About the book
Winner of the 2023 UJ Prize
Winner of the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Award
An extraordinary, ambitious, globe-spanning novel about what we owe our consciences
Fleeing her moribund marriage in Cape Town, Beth accepts a diplomatic posting to Shanghai. In this anonymous city she hopes to lose herself in books, wine, and solitude, and to dodge whatever pangs of conscience she feels for her fealty to a South African regime that, by the 21st century, has betrayed its early promises.
At night, she hears the sound of typing, and then late one evening Zhao arrives at her door. They explore hidden Shanghai and discover a shared love of Langston Hughes--who had his own Chinese and African sojourns. But then Zhao vanishes, and a typewritten manuscript--chunk by chunk--appears at her doorstep instead. The truths unearthed in this manuscript cause her to reckon with her own past, and the long-buried story of what happened to Kay, her fearless, revolutionary friend...
Connecting contemporary Shanghai, late Apartheid-era South Africa, and China during the Great Leap Forward and the Tiananmen uprising--and refracting this globe-trotting and time-traveling through Hughes' confessional letters to a South African protege about the poet's time in Shanghai--How to Be a Revolutionary is an amazingly ambitious novel. It's also a heartbreaking exploration of what we owe our countries, our consciences, and ourselves.
Editions of How to Be a Revolutionary
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781839760877
- EBook
- ISBN 9781839760891
Read an Excerpt
Winner of the 2023 UJ Prize
Winner of the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Award
An extraordinary, ambitious, globe-spanning novel about what we owe our consciences
Fleeing her moribund marriage in Cape Town, Beth accepts a diplomatic posting to Shanghai. In this anonymous city she hopes to lose herself in books, wine, and solitude, and to dodge whatever pangs of conscience she feels for her fealty to a South African regime that, by the 21st century, has betrayed its early promises.
At night, she hears the sound of typing, and then late one evening Zhao arrives at her door. They explore hidden Shanghai and discover a shared love of Langston Hughes--who had his own Chinese and African sojourns. But then Zhao vanishes, and a typewritten manuscript--chunk by chunk--appears at her doorstep instead. The truths unearthed in this manuscript cause her to reckon with her own past, and the long-buried story of what happened to Kay, her fearless, revolutionary friend...
Connecting contemporary Shanghai, late Apartheid-era South Africa, and China during the Great Leap Forward and the Tiananmen uprising--and refracting this globe-trotting and time-traveling through Hughes' confessional letters to a South African protege about the poet's time in Shanghai--How to Be a Revolutionary is an amazingly ambitious novel. It's also a heartbreaking exploration of what we owe our countries, our consciences, and ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is How to Be a Revolutionary about?
Winner of the 2023 UJ Prize
Winner of the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Award
An extraordinary, ambitious, globe-spanning novel about what we owe our consciences
Fleeing her moribund marriage in Cape Town, Beth accepts a diplomatic posting to Shanghai. In this anonymous city she hopes to lose herself in books, wine, and solitude, and to dodge whatever pangs of conscience she feels for her fealty to a South African regime that, by the 21st century, has betrayed its early promises.
At night, she hears the sound of typing, and then late one evening Zhao arrives at her door. They explore hidden Shanghai and discover a shared love of Langston Hughes--who had his own Chinese and African sojourns. But then Zhao vanishes, and a typewritten manuscript--chunk by chunk--appears at her doorstep instead. The truths unearthed in this manuscript cause her to reckon with her own past, and the long-buried story of what happened to Kay, her fearless, revolutionary friend...
Connecting contemporary Shanghai, late Apartheid-era South Africa, and China during the Great Leap Forward and the Tiananmen uprising--and refracting this globe-trotting and time-traveling through Hughes' confessional letters to a South African protege about the poet's time in Shanghai--How to Be a Revolutionary is an amazingly ambitious novel. It's also a heartbreaking exploration of what we owe our countries, our consciences, and ourselves.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in How to Be a Revolutionary?
Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre
Where can I read a sample of How to Be a Revolutionary?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781839760877
Who is/are the Author/s of the book How to Be a Revolutionary?
C.A. Davids
Who is the Publisher of the book How to Be a Revolutionary?
Verso Books
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
How to Be a Revolutionary is available as paperback(ISBN 9781839760877) and ebook(ISBN 9781839760891)
Where can I buy How to Be a Revolutionary online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy How to Be a Revolutionary from below
Where can I buy How to Be a Revolutionary?