and selflessness. Employing a poetic, imaginative style, Farah skillfully juxtaposes Askar's emotional turmoil and the struggles of his beloved Somalia under siege, as the characters try to understand why blood must be shed for territorial gain. In the end, Askar must choose between avenging his soldier father's death by joining the army, or pursuing his academic studies, but the choice is taken out of his hands by powerful external forces.

This is a poetic coming-of-age story, following in the tradition of Dickens and many others. Farah makes it new with his poetic style, a unique narrative voice using different points of view, and with the complex relationships between family, friends, and the land. The result is a wonderful tale of searching for the identity of one's inner and outer self in a difficult world.

[Molebatsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAPS, NURRUDIN FARAH
Somali novelist Nurrudin Farah writes about his country, Somalia.
Askar’s father, a member of the West Somali Liberation Front, dies before his birth. His mother dies after his birth.
Askar is left an orphan and comes under the care of a servant woman Misra. He grows up close to her. She mothers Askar who wants no one else but her.
As it is the tradition in the village Askar attends the Quranic school in which Muslim boys and girls between four and 14 acquire familiarity with the Holy Quran. He is instructed by Auden who is also Misra’s lover.
In continuation of the tradition Askar undergoes the right of passage through circumcision. He comes out of circumcision, a traditional and religious rite, a man and weans himself from Misra.
To escape the terror of Ethiopian attacks on the village he migrates to Mogadicio to stay with his aunt and uncle, Hilaal and Salaado. The attacks by Ethiopia escalates back home, causing a flood of refugees to Mogadicio. Askar technically is a refugee as he is one with those who fled home to seek refuge in the capital city of Somalia.
In battling to find and define himself Askar is caught in the horns of dilemma, to go to university or enlist with the Liberation. The book will end without resolution of his dilemma.
In the meantime, Misra appears at his doorstep suffering from a tumor below the breast. Her breast is removed to cure the tumor. Askar is angry with her on the accusation that she betrayed freedom fighters. His uncle and aunt take Misra in, and get her condition treated in hospital.
She is kidnapped by three men from hospital and is later found with her body mutilated. Hilaal and Salaado get her buried according to Muslim rites.
At the end Askar is still battling his demons of going to university or joining the liberation struggle. Matters come to head when he and his uncle and aunt are detained because of their association with the village and members of the Liberation Front.
Maps being the first of a trilogy, Askar’s dilemma may find resolution in the other books.
Maps is quite a book that you have to read through to realise its importance, and the themes in Nurrudin Farah’s novels. Farah has written about six works of fiction and two about the history of his beloved Somalia.

[Taha Noman ( طه نعمان ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

رغم أن موضوع الرواية استثنائي الا ان قرأة الرواية متعبة لا ادري هل لترجمة دور ام من الكاتب نفسه
هذه الرواية تتحدث عن عسكر طفل صومالي من أقليم اوجادين الصومالي المتنازع عليه بين الصومال واثيوبيا والتي قامت حرب نهاية السبعينات بين الصومال واثيوبيا عليه فأنتصرت فيها اثيوبيا واستولت نهائيا على الاقليم ، فالرواية تتحدث عن الصومال التاريخي الذي تقاسمته الدول الاستعمارية فيما بينها فجزء فرنسي تحول الى جيبوتي وجزء اعطته بريطانيا الى كينيا وجزء اخر اعطته ايطاليا الى اثيوبيا والجزء الذي استعمره البريطانيون شمال الصومال الحالي والذي يسمى صوماليا لاند والجزء الجنوبي الشرقي الذ استعمره الطليان وعاصمته مقاديشو
عموما لم تكتمل الرواية فكما يبدو انها جزء من ثلاثية أمل ان تكون اجزائها الاخرى اكثر امتاعا

[Shanae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about identity, the colonization of Africans living within borders established by the colonizers, the fluidity of ethnicity and everything else you can imagine about Somalia and Egypt. Farah is an amazing writer who tells story with all types of imagery...it reads like poetry. I am big on writers who use language to their advantage and Farah is definitely one of those types.

[Ece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it may seem like a simple theme, we can say that the identity problem and the transparent expression of this identity through race. “Askar seeks his identity, a quest that becomes linked to the identity of the land across which he moves.”

[haredaaaaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this book was an okay read, only some parts were interesting. Gets better after part 1. I feel like the author was writing for a *certain* demographic instead of Somalis. I didn't like how women were treated in this book and the obsession with blood and the constant theme of the Oedipus complex threw me off. Also the secondary characters were more interesting than the main character.

[Jaspreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

About a week ago, I finished reading Maps by Nuruddin Farah . As with most things in my life, I fell behind on the process of writing the review. I told myself that it was okay to hold off on writing the review until I had some questions.

Before getting to the questions, I would like to get a (short) general review. The book was surprisingly engaging and powerful. From publisher’s weekly, here is a plot summary: Askar, orphaned as a child, is rescued from his dead mother's side and raised in a small village by Misra, an older woman who develops a mysterious, protective bond with him. Even when he moves to the capital to live with his prosperous Uncle Hilaal, Askar's origins continue to preoccupy him, and he grows into a serious, introspective youth fixed on the urgent question of his identity. Hilaal, the cook and nurturer in his city home, is able to provide some answers for his baffled nephew on the subjects of African tradition, Somalian manhood and selflessness. Employing a poetic, imaginative style, Farah skillfully juxtaposes Askar's emotional turmoil and the struggles of his beloved Somalia under siege, as the characters try to understand why blood must be shed for territorial gain. In the end, Askar must choose between avenging his soldier father's death by joining the army, or pursuing his academic studies, but the choice is taken out of his hands by powerful external forces.

In a larger sense the book is about the intersection and conflict between family and national identity. The uncle and aunt were my favorite characters and to me they represented the progression from a patriarchal societal model to one that is more equal.

LisaMM asked: For either book: what is the significance of the title?

In this book, I think that Askar uses maps to find his place in the world. As the war continues, the maps change and he realizes that location is fluid.

R asked: Although you haven't reviewed it yet, I'm aware that you really liked Maps. Can you pinpoint what exactly was so gripping or engaging about this book?

I have been thinking about what made me enjoy Maps and the only thing I have come up with is the tone of the book. It is serious and at time ominous. However, you can really see the progression of the main character from a young boy to a young man who is trying to fit together the various pieces of information he is given. I also liked the way questions about good and evil were raised and handled.

R also asked: I hear that the author of Maps has a very unique and powerful writing style. How would you describe it? Does it compare to any other authors you know?

This is a hard question to answer because I seem to have writer’s block in thinking about the author. The only thing I can think of is deceptively simple. The language and words he uses to express an idea are simple on the surface, but the sentiments and insight they provide are incredible. The only other author I can think of is David Malouf who wrote Remembering Babylon which I reviewed here.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this story jumps around in time from the very beginning, and sometimes steps out of time altogether in dream sequences, it also progresses forward steadily as the problem of the identity of Askar moves from mostly considerations of how the child Askar is defined by and against his adoptive mother Misra, to how those considerations become politicized as we come to understand that Misra is ethnically Ethiopian and Askar Somalian. But the initial definitions of child against mother, boy/man against woman never go away. They are mixed in with the problem of political identities, as Askar comes to understand that he is Somalian, and to consider what that means. But the categories Ethiopian/Somalian are never quite stable either; they are discussed and complicated throughout the book, and the discussion of maps itself brings in further considerations of the relationship between Somalia and Africa as a whole, and between colonizers and colonized. The book's narration, told in third, first and second person, helps create the sense throughout of the instability and plurality of identity. But this discussion of identity formation is never purely abstract, this is all set in a defined place and time, in the setting, to start with, of a region fought over by Ethiopians and Somalians, with Soviet intervention. The book raises possibilities, both uplifting and disturbing--life is sacrifice and the drinking of enemy blood, life is giving and love--but doesn't offer any clear resolutions. It's not always easy to follow. It's brilliant.

[Ghofran Almosoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

قصص بأجساد متشظية
أجساد تروي قصصاً متشظيةً
حكايات عن قلوب محطمة وأرواح مهشمة !

قصة رائعة نسبة لثقافة تبدو لنا غامضة مثل ثقافة الصوماليين ، يقدم لنا الكاتب ، الشخصية الرئيسية في عالم الصراعات الاقليمية التي لا تنتهي وخاصة الخلاف حول اوغادين "وهي منطقة متنازع عليهه بين الصومال واثيوبيا عام 1977 " يولد عسكر لاب قتل من اجل قضية بلده وام توفت بعد انجابه لتتولى رعايته خادمة التي عثرت عليه وهي اثيوبية هاربة من قريتها لتفتح عيناه على العالم حتى يكبر ويتبنى من قبل اقربائه ميسوريين الحال والمتعلمين الذين يعيشون بعيدًا عن الاضطراب في مقاديشو العاصمة ... يقدم الكاتب لك نظرة ثاقبة للحياة الصومالية والمشاكل العرقية في الصراع الاثيوبي الصومالي ويصف الغزو قتال الحرية تقسيم الثقافة ... ليطرح فارح اسئلته من يحدد الجنسية ؟ اين يكمن الولاء ( لارضك ام لامك ) ؟ لمن تنحاز الأم الوطن ام الوطن الأم ؟ هل تتغير الحقيقة ! لماذا يجب اراقة الدماء من اجل مكاسب سياسية . اللغة جيدة ( اعتقد الترجمة لم تكن بالمستوى ) والسرد نوعا ما صعب ففي احلام عسكر وتخيلاته من دون تحديدها قد تسبب لك خلط بواقع القصة ككل الذي اعجبني فكرة 💡 الصراع بين الاسرة والهوية الوطنية ( هل يترك المراة التي ربته لاتهمامهم لها بالخيانة ضد الصومال ام يساندها ويتناسى قضيته. الاضطراب العاطفي كان سمة اساسية في القصة ) يشار ان هذه الرواية هي اول رواية من ثلاثيته دم في الشمس وقد فاز عنها بجائزة نجيب محفوظ .

[Melissa Barbosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can say that I loved it - but also hated it. I found some passages very difficult: some were too obscure for me, and other just took me out of the story to the realisation that I was reading a book (in other words, they did not sound plausible). But it is impressive, suffocating, and has so many layers that some times I felt really lost. In other words, it's a must read.

[Sorin Hadârcă · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterpiece of sorts. To begin with, the highly poeticized narrative is confusing, but you'll get used to it. Next you'll be engulfed in a maelstrom of questions—all pertinent: Is there truth in maps? Why is there guilt if there is no crime? Why we are burdened by bodies rather than wondering spirits? And, at the end, who are we, really? I found it captivating and thought-provoking.

[Maya Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Women were victims in all the stories he could think of. Misra. Shahrawello. And even Karin. The soul is a woman—victimized, sinned against, abused.”

3.5 rounding up. One of the most interesting concepts I’ve come across: a coming-of-age in which the protagonist is caught between his allegiance to his mother figure and to his motherland. But it’s an 80s book, so, insanely Freudian. Oedipus complex with both the mom and the motherland gets in-your-face and overwhelming

[Rana · Rating 2 out of 5]

قرائتها لم تكن مريحة صيغة المخاطب أحياناََ وصيغة الغائب أحياناََ أخرى، أدرك أن طبيعة الأدب الأفريقي مختلفة نوعاََ ما لكن هذه الرواية غير واضحة ومزعجة

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the novel is not comfortable. A child (Askar) in living on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia in an area contested in the war tries to find his place in the world. He is Somali and his adoptive mother (Misra) is Ethiopian. Their relationship is too close for comfort. Askar's sense of self is all wrapped up in hers; in a sense, he is not weaned until he is sent away from the war-torn area to live with an uncle and aunt in Mogadishu. They are well-educated, well-off and apparently removed from the turmoil.

The beginning of the book places the reader in a difficult position of feeling muddled (as is the narrator), having to navigate an opaque and confusing narrative, with shifts in voice (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person), but all are the same narrator, Askar. Time shifts without warning, dreams are inserted without initially being clearly delineated as such, the child narrator is sucked into the weird, dysfunctional relationships of the adults surrounding him. And he is 0-6 in this section, thus with little agency.

From early on, Askar is fascinated with maps and there are maps when he gets to Mogadishu as well. Maps trying to define boundaries of contested territories, artificial boundaries created by the British and Italian contested territories. Those who are well-educated speak Italian &/or English. Who are the Somali in this context? Who is Askar, a Somali child raised by an Ethiopian adoptive mother? Where are the boundaries, between Askar and Misra, between Ethiopia and Somalia? Will the maps tell him who he is? Will he join the army to fight for his mother country, he who is in a sense motherless?

I'm partway through this and working to finish it before the book club meeting tonight. I'm worried that the book club members won't like it and it is a wonderful book. Just not an easy book, full of literary devices like shifts in time and in voice and magical realism. In some ways, it is a difficult book, both structurally and emotionally. The book club members tend to favor straightforward narratives and plot-driven books. I wanted us to do a Somali book, but was this a good choice? I guess I'll find out tonight.

*****
Yep, about 2/3 of the book club didn't show :) Ah well. Those of us who were there had a great discussion and there was lots of pizza leftover. I'm glad I read the book and would read more by Farah.

[Chris Blocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

One almost needs a map to make sense of this novel. It's not that the story is convoluted; it's more the way the story is told. At its core, Maps is exquisitely written with a story that is perhaps a bit too drawn out, but is interesting nonetheless. The language Farah uses to craft this story is phenomenal. There is beauty in the simple construction of many sentences, philosophy in the placing of others. If Maps is any indication, Farah is a very talented writer with a particular knack for the English language (Farah writes in English despite it not being his first language).

For a reader such as myself, I wonder if Farah isn't too clever. I have a feeling this book offered more profound statements than I was able to take away from it. Particularly, what was the reason behind all the shifts in Maps? There are shifts in time, place, reality, and, most distracting, in point-of-view. Farah heavily utilizes first, second, and third person in Maps, switching at the end of nearly every chapter. Also, there seem to be questions of gender and gender identity at the heart of the novel, but I never spent enough time on the text to decipher what message I was supposed to walk away with.

I liked Maps sufficiently, but Farah isn't the kind of author I'd run to again. Linguistically, he reminds me of a more philosophical, more poetic Aleksandar Hemon (another author who wrote in a secondary language), but I found it difficult to stay engaged in the story. Perhaps it was just me and where I was at the moment in life.

[Vishnu Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farah tells the story a Somalian boy named Askar, born in the Ogaden to parents we never meet. He is found as an infant next to the body of his mother, dead from his birth, by an Ethiopian outcast woman named Misra. Their bond is incredibly strong, protective, almost incestuous. However, when Askar 7, he gets sent to love with his aunt and uncle in Mogadishu to avoid the Ogaden War that has just broken out against the Ethiopians. Misra turns up in Mogadishu when Askar is 17, under a pall of being a traitor: rumor has it she betrayed the Somali troop positions to her Ethiopian soldier-lover.

The maps of the title refer to Askar's struggle with his own identity - he is Somalian, raised in an area contested between Somalia and Ethiopia, by an Ethiopian woman. At one point, for his fifth birthday, he gets a map, on which he slowly redraws boundaries, uniting all Somali speaking areas into one country. The first few pages of this book had me hooked with beautifully dense, allusive prose poetry. However, the book is 259 pages. Often, Farah lets his considerable lyrical talent overwhelm the novel, leading to ponderous meditations that do little more than dazzle us with language. I still liked the book overall but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who wasn't interested in the intersections of personal and national identity.

[Scott Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story by Somalia author Nuruddin Farah is an excellent introduction to the heartaches and ensuing struggles currently devastating northeast Africa. This story is the first in Farah's “Blood in the Sun” trilogy. It takes place during the Somalia and Ethiopia conflict over the Ogaden region in 1977. The main characters are an adopted orphan (Askar) and his adoptive mother (Misra); the latter is of questionable national and ethnic background. These characters symbolize the angst of the region’s conflict. Just what determines nationality? Where does one’s loyalty lie? What do boundaries on maps convey? This is perhaps best characterized by the following quote from the novel, "The question is, does truth change? Or do we? Do we, men, women and children change? Or does truth?” This novel is a stark reminder that these questions are not easily answered. Farah won the coveted Neustadt Award for Literature in 1998.

[Saad Abdulmahmoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maps is a retrospective of 18-year-old Askar as he looks back upon his youth and childhood. By he end of the novel, Askar struggles to decide between enrolling in a university and joining the Somali military. The key theme of the book is identity, both national and personal. Askar tries to find who he is. Who Misra is. As the story unfold Askar became defender, jury, judge, prosecutor, public, witness p.315

Askar, till 8 years of age lived in Kallafo, in Ogaden. His mother died giving birth to him. His father died fighting against Ethiopians. Askar was found by a servant, Misra, who rescued him and brought him up as her own child. Misra is Oromo, of Ethiopian origin.

Askar was forced to go Mogadishu to live with his uncle and his uncle’s wife and he becomes more obsessed with the war. However, Misra turns up in Mogadishu, having been driven out of Ogaden.

[Leah E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Mogadishu and Greater Somalia, Maps is a startling and disarming novel that impugns the borders between countries, peoples, and people while challenging narrative conventions and interlacing prose with the rich tradition of Somali poetry. The most challenging aspect of the book is the usage of second, first, and third person on the part of the narrator. This is the key conflict of identity that persists through various themes and threads in the novel.

(In a time of widespread xenophobic bias, ignorance of and indifference to Somali history and politics, and a catastrophic famine consuming the Horn of Africa, Maps is both poignant and pertinent.)

[Kang-Chun Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

had a really hard time with this- it was pretty short, but couldn't get through it fast enough. i dislike how I read to the end when only a tiny part of it was followable. i guess it's good to read books far beyond you, but this was a bit much. i came away from this book with a sense of its overwhelming obsession with menstruation, blood, bodies. can't say much about the life directions/maps or the Somalian history- that seemed way in the backdrop. i love salman rushdie, who loved this book, but i can't say that I enjoyed Maps much at all

[Juliet Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex, beautifully written story of the relationship between a boy and his adopted mother and her relationship with her adopted country (his birth country - Somalia). It is told from three different viewpoints and the language is often quite impersonal so its not the most straightforward book in the world, but it is tremendously insightful into how people see themselves and their country. It's a book to read slowly and quietly to absorb all the layers of meaning.

[Sumaya Shoole · Rating 4 out of 5]

الرواية باعثة على التشتيت في البداية وتبدأ الإثارة مع وصول عسكر لمقديشو.. الترجمة قضمت من المتعة قليلاً
أحببتها بشكل عام

[Viviana Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like books about dreams