Tanzanian-British author Abdulrazak Gurnah, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, is set to release his much-anticipated new novel, Theft, on March 18, 2025. Known for his rich storytelling and explorations of identity, migration, and postcolonial legacies, Gurnah’s latest work explores the intertwined lives of three young people as they encounter the rapidly changing world of the early 21st-century.
At the heart of Theft are Karim, Fauzia, and Badar, three individuals from very different backgrounds who, despite their differences, forge a deep and life-altering bond. Karim, a university-educated young man, returns to his hometown with newfound ambition and the promise of a brighter future. Fauzia, eager to escape the confines of her overbearing upbringing, sees in Karim a way out. Badar, the most vulnerable of the three, is a poor, uneducated servant boy who has never known the stability of a family. His life changes when he is brought to work in the home of Karim’s family in Dar es Salaam, where he finds his first true sense of belonging.
As they navigate the challenges of young adulthood—work, love, and their own evolving identities—the trio’s friendship is tested. A false accusation against Badar shatters his newfound sense of home, yet both Karim and Fauzia refuse to abandon him. As the three confront their dreams, desires, and the realities of a rapidly changing world, they must face the consequences of their actions. When Karim is tempted into a betrayal, it alters the course of all their lives in ways they never expected.
Against the backdrop of a postcolonial society on the brink of transformation, Theft explores themes of class, desire, and betrayal, while also examining how individuals navigate their destinies amidst the forces of history, technology, and globalization. As each character struggles to take control of their fate, Gurnah deftly captures the personal and emotional complexities of their choices, as well as the cost of ambition, love, and the search for identity.
This is Gurnah’s first new novel since winning the Nobel Prize. The prolific writer’s oeuvre includes Afterlives (named a 2022 Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, and The New Yorker), Paradise (shortlisted for the Booker Prize), and By the Sea (longlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize).
We can’t wait to dive into Theft once it’s out!
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