By Night the Mountain Burns
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This novel tells of childhood on a remote island off the west African coast. Superstition dominates in dark times and the hard-pressed islanders sacrifice their possessions to the enraged ocean. What of their lives will they save?
Both lyrical and unsparingly truthful, this novel draws on oral storytelling to illuminate a little-known corner of Africa.
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel was born in 1966 in Equatorial Guinea. By Night the Mountain Burns is based on his memories of growing up on the remote Annobón Island. He made headlines in 2011 by embarking on a hunger strike in an anti-government protest.
About this Author
He made headlines in 2011 by embarking on a hunger strike, in an anti-government protest. He now lives exiled in Barcelona.
Jethro Soutar: Jethro Soutar translates from Spanish and Portuguese. He has translated Argentinian and Brazilian crime novels, written two non-fiction books of his own, and recently co-edited The Football Crónicas, a collection of football writing from Latin America. He divides his time between London and Lisbon.
Reviews
"It has fallen to Ávila Laurel to be the chronicler of Annobón, just as Derek Walcott is for St Lucia, VS Naipaul for Trinidad and Edwidge Danticat is for Haiti. To this list must now be added the name of Annobón, half-evoked and half-dreamed in Ávila Laurel's unique language." JM Pedrosa
"The Equatorial Guinean novel that has perhaps captivated me the most is By Night The Mountain Burns by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel. It is a story of great mystery, but also a testimonial to life on Annobón Island. This real-life island seems to emerge from the sea like some Atlantic legend, but the harsh conditions to which the islanders have been subjected mean we're a long way from charming tales of mariners and mermaids. In these large-leaved green forests, the horror stories are all too real" Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, El País
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