Tayeb Salih concludes his classic work with the subject phrase on the next to last page, and it does capture the essence of this masterful novel. Salih died in 2009; he was Sudanese. This novel concerns the education of two Sudanese in England, over different time periods, and thus tracks Salih's own life. It is an intense and lyrical work, and he conveyed much on the dislocation of people who have been colonized when they attempt to bridge the two cultures; far better, in my opinion, that V.S Naipaul, for example. Unlike many immediate post-colonial works, Salih wrote in his native Arabic. The novel was first published in 1966. The author collaborated with Denys Johnson-Davis to produce this excellent English translation, in 1969. This edition contains a useful introduction by the Moroccan writer, Laila Lalami. In 2001, a panel of Arab writers and critics proclaimed it the most important Arab novel of the 20th Century. I would agree.

By Tayeb Salih

Poetry, Published by Heinemann