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The Famished Road Trilogy #3
Infinite Riches
This is a startling novel about different kinds of riches and different forms of power. It opens another chapter in the adventures of Azaro, the celebrated spirit-child of The Famished Road , winner of the Booker Prize. By turns thunderous and tender, it will resonate in the mind and heart of the reader for a long time.
394 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 1998
About the author
Ben Okri
83 books903 followersPoet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 13, 2022
200115: review for third volume of The Famished Road series: this last of three novels by ben okri, the famished road series, is a great summation of themes introduced, elaborated, extended, from the other two. i read some reviewers who claim he merely includes more of the same, more fantastical, definitely african, images, thickening the stew but not creating new savour, but i suggest this is how to continue exploring this confusing world of a spirit child who would rather be free of human being, be free, be untouched by sorrows of living. there are too many images for me to describe them all, to suggest symbols, allegories, politics, ideology...
this is like the previous two volumes, built of short, poetic, vibrant scenes, and this is possibly one reason I liked it- spectacle- but there is an offered freedom when we do not identify with, but experience through, the central character, and this is one way into a the worlds described, the shifting realities, from the perspective of a child. who accepts everything, who does not separate dream from waking, or handicapped with modern sensibilities but instead in the openness of a child...
finally this is 'metaphysical' poetry- except the world of thought is not European, not English, not some centuries past but now, in Nigeria. i have often claimed i did not like poetry, going back to class at u, but to look at some works read this is obviously mistaken. in looking back, did really enjoy the beats, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, but there are many names do not recall- except I did not like Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, big historical names, known masterworks, though on the other, did enjoy Canterbury tales... need to read this again as it has been so long, this dislike. but i like this poetry, much as i like poetry-inflecgted prose such as amos tutuola, much as translation fascinates me with sense of literal versus thematically correct prose, such as the japanese work read. i am not bothered it does not resolve in a structure some of us- as 'western readers'- can understand, appreciate, delineate, for to me this is part of the magical aspect of azaro's world. the syncretic nigerian culture can best be felt, be seen, be heard, through the unending, furious, torrent of actions and characters, from madame koto the bar owner who becomes something more, to the dead carpenter no one will bury, to the blind old man, the beggar girl, to all the inhabitants of the bush and all the other worlds interwoven with this mundane reality...
this is told all in images, in obviously expressed emotional territory- madness, sadness, fury, fighting, running away- that it may seem to the characters have no 'internal' life, do not progress or change through these encounters, there is no logic, but to me this is simply because everything is open, vibrant, even should you need to enter the right spirit world, perform the right rituals, and be open to all the realities beyond what seems so real on a mundane level. and then there is some wisdom that comes apparent only in these magical states of reception, such as the politicians of the party of the rich, the politicians of the party of the poor, both magical, terrifying, promising only to eventually betray, such as the mythic fights his father gets in, establishes his fame, then how this is no help in realms of politics...
i never enjoyed art history as a class at u. now, i do not know how to stop seeing this world through that educated lens- now, as with my visual artist friends, i find art history everywhere, and i love it. perhaps this is how i feel about poetry, just because i did not like whatever it was we studied in such and such class. for this book is poetic narrative, this book is built of prose poetry, poetry given narrative descriptions, so easy to read, so defined by empty space as much as dialog, that i enjoyed this greatly...
there is of course some political content, chapter seven of book three, where we have the english governor general deliberately rewriting, deliberately destroying histories, to give you the idea nigeria's world did not begin until they arrived. well yes if you insist, there were people here before us europeans- but they were ahistorical, they were africans... but this and the other recounts of the g-g are really only giving this awareness to those of us not aware by now that this book, this series, is dedicated to righting wrongs of history by writing a nigerian world that precedes, and i suggest this is not 'merely' political, therefore should be in political histories and not novels, i believe this is metaphysical and essential and something we come to understand through all the varied, fantastic, comic and fearful, tale of this 'famished road'...
this is like the previous two volumes, built of short, poetic, vibrant scenes, and this is possibly one reason I liked it- spectacle- but there is an offered freedom when we do not identify with, but experience through, the central character, and this is one way into a the worlds described, the shifting realities, from the perspective of a child. who accepts everything, who does not separate dream from waking, or handicapped with modern sensibilities but instead in the openness of a child...
finally this is 'metaphysical' poetry- except the world of thought is not European, not English, not some centuries past but now, in Nigeria. i have often claimed i did not like poetry, going back to class at u, but to look at some works read this is obviously mistaken. in looking back, did really enjoy the beats, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, but there are many names do not recall- except I did not like Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, big historical names, known masterworks, though on the other, did enjoy Canterbury tales... need to read this again as it has been so long, this dislike. but i like this poetry, much as i like poetry-inflecgted prose such as amos tutuola, much as translation fascinates me with sense of literal versus thematically correct prose, such as the japanese work read. i am not bothered it does not resolve in a structure some of us- as 'western readers'- can understand, appreciate, delineate, for to me this is part of the magical aspect of azaro's world. the syncretic nigerian culture can best be felt, be seen, be heard, through the unending, furious, torrent of actions and characters, from madame koto the bar owner who becomes something more, to the dead carpenter no one will bury, to the blind old man, the beggar girl, to all the inhabitants of the bush and all the other worlds interwoven with this mundane reality...
this is told all in images, in obviously expressed emotional territory- madness, sadness, fury, fighting, running away- that it may seem to the characters have no 'internal' life, do not progress or change through these encounters, there is no logic, but to me this is simply because everything is open, vibrant, even should you need to enter the right spirit world, perform the right rituals, and be open to all the realities beyond what seems so real on a mundane level. and then there is some wisdom that comes apparent only in these magical states of reception, such as the politicians of the party of the rich, the politicians of the party of the poor, both magical, terrifying, promising only to eventually betray, such as the mythic fights his father gets in, establishes his fame, then how this is no help in realms of politics...
i never enjoyed art history as a class at u. now, i do not know how to stop seeing this world through that educated lens- now, as with my visual artist friends, i find art history everywhere, and i love it. perhaps this is how i feel about poetry, just because i did not like whatever it was we studied in such and such class. for this book is poetic narrative, this book is built of prose poetry, poetry given narrative descriptions, so easy to read, so defined by empty space as much as dialog, that i enjoyed this greatly...
there is of course some political content, chapter seven of book three, where we have the english governor general deliberately rewriting, deliberately destroying histories, to give you the idea nigeria's world did not begin until they arrived. well yes if you insist, there were people here before us europeans- but they were ahistorical, they were africans... but this and the other recounts of the g-g are really only giving this awareness to those of us not aware by now that this book, this series, is dedicated to righting wrongs of history by writing a nigerian world that precedes, and i suggest this is not 'merely' political, therefore should be in political histories and not novels, i believe this is metaphysical and essential and something we come to understand through all the varied, fantastic, comic and fearful, tale of this 'famished road'...
January 2, 2008
Infinite Riches is the third and final volume of the Famished Road cycle. I would highly recommend reading the Famished Road which is the first volume of the cycle and stopping there. Okris personal politics seem much closer to the surface in Infinite Riches making blunt objects of the mystical imagery and story telling he set up in the first volume. The novel seems to go on and on recycling the same images from the Famished Road, images that feel like they lost there steam back in the first volume.
December 21, 2022
De Nigeriaanse schrijver Ben Okri .(1959) trok al op jeugdige leeftijd de aandacht met een tweetal semi-autobiografische romans, Flowers and shadows (1980) en `The landscapes within (1982),. over het stadsleven in zijn land.De grote internationale doorbraak kende hij echter pas in 1991 toen hij de Booker kreeg toegekend voor zijn roman The famished road
Deze roman die in Nederlandse vertaling verscheen onder de titel De hongerende weg was het eerste deel van een romancyclus waarin het abiku – geestenkind Azaro hoofdpersoon en verteller was. Het volgende deel was Toverzangen en Onmetelijke rijkdom sluit voorlopig deze reeks af.
Men beweert wel eens dat Ben Okri de Afrikaanse geschiedenis herschrijft en persoonlijk voel ik er ook veel voor om me achter deze stellingname te scharen. Zelfs zijn illustere landgenoot en Nobelprijswinnaar Wole Soyinka schrijft minder traditioneel dan Ben Okri. Toch zitten ze beiden op de zelfde golflengte want ze gaan beiden even hard te keer tegen de koloniale puinhoop en de overheersing van corruptie in het nieuwe beleid. Hun politiek engagement is even sterk maar Wole Soyinka is iets toegankelijker voor een breed publiek.
Bij elk nieuw boek van Ben Okri word je gefascineerd door de schoonheid van zijn beeldtaal maar het kost je ook telkens opnieuw heel wat inlevingsvermogen om je in het boek in te graven.
Ongetwijfeld hoort hij tot een van de grootse schrijvers van deze tijd zonder een duimbreed toe te geven aan een Westers publiek.
De hongerende weg vond ik persoonlijk iets makkelijker dan Onmetelijke rijkdom.
Het verhaal laten vertellen door een geestenkind lijkt me de beste oplossing om de complekse materie waarmee de auteur ons confronteert verteerbaar te maken.
Door een kind in een hallucinerende taal de gruwelen van gebeurtenissen te laten vertellen die later door een publiek schrijver, in dit geval de auteur, genoteerd worden kunnen te pijnlijke momenten gemakkelijker door fantasie omfloersd worden. In de orale Afrikaanse literatuur spelen geesten en demonen reeds voor volwassenen een belangrijke rol, voor een kind moet het rijk der verbeelding onuitputbaar zijn. In deze orale literatuur worden de gebeurtenissen toch al vervormd door het vele hervertellen. Elke verteller dikt het verhaal iets aan, nuanceert en voegt persoonlijke wensen of gedachten toe.
Op het ogenblik dat het verhaal begint wordt de vader van Azaro gevangen genomen op beschulding van moord die hij niet gepleegd heeft.In de gevangenis wordt hij gruwelijk mishandeld.
Azaro vertelt dit op een huiveringwekkende manier:
'Ze maakten de scherpe kantjes van zijn botten zacht, in de hoop dat zijn krachten zouden wegvloeien, nauwelijks beseffend dat zij in dertig minuten iets deden wat Pa in dertig jaar niet zou lukken. Door hem zo te slaan openden ze de poorten van zijn lichaam, haalden de muren ervan neer en verschoven het massieve rotsblok van zijn zelfbeperkende ego.Door hem zo te slaan openden ze alle deuren van zijn lichaam waardoor zijn kwade bloed en droomgeest naar buiten konden stromen, door de pijn en bewusteloosheid heen . Toen deed het duister zijn intrede in de wijken van zijn geest.'(blz.40)
Azaro's vader wordt een zombie die zijn bewakers angst inboezemt.
Ondertussen zit Azarro's moeder ook niet stil. Samen met andere vrouwen trekt ze er op uit om haar man te bevrijden. Dat lukt hen vrij snel want de politie wil zo vlug mogelijk van die zombie af.
Azaro's vader komt als een zwijgende vreemde man terug.
Dit gebeuren is de aanhef tot een hele reeks van woelige gebeurtenissen waarin de erfenis van de koloniaal te zwaar doorweegt om nieuwe politieke structuren te creëren.
Het geestenkind Azaro dat half in een geestenwereld leeft en half in de realiteit vertelt met heel symboliek de feiten die één hallucinant verhaal vertellen maar waarachter je met wat goede wil heel herkenbare feiten kan in terug vinden.
Azaro is een leeftijdsloos kind dat ooit beloofde aan een overleden vriendje om hem te volgen naar de geestenwereld. Hij is echter te gehecht aan deze wereld om hem zo maar te verlaten. Toch heeft hij regelmatig contact met het geestenrijk en kan hij ook occulte droombezoeken hebben. Het is een heel mysterieuze wereld waarin het kind demonische belevenissen kent die volledig in de taal van Afrika geschreven zijn. Eigenlijk is het dé grote oerkreet die ons reeds zo vaak trachtte te bereiken maar aan dovemansoren voorbij ging. De kreet van een geestenkind kan je echter zo maar niet negeren.
Onmetelijke rijkdom is een fascinerend boek dat zijn titel alle eer aan doet.
Deze roman die in Nederlandse vertaling verscheen onder de titel De hongerende weg was het eerste deel van een romancyclus waarin het abiku – geestenkind Azaro hoofdpersoon en verteller was. Het volgende deel was Toverzangen en Onmetelijke rijkdom sluit voorlopig deze reeks af.
Men beweert wel eens dat Ben Okri de Afrikaanse geschiedenis herschrijft en persoonlijk voel ik er ook veel voor om me achter deze stellingname te scharen. Zelfs zijn illustere landgenoot en Nobelprijswinnaar Wole Soyinka schrijft minder traditioneel dan Ben Okri. Toch zitten ze beiden op de zelfde golflengte want ze gaan beiden even hard te keer tegen de koloniale puinhoop en de overheersing van corruptie in het nieuwe beleid. Hun politiek engagement is even sterk maar Wole Soyinka is iets toegankelijker voor een breed publiek.
Bij elk nieuw boek van Ben Okri word je gefascineerd door de schoonheid van zijn beeldtaal maar het kost je ook telkens opnieuw heel wat inlevingsvermogen om je in het boek in te graven.
Ongetwijfeld hoort hij tot een van de grootse schrijvers van deze tijd zonder een duimbreed toe te geven aan een Westers publiek.
De hongerende weg vond ik persoonlijk iets makkelijker dan Onmetelijke rijkdom.
Het verhaal laten vertellen door een geestenkind lijkt me de beste oplossing om de complekse materie waarmee de auteur ons confronteert verteerbaar te maken.
Door een kind in een hallucinerende taal de gruwelen van gebeurtenissen te laten vertellen die later door een publiek schrijver, in dit geval de auteur, genoteerd worden kunnen te pijnlijke momenten gemakkelijker door fantasie omfloersd worden. In de orale Afrikaanse literatuur spelen geesten en demonen reeds voor volwassenen een belangrijke rol, voor een kind moet het rijk der verbeelding onuitputbaar zijn. In deze orale literatuur worden de gebeurtenissen toch al vervormd door het vele hervertellen. Elke verteller dikt het verhaal iets aan, nuanceert en voegt persoonlijke wensen of gedachten toe.
Op het ogenblik dat het verhaal begint wordt de vader van Azaro gevangen genomen op beschulding van moord die hij niet gepleegd heeft.In de gevangenis wordt hij gruwelijk mishandeld.
Azaro vertelt dit op een huiveringwekkende manier:
'Ze maakten de scherpe kantjes van zijn botten zacht, in de hoop dat zijn krachten zouden wegvloeien, nauwelijks beseffend dat zij in dertig minuten iets deden wat Pa in dertig jaar niet zou lukken. Door hem zo te slaan openden ze de poorten van zijn lichaam, haalden de muren ervan neer en verschoven het massieve rotsblok van zijn zelfbeperkende ego.Door hem zo te slaan openden ze alle deuren van zijn lichaam waardoor zijn kwade bloed en droomgeest naar buiten konden stromen, door de pijn en bewusteloosheid heen . Toen deed het duister zijn intrede in de wijken van zijn geest.'(blz.40)
Azaro's vader wordt een zombie die zijn bewakers angst inboezemt.
Ondertussen zit Azarro's moeder ook niet stil. Samen met andere vrouwen trekt ze er op uit om haar man te bevrijden. Dat lukt hen vrij snel want de politie wil zo vlug mogelijk van die zombie af.
Azaro's vader komt als een zwijgende vreemde man terug.
Dit gebeuren is de aanhef tot een hele reeks van woelige gebeurtenissen waarin de erfenis van de koloniaal te zwaar doorweegt om nieuwe politieke structuren te creëren.
Het geestenkind Azaro dat half in een geestenwereld leeft en half in de realiteit vertelt met heel symboliek de feiten die één hallucinant verhaal vertellen maar waarachter je met wat goede wil heel herkenbare feiten kan in terug vinden.
Azaro is een leeftijdsloos kind dat ooit beloofde aan een overleden vriendje om hem te volgen naar de geestenwereld. Hij is echter te gehecht aan deze wereld om hem zo maar te verlaten. Toch heeft hij regelmatig contact met het geestenrijk en kan hij ook occulte droombezoeken hebben. Het is een heel mysterieuze wereld waarin het kind demonische belevenissen kent die volledig in de taal van Afrika geschreven zijn. Eigenlijk is het dé grote oerkreet die ons reeds zo vaak trachtte te bereiken maar aan dovemansoren voorbij ging. De kreet van een geestenkind kan je echter zo maar niet negeren.
Onmetelijke rijkdom is een fascinerend boek dat zijn titel alle eer aan doet.
Read
April 4, 201511. This is the third in ben okri's Famished road trilogy. I mean to include the whole Ben Okri trilogy. The first two are a 10 for me. I was lucky enough to read the third first. It was like 100 years of solitude on poetry and is an example of the poetry prose I find rare in modern writers though they have so much material to work with. When the work feels 50% poetry and 50% prose. Like Astonishing the Gods and The Waves. For someone who does not appreciate many forms of poetry, this kind of poetry prose was an introduction to wider forms of expression outside prose.
January 23, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. Magical. It really is. As always Ben Okri's writing is challenging, stealing you away to places you've never been, can't imagine and often that don't fully exist. Imagination, metaphor and a stonking story too. How can he do it?!
The language is so rich and poetic, you can't be anything other than completely enthralled.
I punctuate these kinds of books with frivolous light fiction. Partly because I feel I need a break, but also to allow them space to sink in and breathe in me.
Definitely one for lovers of great literature and poetry.
The language is so rich and poetic, you can't be anything other than completely enthralled.
I punctuate these kinds of books with frivolous light fiction. Partly because I feel I need a break, but also to allow them space to sink in and breathe in me.
Definitely one for lovers of great literature and poetry.
May 23, 2022
I found the whole trilogy to be a poetic ride through the mind of the writer. The combination of allegories, symbolism and raw reality in his narration is done so skillfully one cannot but be mesmerized. I will not lie, at times I had to reread, as I did lose track but it was worth every second invested in experiencing this writing. Highly recommended for the narrative style and poetic writing alone! 👍👍👍👍👍
November 26, 2023
This is the third and final book of the trilogy. The first book being The Famished Road, the second Songs of Enchantment.
Having re-read The Famished Road at the start of the year I realised there is this third book in the trilogy. I had read The Famished Road back in around 2001 ( 12-13 yrs ago! ) followed by Songs of Enchantment a couple of years later. Then Ben Okri was large forgotten as I moved on to more "mature" and more "serious" books.
The messages of the three books are universal. The books describes life in an imaginary and unspecified village in Africa. They comment on the harsh realities of life that each and every one of us faces in our daily struggles. The simplicity of life in this village strips life's struggles and needs to the bare necessities. The book is narrated by Azaro, the spirit child who comes from the spirit world and wanting to experience the human condition by reincarnating itself inside the body of an Arican child. Azaro's comments therefore off a higher perspective into observing our humanity from afar. This is in essence the idea of these three books.
This third book is very different from the first two. The original book that won the Booker prize can not be surpassed as usually is with these trilogies. Often it is an attempt by the author to monetise and capitalise on his original idea, and/or a gallant attempt by the author in continuing the originality of first. This book is no exception that it far short. This book is mostly written in poetry form. It reads nicely with pockets of beautiful paragraphs. However there is no central story and no flow of what what the book is trying to describe. One can not feel it is a collection of beautiful prose the author had collected over the years and then used this book as an opportunity to stitch them together.
The middle of the book seemed promising. The book is building a picture that moves away from the first two books, that now the land is being colonised by the white man, the Governor-General as the referred to by the book, who is plundering the riches of Africa and re-writing her history. However disappointingly the second half of the book falls short and this idea was not explored further nor evolved. It kinda just died as the focus of the book shift to the death of Madam Koto, a character that is quite confusing in this book. It is not clear what she represents, and what her death ultimately signifies.
I suppose this book would make more sense for those who have read "The Famished Road" and "Songs of Enchantment" as the characters are continuations from these titles. The author does not make much attempt to explain to the reader these characters so it would not be recommended just to read this book on its own. And I suppose if you enjoyed the first two books then it makes sense to read this book for completeness.
The book is relaxing read. Enjoy some beautiful prose from Ben Okri but do not attempt to try too hard to rationally understand the book. At time I felt the author is rather pretentious in the way this book has been written, trying too hard to write a book that is too poetic but failed in delivering a consistent and rational piece of narrative.
Having re-read The Famished Road at the start of the year I realised there is this third book in the trilogy. I had read The Famished Road back in around 2001 ( 12-13 yrs ago! ) followed by Songs of Enchantment a couple of years later. Then Ben Okri was large forgotten as I moved on to more "mature" and more "serious" books.
The messages of the three books are universal. The books describes life in an imaginary and unspecified village in Africa. They comment on the harsh realities of life that each and every one of us faces in our daily struggles. The simplicity of life in this village strips life's struggles and needs to the bare necessities. The book is narrated by Azaro, the spirit child who comes from the spirit world and wanting to experience the human condition by reincarnating itself inside the body of an Arican child. Azaro's comments therefore off a higher perspective into observing our humanity from afar. This is in essence the idea of these three books.
This third book is very different from the first two. The original book that won the Booker prize can not be surpassed as usually is with these trilogies. Often it is an attempt by the author to monetise and capitalise on his original idea, and/or a gallant attempt by the author in continuing the originality of first. This book is no exception that it far short. This book is mostly written in poetry form. It reads nicely with pockets of beautiful paragraphs. However there is no central story and no flow of what what the book is trying to describe. One can not feel it is a collection of beautiful prose the author had collected over the years and then used this book as an opportunity to stitch them together.
The middle of the book seemed promising. The book is building a picture that moves away from the first two books, that now the land is being colonised by the white man, the Governor-General as the referred to by the book, who is plundering the riches of Africa and re-writing her history. However disappointingly the second half of the book falls short and this idea was not explored further nor evolved. It kinda just died as the focus of the book shift to the death of Madam Koto, a character that is quite confusing in this book. It is not clear what she represents, and what her death ultimately signifies.
I suppose this book would make more sense for those who have read "The Famished Road" and "Songs of Enchantment" as the characters are continuations from these titles. The author does not make much attempt to explain to the reader these characters so it would not be recommended just to read this book on its own. And I suppose if you enjoyed the first two books then it makes sense to read this book for completeness.
The book is relaxing read. Enjoy some beautiful prose from Ben Okri but do not attempt to try too hard to rationally understand the book. At time I felt the author is rather pretentious in the way this book has been written, trying too hard to write a book that is too poetic but failed in delivering a consistent and rational piece of narrative.
October 20, 2023
I am a HUGE Ben Okri fan. I love everything about his writing, his commentary on colonialism and its impact on the ecosystems, family structures, ideologies, and ancient wisdom. Ben Okri writes in a hybrid prose poetry, book-length poem format that is beyond inspiring. I read The Famished Road, Songs of Enchantment, and then finished the trilogy with Infinite Riches in the order that the books were released. It took me a long time to complete Infinite Riches. I could only read snippets at a time. The pace was fast, and violent, with eruptions and at times literal body snatching continuously. The Famished Road situated Azaro in between the realms of the living and the dead. Songs of Enchantment birthed Black Tiger and the strength of Azaro's mother to fight against oppression. For me Infinite Riches was about the death and persecution of witches and people who hold indigenous political power within a village. I felt it was a critique of how these larger-than-life figures can tread the thin line between reverence and hatred and what that does to the social fabric of a village that is constantly under threat and persecution via modern colonialism. At first, I was so disappointed with how the trilogy ended. It felt as if Madame Koto was fighting with Ben Okri for the proper resolve and he had to bury her so that he could move on with his life. It also made me wonder if Madame Koto was the one who was summoned to take Azaro to the other side because when she was assassinated all kidnapping attempts ceased. Madame Koto is one of my all-time favorite book characters and I wish we could have spent more time with her instead of the perceptions placed on her. There was a scene when she was being murdered in which Azaro saw her many past lives. That was so powerful. This book made me think so deeply about how clairaudience and second sight have been underappreciated in the canon of literature as a whole and this book and trilogy have made such a powerful space for these conversations and intersections from the realm of African storytelling. It really is a magnum opus for Ben Okri. If I only read Infinite Riches and not the other two books it would feel like a fever dream and completely disjointed. I don't feel as if the book stands on its own which is why I gave it three stars because it has to be considered with the others. Overall the book is Okri's denouement for an epic adventure that was so well written and considered. I will be thinking about Madame Koto and her followers for years to come. Ugh, her coffin and beard that kept on growing? Amazing!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2017
The final book of three wild, immersive, surreal books about Nigerian independence from the perspective of a spirit child born into a poor family.
I'm not sure if this is the best of the trilogy, or I'm just appreciating Okri's style more as the series progresses, whatever, I just loved this book. I loved the rich, visual language, the vivid characterisations, the layer upon layer of symbolism and meaning, punctuated with sharp insights into the human condition, such as this - as resonant today as when it was written:
"Some say there is no greater breeding-ground for evil than when a people's reason falls asleep, their dreams unencumbered, and when the air seems clear."
Having even a little familiarity with West African cultures & history helped me appreciate these books, but I'm sure I missed a lot. I borrowed them from the library but may have to buy my own copies as they will give more with every reading, I'm sure.
I'm not sure if this is the best of the trilogy, or I'm just appreciating Okri's style more as the series progresses, whatever, I just loved this book. I loved the rich, visual language, the vivid characterisations, the layer upon layer of symbolism and meaning, punctuated with sharp insights into the human condition, such as this - as resonant today as when it was written:
"Some say there is no greater breeding-ground for evil than when a people's reason falls asleep, their dreams unencumbered, and when the air seems clear."
Having even a little familiarity with West African cultures & history helped me appreciate these books, but I'm sure I missed a lot. I borrowed them from the library but may have to buy my own copies as they will give more with every reading, I'm sure.
July 17, 2018
Better than the second one and about as long as the first one needed to be.
Now that I'm finished the trilogy I'm not seeing any reason why this should have been a trilogy at all because everything that happened in all three books could easily have fit into one.
Now that I'm finished the trilogy I'm not seeing any reason why this should have been a trilogy at all because everything that happened in all three books could easily have fit into one.
September 9, 2020
Life changing
Ben, you help me see the Reality behind things. This trilogy has been a friend to me for many, many years, and I thank you for showing me this world
With all love possible, michael x
Ben, you help me see the Reality behind things. This trilogy has been a friend to me for many, many years, and I thank you for showing me this world
With all love possible, michael x
December 27, 2020
I had read Okri's The Famished Road nearly 10 years ago: didn't realize it was part of a trilogy. Now I need to get volume 2.
It is like a Myazaki animation...
It is like a Myazaki animation...
June 29, 2024
Hard to read but getting used to his stuff now
September 18, 2016
I found Famished Road more poetic, intriguing and fresh. This third installment was sadly a bit plodding. Several times there was obvious internally repetitive patterns across chapters (by phrases, a sentence or two, and ideas). A lot of description about both real and spiritual worlds that were overlaid or intertwined, sometimes bleeding through, was given in a detached third person style, sentence after sentence, and paragraph after paragraph. This presentation was eventually numbing and disengaging for me.
Then there is the crescendo of the confusing and the fantastical--regarding colors yellow and green, the blind man's vignettes, butterflies, angels, blood, six moons, caskets and omens. These visual and narrative elements kaleidoscopically passed by, sometimes several in a page, and some were also recycled, five or six themes or elements scattered through some chapters. It was really unclear who or what most of these might represent, or even if they represent anything at all, or how they might relate to each other. Are these part of a whole, or parallel themes? Is there a bit of a critique of post-modernism in this mix?
Across books 6 and 7 there were allusions or statements about ruling elites, crushing economic disparities, public manipulation through false media presentations or omissions (indeed, the photographer is called 'evil'), guilt being for the 'weak', taking a long view, and so forth; these seemed like a concise but limited critique of globalism--and on the last page, 'history is a dream' (1989-98) has a lot of contemporary resonance. Do the three verses align with the three novels in the trilogy and provide an interpretative frame?
Then there is the crescendo of the confusing and the fantastical--regarding colors yellow and green, the blind man's vignettes, butterflies, angels, blood, six moons, caskets and omens. These visual and narrative elements kaleidoscopically passed by, sometimes several in a page, and some were also recycled, five or six themes or elements scattered through some chapters. It was really unclear who or what most of these might represent, or even if they represent anything at all, or how they might relate to each other. Are these part of a whole, or parallel themes? Is there a bit of a critique of post-modernism in this mix?
Across books 6 and 7 there were allusions or statements about ruling elites, crushing economic disparities, public manipulation through false media presentations or omissions (indeed, the photographer is called 'evil'), guilt being for the 'weak', taking a long view, and so forth; these seemed like a concise but limited critique of globalism--and on the last page, 'history is a dream' (1989-98) has a lot of contemporary resonance. Do the three verses align with the three novels in the trilogy and provide an interpretative frame?
June 26, 2013
Infinite Riches (Phoenix, 1998; 394) is the last book of Ben Okri's trilogy that begins with The Famished Road. I postponed reading this particular book since in 2009 because I wanted to read them chronologically. I was serendipitously gifted with the first book but could not get the second - Songs of Enchantment - so finally I had to succumb and skip it.
Infinite Riches continues the story of Azaro, the abiku child who sees into the spirit world and do fantastic things. Also, the struggle between the political parties - the Party of the Rich and the Party of the Poor - over who to take the mantle of power once the colonialists has granted the colony its independence continues unabated. Herein lies the nefarious activities of the political elite; the brutality of the people by both the police and thugs of the political parties; the discrimination of the people by the people and the parties; and the humongous corruption of the political arrivistes against the beggary lives of the people. In this story, set at the point of independence of no particular country, or better still of Africa, Okri showed that the current political gimmicks, shenanigans, thuggery, and corruption, began at the second birth of the new continent. It was that part of the umbilical cord that remained in the belly of the continent, whose decay had sprung forth foul, greed-laden, and ignominious leaders. This was also the period that the media became the grand-illusionists for governments, turning reality into fantasy, and fiction into reality, at will.
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...
Infinite Riches continues the story of Azaro, the abiku child who sees into the spirit world and do fantastic things. Also, the struggle between the political parties - the Party of the Rich and the Party of the Poor - over who to take the mantle of power once the colonialists has granted the colony its independence continues unabated. Herein lies the nefarious activities of the political elite; the brutality of the people by both the police and thugs of the political parties; the discrimination of the people by the people and the parties; and the humongous corruption of the political arrivistes against the beggary lives of the people. In this story, set at the point of independence of no particular country, or better still of Africa, Okri showed that the current political gimmicks, shenanigans, thuggery, and corruption, began at the second birth of the new continent. It was that part of the umbilical cord that remained in the belly of the continent, whose decay had sprung forth foul, greed-laden, and ignominious leaders. This was also the period that the media became the grand-illusionists for governments, turning reality into fantasy, and fiction into reality, at will.
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...
April 17, 2014
The final installment of the Famished Road trilogy feels like the shortest of all, but since they changed the line spacing, it's hard to tell. With the new lay-out, many one-page chapters become one-and-a-bit, giving you the feeling you're really running through the book.
That said, it's peculiar how little of the novel actually sticks. Perhaps it was my own disinterest, but there seemed to be very little in this novel worth remembering. The promised escalation of the spirits only goes up to the five-headed spirit, but the political rally does finally happen. It ends in riot, which was to be expected, but the newspapers don't comment on it, making it seem as if it never happened. This focus on the power of media to change perceptions of reality and problematisation of history making is interesting, but only a small part of the novel. There is quite a bit of eco-criticism as well, with the forest dying by the axes of man. Lastly, there is of course the postcolonial aspect that now includes the governor and several other white people. Still, for the most part I was past caring about the novel at this point. It was decidedly easier to read than the first installment of the trilogy, but also a lot less poignant, if that can be said of The Famished Road.
I don't think I will be reading any more Ben Okri.
That said, it's peculiar how little of the novel actually sticks. Perhaps it was my own disinterest, but there seemed to be very little in this novel worth remembering. The promised escalation of the spirits only goes up to the five-headed spirit, but the political rally does finally happen. It ends in riot, which was to be expected, but the newspapers don't comment on it, making it seem as if it never happened. This focus on the power of media to change perceptions of reality and problematisation of history making is interesting, but only a small part of the novel. There is quite a bit of eco-criticism as well, with the forest dying by the axes of man. Lastly, there is of course the postcolonial aspect that now includes the governor and several other white people. Still, for the most part I was past caring about the novel at this point. It was decidedly easier to read than the first installment of the trilogy, but also a lot less poignant, if that can be said of The Famished Road.
I don't think I will be reading any more Ben Okri.
December 22, 2013
Okhri's imagery and writing style is as good as that of any author, but in this book he loses the chance to create a cohesive and powerful trilogy, his ' lord of the rings'. The novel began as a continuation of the previous two, but doesn't really add anything, as a result of which Okhri's words slowly begin to lose their lustre and give an impression of being repackaged, and before you know it, the book is over, so is the trilogy and you're left scratching your head saying "what really happened here?"
November 15, 2021
First read in 1998, now re-read in 2021. The last part of the Famished Road trilogy and the last of the good books of Ben Okri's (after this novel it went downhill into New Age blah).
The language is wonderful, yet ultimately just more of the same as the previous two books. Magic abounds, realism much less, although the setting in an African country on the verge of independence is clear. Okri stepped into the trap of tiny chapters (some only as long as one sentence), which isn't good for continuity.
A decent conclusion of the trilogy. 3.5/5 stars.
The language is wonderful, yet ultimately just more of the same as the previous two books. Magic abounds, realism much less, although the setting in an African country on the verge of independence is clear. Okri stepped into the trap of tiny chapters (some only as long as one sentence), which isn't good for continuity.
A decent conclusion of the trilogy. 3.5/5 stars.
April 2, 2015
I wasn't as blown away with this book as I was the first. Certainly not as wondrous and that makes sense because not only is the main character much older but so is the nation and the society he is part of. Change is occurring, told from the perspective of a nation about to peek out from the shadows of its colonial masters. Okri does not disappoint.
December 5, 2012
A little disappointing. I felt it was about 100 pages too long, although I do enjoy Okri's beautiful imagery.
Seemed like book 1 and 2 were a part of the cohesive story, with book 3 written for the author's personal enjoyment.
Seemed like book 1 and 2 were a part of the cohesive story, with book 3 written for the author's personal enjoyment.
Read
September 19, 2013This book is at an extreme end of the magical-realism genre. Okri's writing verges on pure magical imagery. References to political events makes one wonder whether this book was meant to be an allegory.
September 6, 2010
for now? hmmmm
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