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We’re proud to announce the release of The Mad, a searing, satirical novel that paints a vivid portrait of poverty, violence, dehumanisation, and postcolonial dislocation in Zimbabwe.
Originally published in ChiShona as Mapenzi, this powerful translation by J. Tsitsi Mutiti brings Ignatius Mabasa’s groundbreaking work to a wider audience. The novel unfolds through dramatic monologues and dialogue-driven exposition, navigating moral ambiguity and steeped in the politics of language and decolonial thought.
The Mad is not only a milestone in Zimbabwean literature, it is a bold contribution to African and global literary landscapes, challenging conventional forms and redefining what the modern African novel can be. Mapenzi was selected in The Times Literary Supplement as 'one of the most significant books to have come out of Africa.'
It is a novel that asks urgent questions: How do societies manage cultural continuity amid rupture? What happens when colonial legacies collide with poverty, violence, and the forces of globalisation?
The Mad is co-published in Zimbabwe and in the United Kingdom with Carnelian Heart Publishing
Cover art by Lovemore Kambudzi
Available now on Amazon or directly from Carnelian Heart Publishing.
Not available in North American markets till next spring.
Huge congratulations to Ignatius T. Mabasa
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