Moses Isegawa — Abyssinian Chronicles

Picador 2000 Hardback, 480pp. The voice we hear is that of Mugezi, a quick-witted, sharp-eyed man whose life encompasses the ancient and the modern, peace and insane violence, despotism and democracy. Born in a rural village in the early 1960's, coming of age in the captial city of Cakmpala, he serves in the army, marries, divorces, and in 1985 emigrates to the Netherlands. Through him we witness the quotidian richness of Ugandan life as well as its most brutal political horrors. Revolution, and the reign of Idi Amin and its chaotic aftermath, act as the backdrop to Mugezi's life and to the wider drama of family, friends, and foes, in both Uganda and the Netherlands. Mugezi is a brilliant creation: a wise and droll interpreter of his life and times. Isegawa's tale is unforgettable, a windon on Uganda's recent history, a journey of exploration into the nature of love and of power, and our introduction to a superlative new writer. Heavy. (ISBN: 9780330376648). Good.