Description
Key Features One of the leading literary fiction titles Combines a broad historical sweep of time this year with touching personal histories About the Book: The Magic of Saida A lyrical, poetic and haunting novel about love, quitedistinct from anything Vassanji has written so far Descendent of an African slave and a Gujarati trader, KamalPunja grew up in the ancient town of Kilwa, on the coast of EastAfrica. Kamal, who never knew his father, is given away by hismother to better his prospects. Years later, after a flourishingcareer as a doctor in Canada, he returns, in search of Saida, hischildhood sweetheart. But where is Saida, and why are his effortsto find her being thwarted? Feverish, delirious, and perhapsdelusional, Kamal is haunted by the past as he struggles to tracethe woman he thinks he betrayed. Along the way, he must face thetruth of his mixed lineage and be accountable for a chain of eventshe had unwittingly set off. Set in the vivid world where Africa, Arabia and India meet,where history, poetry, and magic combine, The Magic of Saida is ahaunting story of enduring love and lost childhood. About the Author: M.G. Vassanji M.G. Vassanji is the author of six acclaimed novels: TheGunny Sack, which won a Commonwealth Prize; No New Land; The Bookof Secrets, which won the very first Giller Prize; Amriika; TheIn-Between World of Vikram Lall, which also received the GillerPrize in 2003; and The Assassins Song, which was shortlisted forthe Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor Generals Award forFiction and the Crossword Prize in India; and two works ofnon-fiction. His travel memoir about India, A Place Within:Rediscovering India, won the Governor Generals award. He is alsothe author of two collections of short fiction, Uhuru Street andElvis, Raja. Vassanji lives in Toronto. www.mgvassanji.com
About the Author
Moyez G. Vassanji was born in Kenya and raised in Tanzania. Before coming to Canada in 1978, he attended MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, where he specialized in theoretical nuclear physics. From 1978-1980 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Atomic Energy of Canada, and from 1980 to 1989 he was a research associate at the University of Toronto. During this period he developed a keen interest in medieval Indian literature and history, co-founded and edited a literary magazine (The Toronto South Asian Review, later renamed The Toronto Review of Contemporary Writing Abroad), and began writing stories and a novel. In 1989, with the publication of his first novel, The Gunny Sack, he was invited to spend a season at the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa. That year ended his active career in nuclear physics. His contributions there he considers modest, in algebraic models and high spin states. The fact that he was never tenured he considers a blessing for it freed him to pursue his literary career.Vassanji is the author of six novels and two collections of short stories. His work has appeared in various countries and several languages. His most recent novel, The Assassin's Song, was short-listed for both the Giller Prize and the Governor-General's Prize for best novel in Canada. It has appeared in the US (Knopf) and India (Penguin) and is scheduled to appear in the UK (Canongate).His wife, Nurjehan, was born in Tanzania. They have two sons, Anil, and Kabir. He lives in Toronto, and visits Africa and India often.Awards: Giller Prize, twice; Harbourfront Festival Prize; Commonwealth First Book Prize (Africa); Bressani Prize. Order of Canada.
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