Synopsis
“In Equatoria, reality is an unknown jungle, which results in the reflection and distortion of certainty and despair.” — Burger, South Africa In the 1900’s, okapi had barely been seen by a European - so they could only be imagined. Descriptions compared the almost mythical African creature to the unicorn - so Antwerp zoo commissioned two English adventurers to bring a live specimen of okapi, back, from the Belgian Congo. Equatoria is a novel about this trip, made by Willis Reed and Guy Nichols, in 1912, and the journey turns from mission to obsession. This African odyssey, on rivers and through jungles, is not one of darkness - but of well-meaning imperial arrogance - as the two “explorers” come face to face with the limits of their own folly, and the absurdity of trying to name the unnameable. First novel in English by a prominent South African writer; and translated from Afrikaans by winner of Sunday Times Literary Award. Will appeal to readers of fiction, historical novels and natural history. “Dreyer plays a complex game with naming…and ownership, as it figures in the (misplaced) identifications between man and nature and man and fellow men.” — Litnet.co.za “As a novel from Africa it challenges stereotypical representations of the ‘heart of darkness’.” — African Review of Books
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