BEN OKRI
The Last Gift of the Master Artists
By a riverbank in Africa, two lovers meet for the first time. They make a promise to meet again the next day, same time, same place, but only one of them shows up.
This sounds like the beginning of a love story, but it’s more than that, for this breathtaking tale takes the reader into the heart of a vibrant world, a complex and intriguing civilisation of warriors and kings, philosophers and artists, parents and lovers. A world and culture which is about to end for, glimpsed on the horizon, seen but unsuspected, beautiful ships with white sails are waiting…
‘One of the most beautiful and profound novels I’ve read in ages’ – Washington Post
‘A magical take on Africa before the arrival of the Atlantic slave ships’ – Independent
‘Takes on the great riddles of existence’ – New York Times
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In this modern fable with the impish magic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a masked ball makes two upper-class British couples see each other in a new light. A wise, enchanting novel about love, power, and our many selves—past and future, public and private—from the Booker Prize–winning author.