Novel
The Thirteenth Sun
Daniachew Worku · 1973
Synopsis
The fitawrari Woldu, an old lord eaten away by a heart condition, has his servants carry him to the shrine of Saint Abbo on Mount Zuqualla, in the hope of being healed there. His son Goytom and his daughter Woynitu accompany him. As the climb goes on, the voices take turns, and the path fills with the fervour of the pilgrims, the son's doubts, and the memories and grudges of a family united chiefly by the old man's authority.
Context
After the hostile reception given to his first novel, written in Amharic, the author announced that he would no longer write in that language, and this one was composed in English, partly on pages written in the United States. It appeared in London from Heinemann in 1973, the hundred and twenty-fifth volume of the African Writers Series. In Ethiopia, fear of censorship led to its being sold under the counter, and the demonstrations of 1974 gave the publisher the opportunity to import further copies. The title comes from an advertisement of the national airline, thirteen months of sunshine, which opens and closes the book.
Who it is for
A novel in English, translated into German and Portuguese but not into French. The narrative often changes narrator, and its dense language demands careful reading.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the most singular novels of the African Writers Series, it is the only book by which its author is read outside Ethiopia.