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Title: The Book of Chameleons Author: Jose Eduardo Agualusa Translator: Daniel Hahn Original Language: Portuguese Genre: Novel/Mystery Publishers: Simon and Schuster Pages: 180 Year of Publication: 2004 (English, 2006) Country: Angola For the Africa Reading Challenge In this totally experimental and unique book, Jose Eduardo Agualusa tells the story of a murder as narrated, in the first person, by a wall gecko. The story involves an albino by name of Felix Ventura, who sells memories to people and help construct people's past, Angela Lucia, a lady who had suddenly become friends with Felix, a foreigner later to be called Jose Bachmann (but actually named Pedro Gouvei) and a wall gecko - a reincarnation of Jorge Luis Borges (according to the author). The gecko, which shares dreams with its master (house owner), tells of what this master, Felix Ventura does; how Felix deals with the reconstruction of people's past and most of his clients are people ...

Today's quotes come from a book I reviewed yesterday The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa . This is a wonderful novel and definitely novel in its approach. I have been told that his Rainy Season is a great novel. I would search for that. He was an unpleasant sort of character, professionally indignant, who'd built up his whole career abroad, selling our national horrors to European readers. Misery does ever so well in wealthy countries. (Page 68) "In your novels do you lie deliberately  or just out of ignorance?"... "I'm a liar by vocation," he shouted. "I lie with joy! Literature is the only chance for a true liar to attain any sort of social acceptance." (Page 68) [T]he principal difference between a dictatorship and a democracy is that in the former there exists only one truth, the truth as imposed by power, while in free countries every man has the right to defend his own version of events. (Page 68) Truth is superstition. (...

Mia Couto Miguel of St. Orberose  informed me of this. On Monday May 27, Mozambican writer Mia Couto - author of Voices Made Night and Every Man is a Race - was announced as the winner of the 2013 Cam õ es, one of the most prestigious international awards honoring the work of Portuguese language writers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The awarding jury included writers Jose Eduardo Agualusa and Joao Paulo Borges Coelho, journalist Jose Carlos Vasconcelos, professor Clara Crabbe Rocha, critic Alcir Pecora and Ambassador and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters da Costa e Silva. The Cam õ es Prize was created in 1988, by Portugal and Brazil, to distinguish writers of the Portuguese language whose work has contributed to the enrichment of the literary and cultural heritage of the Portuguese language. ( Source )

For other categories, see Review This lists alphabetically books reviewed on ImageNations beginning with the title. If the title begins with 'the', the next word in title is used; unless the whole title of the book is THE, this I have not as yet met. This is not the case if the title begins with the indefinite article 'a'. -1- 1984 :  George Orwell -A- A Bend in the River :  V.S. Naipaul A Farewell to Arms : Ernest Hemingway A Grain of Wheat :  Ngugi wa Thiong'o A Heart to Mend : Myne Whitman A House for Mr. Biswas :  V.S.  Naipaul   A Life in Full: Jude Dibia A Man of the People : Chinua Achebe A Month and a Day & Letters :  Ken Saro-Wiwa A Question of Power: Bessie Head A Sense of Savannah, Tales of a Friendly Walk through Northern Ghana :  Kofi Akpabli A Woman Alone: Bessie Head Absalom, Absalom! :  William  Faulkner Accra! Accra! More Poems about Modern Afrika:  Papa Kobina Ulzen Anthill...

For other categories, see Review This lists alphabetically books reviewed on ImageNations beginning with the author's surname. -A- Abrahams, Peter:  Mine Boy Acheampong, Sophia: Growing Yams in London Acheamong, Sophia: Ipods in Accra Achebe, Chinua:  Anthills of the Savannah Achebe, Chinua:  A Man of the People Achebe, Chinua:  Arrow of God Achebe, Chinua (Co-Editor):  Contemporary African Short Stories Achebe, Chinua:  No Longer At Ease Achebe, Chinua:  Things Fall Apart Achebe, Chinua:  The Trouble with Nigeria Adagha, Ovo: The Plantation Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi:  Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi:  Purple Hibiscus Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi:  The Thing Around Your Neck   Agambila, G.A.: Journey Agualusa, Jose Eduardo:  The Book of Chameleons Agyei-Agyiri, Alex:  Unexpected Joy at Dawn Aidoo, Ama Ata:  Changes Aidoo, Ama Ata: Diplomatic Pounds and Other Stories ...