Theft

By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

De: Abdulrazak Gurnah

Narrado por: Ashley Zhangazha

Bloomsbury presents Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah, read by Ashley Zhangazha.

The new novel from the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature - 'a maestro' (Guardian). A captivating story of the intertwined lives of three young people coming-of-age in postcolonial East Africa

Selected as a book to look out for in 2025 by the Guardian, Observer, Irish Times and BBC

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What are we given, and what do we have to take for ourselves?

It is the 1990s. Growing up in Zanzibar, three very different young people – Karim, Fauzia and Badar – are coming of age, and dreaming of great possibilities in their young nation. But for Badar, an uneducated servant boy who has never known his parents, it seems as if all doors are closed.

Brought into a lowly position in a great house in Dar es Salaam, Badar finds the first true home of his life – and the friendship of Karim, the young man of the house. Even when a shattering false accusation sees Badar sent away, Karim and Fauzia refuse to turn away from their friend.

But as the three of them take their first steps in love, infatuation, work and parenthood, their bond is tested – and Karim is tempted into a betrayal that will change all of their lives forever.©2025 Abdulrazak Gurnah (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Reseñas de la Crítica

Nobody writes about the world we call postcolonial like Abdulrazak Gurnah. His novels are uncompromising, but also stubbornly humane. They come at their subjects with open eyes, and we need what they see (Juan Gabriel Vásquez)

Beautifully crafted, its three protagonists occupy a seemingly small stage between Zanzibar and Tanzania. Yet their actions respond to larger forces. The theft of the title is pivotal, but the real crimes happen elsewhere

Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Theft is complex in its themes of class and entitlement, but it’s also, fundamentally, a piece of great, satisfying storytelling to lose yourself in. (Samantha Harvey)

The Nobel laureate transports us to 1990s Zanzibar and Tanzania to trace the intersected lives of Badar, Karim and Fauzia, traversing years, perspectives and the mysteries of family history with the deceptive ease of a masterly storyteller ... The rewards are rich and lasting

Another glittering tapestry of a novel from a master storyteller of our times

His character-building is astonishing in its restraint; he brings the reader to the brink of a crest and lets the depth speak for itself

A storyteller of understated brilliance … A poignant portrait of love, friendship and betrayal … Powerful, affecting and provocative, Theft is a vital addition to Gurnah’s remarkable body of work, a novel steeped in heartbreak and loss but one that ultimately refuses despair

Nothing about human behaviour surprises Gurnah, and in reading his wise new novel with its gentle and beautiful ending, we the readers become a bit less judgemental, and more ready to understand what it means to struggle, to dare, to love – what it means to be human (Elif Shafak)

In typically poised, elegant and unshowy prose … Gurnah is a sharp, stealthy observer himself. There’s a steely alertness to his gaze that makes the shady courtyards and sweaty rooms of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar - and the feelings of their people - solid and luminous. He lays bare this confined space with crafty, slow-burn patience

A tightly focused, beautifully controlled examination of friendship and betrayal

The intricate narrative skilfully reflects the complexities of a post-colonial world in which there are fewer and fewer certainties

A quietly powerful demonstration of storytelling mastery, at once coming-of-age chamber piece and wide-angled post-colonial panorama … narrated in a quicksilver style that gives you the pleasurable sense that you’re putty in the hands of a warm yet clear-eyed authorial intelligence … The conclusion – crackling with jeopardy, ultimately cathartic – moves all Theft’s patiently assembled plotlines into place for a riveting denouement

The author’s compassion for these three young people as they navigate a difficult world is deeply relatable

A rich, engaging experience … Beautifully done … The reader can only rejoice at Gurnah’s skill in giving us the whole of a life in such nimble scenes