from It’s All
Write, in Mmegi (Botswana)
3 July,
2015
by Lauri
Kubuitsile
The
Maestro, The Magistrate and The Mathematician is the second novel from
Zimbabwean author Tendai Huchu. His first novel, The Hairdresser of Harare, was
a big success, but his new book is something all together different.
It is set
in Edinburgh Scotland and revolves around the lives of three Zimbabwean men
trying to make a new life there as immigrants. The Magistrate is an older man
who left his position in Zimbabwe as a respected magistrate to live in Scotland
where his wife works as a nurse. At the beginning of the book he is unemployed,
spending his days keeping their house clean and caring for their teenage
daughter. Later he is forced to take a job as a temporary nursing assistant in
a care home for the elderly. Both positions leave him feeling useless and lost.
The
Maestro works in a grocery store, at least at the beginning of the book, but
then slowly he loses touch with reality. He stops going to work, deciding he
wants to spend his time at home reading his books. But eventually even that is
too much and he leaves his home and moves about as a homeless person in
Edinburgh lost in his thoughts.
The
Mathematician is perhaps the most well-adjusted of the three, likely because he
comes from a wealthy family that cushions his life in Scotland. He is working
on his PhD in economics and spends most of his time with his girlfriend and his
flat mates.
The three
storylines might work well alone, but are made more by being woven expertly
into and through each other. The writing is beautiful, in places stunning. The
descriptions of Edinburgh are from the pen of someone who loves that city and
it can’t help but show through his words. There are many books about Africans
in the diaspora, many books that appear similar after a while, but not this
one. This one stands apart.
Within the
circle of African writers there is often the discussion about who do you write
for. There is the feeling that the authors who are most successful in Europe
and the United States are authors who write books not well suited to people in
their home countries and the reverse- books that are accepted in their home
countries are often not the type wanted by overseas readers and publishers.
This discussion and the resulting angst it causes African writers is not to be
taken lightly. Is it okay to write a book for overseas eyes that discounts the
local readers? And why must these issues weigh heavier on African writers?
This book
gets the balance spot on in my opinion. Huchu’s Magistrate has a love for
Zimbabwean music and musicians. The writer does not stop and explain what would
be readily known by Zimbabwean readers, insulting their intelligence along the
way. He uses Shona freely throughout the novel, but does not weigh the
narrative down with clunky explanations. He seamlessly integrates these aspects
of his character and plot into the story with no apologies. The foreign reader
will find their way, just as the Zimbabwean reader will navigate the unknown
landmarks of Edinburgh. There is a respect for all readers here that I think is
the way that it should be. Huchu stands his ground in this debate. He will
write as he wants and I beg African writers to learn from him and do the same.
The other
thing that I appreciate about The Maestro, The Magistrate and The Mathematician
is that it is published by the independent Zimbabwean based ’amaBooks. Huchu’s
first book was critically acclaimed and translated into many languages,
published all over the world. He easily might have been grabbed up by overseas
publishers, but what that does is make them stronger at the expense of
publishers on the continent. Of course, many publishers on the continent do not
approach the publishing business with a global eye and concentrate on a very
limited parochial point-of-view that makes authors unwilling to stick with them
as their careers take off since it becomes difficult to make a proper living.
Some big
name authors can be published overseas but then withhold rights in certain
areas around the continent to allow local publishers to distribute the book.
This can assist the local publishing house. But that is not what’s happening
here. ’amaBooks published this book. Now they will be the ones selling the rights
to foreign publishers to distribute the book in those countries. This is how
local publishers grow as trade publishers and begin to play real roles in the
global industry.
’ama Books
and Huchu must be congratulated for this. They both took risks. Again they are
showing us the new way of doing business in this harsh publishing game on the
continent.
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