The jury has praised the “exceptional quality of the writing, which subtly mixes orality and narrative, letters, tales, fables, dreams, and beliefs that are at the heart of a historical reality that of Mozambique in the late 19th century as it grapples with Portuguese colonization.
“The author excels at portraying with great empathy characters faced with the inhumanity of war, offering them an epic inspiration out of the lush natural world of Africa.”
The French edition translated by Elisabeth Monteiro Rodrigues
In winning the award, Couto is the recipient of 50,000 Swiss francs (US$56,222) and a pair of singular sculptures by the Nigerian artist Alimi Adewale, and made of ekki wood at 18 inches in height.