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The Lost Spell
Didimus Dore, a proud, respectable businessman from Addis Ababa, has turned himself into a dog. Unable to remember the spell that will turn him back again, he finds refuge with a German woman working on a Chinese engineering project. Stripped of his status and language, he takes the road home to Addis, back to his wife and children; to find the spell. As he travels fearfully through the towns along the way, he sees Ethiopian history and politics from a new perspective. He struggles to keep himself at the centre of his world, despite his new reality. Worku is renowned as a brilliant and influential young Ethiopian novelist. Bethlehem Attfield's translation of The Lost Spell gives us a glimpse of a contemporary novelist redefining political satire within a radically different psychogeography.
- GenresFiction
217 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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January 15, 2023
The Lost Spell is Bethlehem Attfield's English translation of the 2013 original novel by Yismake Worku, crowdfunded by Unbound and beautifully published by Henningham Family Press. Worku has established himself as one of Ethiopia's most interesting contemporary novelists, writing primarily in Amharic. The Lost Spell starts with the intriguing premise of a man who has inadvertently turned himself into a dog and must travel through Southern and Central Ethiopia, seeking reunion with his family and the spell that will return him to human form. The story interweaves Ethiopian superstition with contemporary politics. Others have raved about this work and, while I can see its merits, the story frequently lost momentum for me. But Worku is certainly a writer to watch with hopefully more of his work reaching a wider audience.
December 2, 2022
Translation shortlisted for the Society of Authors TA First Translation Prize
Hasn’t this nation been once among the greatest on earth? Now it is less than the least. Like me, its people have been dehumanized. Joining the realm of dogs, they are carried along by the whim of a flood.
The Lost Spell was crowd-funded on Unbound (https://unbound.com/books/the-lost-sp... - a crowdfunding publisher that works for everybody. We give our community the superpowers to bring extraordinary ideas to life") and published in partnership with the "performance press" Hennigham Family Press, "a microbrewery for books."
It's a beautifully made book, with a holographic foil debossed cover, and a fascinating addition to the literary universe in English, the first translation from Amharic I think I have read.
The book is Bethlehem Attfield's translation of the 2013 novel ቡር ድንጋይ by ይስማዕከ ወርቁ (Yismake Worku). The Ethopian author has been previously published in English in Zelalem Nigussie's translation Dertogada of his debut novel ዴርቶጋዳ.
The first-person narrator of The Lost Spell, Didimis Dore, has been turned, literally, into a dog, or rather he turned himself one while experimenting with ancient Axumite spells:
My father was a famous counsellor to Emperor Selassie. There are numerous records that testify to his reputation as a prominent scholar. He was also fascinated by the prehistoric world. Among a group of archaeologists, between 1943 and 1957, he made significant findings regarding the ancient Axumite kingdom in the northern city of Axum and surrounding area. lie undertook his own research into our ancient culture, and made amazing discoveries. Some of the artefacts he found are still displayed in the national museum. He also found several scrolls that he secretly kept at home. He named them the Scrolls of Akilas, after the famous Ethiopian magician Akilas. Before his days came to an end, he passed those scrolls on to me; an heirloom.
I inherited my father's passionate interest and deep involvement in the mysteries of the ancient world. Of my fifty-three years of life, half have been spent in standard education, and the rest in study of the ancient world. I have studied archaeology, philology, and anthropology in renowned institutions in different countries. Even though I have achieved wealth through my hard work, and gained knowledge through my education, my personal fascination with the supernatural has led me astray. The foolish experiments I pursued, to find out whether the spells are real or not, have left me in my present state.
The novel follows his journey across Southern Ethopia, from Yirgalem, via Hawassa, Shashemene (home of Rastafarian settlers), Ziway (Batu), Meqi and Mojo, to Addis Ababa where he hopes to re-unite with his family and also reverse the spell.
At one point, when looking at a cart-horse labouring up a steep hill, and being whipped by its handler, Dore comments that it is "an evocative metaphor for Ethopia’s current state of affairs", and the same applies to his own situation:
I no longer count the days; I am just grateful to have survived the day and moved on to the next. It wasn’t just the unseasonal rain that caught me off guard; it was also the unseasonal situation. Sadly, this is not only my fate, but also the nation’s: everyone simply concentrates on getting through the day. I imagined this nation being robbed of its harvest by an unseasonal rain; a throne of thorns being put on its crown by an unseasonal ideology; and being ruled by an unseasonal leader. Hasn’t this nation been once among the greatest on earth? Now it is less than the least. Like me, its people have been dehumanized. Joining the realm of dogs, they are carried along by the whim of a flood. As a twig caught up in a flood has no direction of its own, so are the people of this nation. However, we mustn’t give up.
Physically he is a dog and subject to the benefits and constraints that brings, but mentally he remains himself, although his perspective on life does change, for example the formerly relatively wealthy Dore gains a different perspective on what matters for most people:
When I was a man I had high hopes for the oil that was being explored in Ogaden. A promising prospect to haul our nation out of poverty. I used to watch TV news, not for the political propaganda that is commonly aired, but hoping to hear news of success at Ogaden's oilfields. Now that I am a dog, a potsherd of milk is more valuable to me than a barrel of oil.
But there are advantages as well. He finds that his fears are discarded, and, as a dog he is able to listen in and spy on conversations, such as the debates around the mysterious death (in 2012 and during the time of the novel) of prime minister Meles Zenawi and the discussions around his successor.
The text is replete with legends, both local and global, and poetry, as well as something of a travologue of Southern Ethopia and an allegorical commentary on its history and politics.
And perhaps the novel's greatest lesson is the power of words:
Words should not be used inappropriately. One has to be discerning about when and how, or if it is wise to use them at all. Words can change men into dogs but they can also restore their humanity. Words can bring about good things, but they can also take them away. Words can simply extinguish the light, but they can also illuminate darkness. They can enrich people's lives, or they can impoverish them. My tongue and lips will be preserved from uttering inappropriate words. I know the power of words from first-hand experience. Words have changed me into a dog, but they have also restored me again, to become human.
The traitors in front of me, and their kind, not only use words wrongly but also relationships. They use their bodies inappropriately. They use freedom wrongly. They use their position, whether inferior or superior, wrongly. They use their knowledge, as well as their ignorance, wrongly. They use technology wrongly. They use their kinship and identity wrongly. They use political ideology wrongly. They even use their religion wrongly.
Recommended.
Hasn’t this nation been once among the greatest on earth? Now it is less than the least. Like me, its people have been dehumanized. Joining the realm of dogs, they are carried along by the whim of a flood.
The Lost Spell was crowd-funded on Unbound (https://unbound.com/books/the-lost-sp... - a crowdfunding publisher that works for everybody. We give our community the superpowers to bring extraordinary ideas to life") and published in partnership with the "performance press" Hennigham Family Press, "a microbrewery for books."
It's a beautifully made book, with a holographic foil debossed cover, and a fascinating addition to the literary universe in English, the first translation from Amharic I think I have read.
The book is Bethlehem Attfield's translation of the 2013 novel ቡር ድንጋይ by ይስማዕከ ወርቁ (Yismake Worku). The Ethopian author has been previously published in English in Zelalem Nigussie's translation Dertogada of his debut novel ዴርቶጋዳ.
The first-person narrator of The Lost Spell, Didimis Dore, has been turned, literally, into a dog, or rather he turned himself one while experimenting with ancient Axumite spells:
My father was a famous counsellor to Emperor Selassie. There are numerous records that testify to his reputation as a prominent scholar. He was also fascinated by the prehistoric world. Among a group of archaeologists, between 1943 and 1957, he made significant findings regarding the ancient Axumite kingdom in the northern city of Axum and surrounding area. lie undertook his own research into our ancient culture, and made amazing discoveries. Some of the artefacts he found are still displayed in the national museum. He also found several scrolls that he secretly kept at home. He named them the Scrolls of Akilas, after the famous Ethiopian magician Akilas. Before his days came to an end, he passed those scrolls on to me; an heirloom.
I inherited my father's passionate interest and deep involvement in the mysteries of the ancient world. Of my fifty-three years of life, half have been spent in standard education, and the rest in study of the ancient world. I have studied archaeology, philology, and anthropology in renowned institutions in different countries. Even though I have achieved wealth through my hard work, and gained knowledge through my education, my personal fascination with the supernatural has led me astray. The foolish experiments I pursued, to find out whether the spells are real or not, have left me in my present state.
The novel follows his journey across Southern Ethopia, from Yirgalem, via Hawassa, Shashemene (home of Rastafarian settlers), Ziway (Batu), Meqi and Mojo, to Addis Ababa where he hopes to re-unite with his family and also reverse the spell.
At one point, when looking at a cart-horse labouring up a steep hill, and being whipped by its handler, Dore comments that it is "an evocative metaphor for Ethopia’s current state of affairs", and the same applies to his own situation:
I no longer count the days; I am just grateful to have survived the day and moved on to the next. It wasn’t just the unseasonal rain that caught me off guard; it was also the unseasonal situation. Sadly, this is not only my fate, but also the nation’s: everyone simply concentrates on getting through the day. I imagined this nation being robbed of its harvest by an unseasonal rain; a throne of thorns being put on its crown by an unseasonal ideology; and being ruled by an unseasonal leader. Hasn’t this nation been once among the greatest on earth? Now it is less than the least. Like me, its people have been dehumanized. Joining the realm of dogs, they are carried along by the whim of a flood. As a twig caught up in a flood has no direction of its own, so are the people of this nation. However, we mustn’t give up.
Physically he is a dog and subject to the benefits and constraints that brings, but mentally he remains himself, although his perspective on life does change, for example the formerly relatively wealthy Dore gains a different perspective on what matters for most people:
When I was a man I had high hopes for the oil that was being explored in Ogaden. A promising prospect to haul our nation out of poverty. I used to watch TV news, not for the political propaganda that is commonly aired, but hoping to hear news of success at Ogaden's oilfields. Now that I am a dog, a potsherd of milk is more valuable to me than a barrel of oil.
But there are advantages as well. He finds that his fears are discarded, and, as a dog he is able to listen in and spy on conversations, such as the debates around the mysterious death (in 2012 and during the time of the novel) of prime minister Meles Zenawi and the discussions around his successor.
The text is replete with legends, both local and global, and poetry, as well as something of a travologue of Southern Ethopia and an allegorical commentary on its history and politics.
And perhaps the novel's greatest lesson is the power of words:
Words should not be used inappropriately. One has to be discerning about when and how, or if it is wise to use them at all. Words can change men into dogs but they can also restore their humanity. Words can bring about good things, but they can also take them away. Words can simply extinguish the light, but they can also illuminate darkness. They can enrich people's lives, or they can impoverish them. My tongue and lips will be preserved from uttering inappropriate words. I know the power of words from first-hand experience. Words have changed me into a dog, but they have also restored me again, to become human.
The traitors in front of me, and their kind, not only use words wrongly but also relationships. They use their bodies inappropriately. They use freedom wrongly. They use their position, whether inferior or superior, wrongly. They use their knowledge, as well as their ignorance, wrongly. They use technology wrongly. They use their kinship and identity wrongly. They use political ideology wrongly. They even use their religion wrongly.
Recommended.
June 8, 2022
Crowdfunded by Unbound and printed by Henningham family press in a lovely compact, foiled edition, The Lost Spell is ostensibly a very simple story about our narrator, Didimos Dore, who turns himself into a dog with an ancient spell and then can’t remember the words of the spell to change himself back. As such he begins a journey to travel his country, listen to his people and try to find his way back to his family. Novels that are narrated by animals are not everyone’s cup of tea and I would probably count myself among one of those but Didimos as a dog very much has a human voice with human perspectives. There are moments when he reflects on what it is to be an animal, the dangers but also relative simpleness of that experience but his voice is very much that of a wealthy, educated, slightly snobbish man who becomes increasingly humbled by what has happened to him. This premise allows Yismake Worku to have a main character who is virtually invisible or not deemed worth of notice and therefore enables his countrymen to speak freely around him. What he hears and what he realizes from his new perspective makes the novel a significant critique of the Ethiopian government at the time at which Worku wrote this novel.
As Didimos is dehumanized so he sees the Ethiopian people in the same way, oppressed and exploited by a corrupt government living in poverty and fear. At the same time, he talks about the way that international interests are stealing resources and exploiting the people with market forces the only thing that matters. There is little subtly in the way he compares his dog state and the injuries he obtains to the state of the country but this wasn’t an issue for me, indeed this novel could be entirely seen as simply a vehicle to criticize the country but it is more than that. Didimos talks of Ethopia’s history as a proud and ancient people, of the beauty of the country and of the food and life he misses as he travels and there is a rich portrait created of the country that sent me to Wikipedia searching for more.
This is a novel steeped in its country with an engaging main character who we root for while at the same time an education for those who don’t know much about Ethiopia, of which I am one. It is a powerful critique by someone who clearly loves his country while mourning for what it has become.
As Didimos is dehumanized so he sees the Ethiopian people in the same way, oppressed and exploited by a corrupt government living in poverty and fear. At the same time, he talks about the way that international interests are stealing resources and exploiting the people with market forces the only thing that matters. There is little subtly in the way he compares his dog state and the injuries he obtains to the state of the country but this wasn’t an issue for me, indeed this novel could be entirely seen as simply a vehicle to criticize the country but it is more than that. Didimos talks of Ethopia’s history as a proud and ancient people, of the beauty of the country and of the food and life he misses as he travels and there is a rich portrait created of the country that sent me to Wikipedia searching for more.
This is a novel steeped in its country with an engaging main character who we root for while at the same time an education for those who don’t know much about Ethiopia, of which I am one. It is a powerful critique by someone who clearly loves his country while mourning for what it has become.
April 10, 2022
A brilliant Ethiopian fable that explores the power of words and morals. I suggested earlier it was like Prospero meeting Gregor Samsa but it’s more than just a metamorphosis. It’s a Prospero character learning from his obsession with learning and magic. When he turns himself into a dog Didimos reveals his strengths. He’s not exiled but elevated in his learning. Alongside learning about Ethiopian politics and history I was also reminded about how powerful learning can actually be. A great story for our time
December 8, 2018
It is good, but make it easier for the people to download it.
May 27, 2022
Didimos Dore is a wealthy businessman with an interest in the occult. He is in possession of ancient scrolls on which are written spells that allow shape-shifting and he decides to go off into the forest to try one and turns himself into a dog. The problem is that he doesn’t know how to reverse the spell.
So follows a year-long journey back to his palatial home in Addis Ababa to find the scrolls that will show him the route back into human form.
Although he has assumed the form of a dog he still thinks – mostly – as a human and sees his country with new eyes. He notes striking parallels between the way he is treated as a street dog and the way his country’s politicians treat the people they are supposed to serve. As a dog Dore has plenty of time to ponder, recall and philosophise and early on there are even thoughts on bestiality. There are also references to Ethiopian history culture and sayings.
Yismake Worku, who writes in Amharic, is a well-regarded author of a dozen books and it is impressive that his "The Lost Spell" had been ably translated into English by Betty Attfield so that his work can be enjoyed by an audience beyond Ethiopia.
So follows a year-long journey back to his palatial home in Addis Ababa to find the scrolls that will show him the route back into human form.
Although he has assumed the form of a dog he still thinks – mostly – as a human and sees his country with new eyes. He notes striking parallels between the way he is treated as a street dog and the way his country’s politicians treat the people they are supposed to serve. As a dog Dore has plenty of time to ponder, recall and philosophise and early on there are even thoughts on bestiality. There are also references to Ethiopian history culture and sayings.
Yismake Worku, who writes in Amharic, is a well-regarded author of a dozen books and it is impressive that his "The Lost Spell" had been ably translated into English by Betty Attfield so that his work can be enjoyed by an audience beyond Ethiopia.
June 30, 2022
If women contribute to keep the written records of literary contributions in their vernacular language to be remembered accessible to the world. Bethlehem Attfield does Just that by translating Them Lost Spell’ from Amharic to English. Exposing a quirky way of thinking into the universal concept of shape shifters laced with human errors as to forgetting. Fully enjoyed the narrative of this old land of the old continent in what is probably among the oldest languages in the world.
There is much more to be discovered in Ethiopian contemporary literature and we want to read more of them.
If society limits opportunities for women, how much of their knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom is lost over time?
There is much more to be discovered in Ethiopian contemporary literature and we want to read more of them.
If society limits opportunities for women, how much of their knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom is lost over time?
December 31, 2022
I have no idea how many days I spent in this corn-feld. I no longer count the days; just grateful to have survived one day and moved on to the next. It wasn't just an unseasonal rain that caught me off guard, it was also an unseasonal situation. Sadly, this is not only my fate but also the nation's-living day to day. I imagined the nation being robbed of her harvest by unseasonal rain; an unseasonal ideology forcing a crown of thorns on her head; being ruled by an unseasonal leader. Hasn't this nation stood amongst the greatest on earth?-now it is less than the least. Like me, Her people have been dehumanized and joined the realm of dogs: carried along by the whim of the flood. As a twig once fallen into a torrent has no direction of its own, so are the people of this nation. However, we are not to give up.
This book was originally published in 2013, written in Amharic by the bestselling Ethiopian author Yismake Worku and was then translated by the Addis Ababa born, Birmingham University based contemporary literary translator Bethlehem Attfield, crowdfunded (including by my twin brother) on Unbound and published in their usual high quality production style by the “microbrewery for books” Henningham Press.
It is told in the form of a relatively simple fable. The first party narrator – Didimis Dore successful businessman but also son of Selassie-era researcher into ancient magic and inheritor of some secret scrolls, has accidentally turned himself into a (feral) dog in the South of the country and now has to travel back to Addis Ababa to get back his wife and children and find the scrolls which may allow him to reverse the spell. While travelling he resolves to use his lower status to listen in on private conversations about the political situation.
The book then becomes a mix of different elements of, at least for me as a reader, fairly variable success:
The tale of Didimis’s adaption to life as a dog – this was I felt the weakest element at times more like a children’s book (with a odd side-track into bestality) and unfortunately dominates the opening 70 pages (or first third) of the book.
Something of a travellogue through Southern Ethiopia as in each town we learn something of the local legends, history of the town and how it features in older poems or modern songs – this was interesting and raises the middle third or so of the novel (albeit I felt more detail may have been better here).
A revenge story in the final third when Didimis finally returns to Addis Ababa to find his wife has betrayed him with his deadly enemy – which is clearly signalled as a part analogy for Ethiopia’s shift from Soviet to US support.
Overheard conversations on the political situation in Ethiopia in 2012 around the unexpected death of Meles Zenawi (Prime Minister since 1995 having been President from 1991-1995) in Belgium – these I felt were at times rather clumsily executed with overheard speech for example “As this prime minister has not been a guerilla fighter like many of the others in the ruling party I had hoped he would not be as aggressive. Although I didn't expect he would bring about a genuine change, at least I hoped he would be less about lip-service and more about actual development. I had also hoped that he would please the public by releasing political prisoners.”
Some for me more successful (albeit in some cases such rather heavy handed) allegorical political commentary including (as per the opening quote to my review) the meta-conceit of the novel
A longer term perspective on how Ethiopia’s situation contrasts to its history both in the 19th-20th Centuries “once a symbol of independence and the pride of fellow black people”, further back to the Aksumite empire and even to the Kingdom of Kush and its legendary biblical links including around the Ark of the Covenant.
This latter in particular I found the most interesting element of the novel – for example the way in which the world of magic developed via the line of Cain to Kush only to be later supressed both in New Testament and colonial times and it links to also the most interesting theme of the novel – about the power of words.
Words should not be used inappropriately. One has to be discerning about when and how, or if it is wise to use them at all. Words can change men into dogs but they can also restore their humanity. Words can bring about good things, but they can also take them away. Words can simply extinguish the light, but they can also illuminate darkness. They can enrich people's lives, or they can impoverish them. My tongue and lips will be preserved from uttering inappropriate words. I know the power of words from first-hand experience. Words have changed me into a dog, but they have also restored me again, to become human.
Overall I had a mixed experience on reading this novel – and felt the relative mix of the different elements was out of line with my personal appreciation of them.
March 28, 2023
I loved the clarity of the prose and following Didimos-the-dog's journey through Ethiopia but I wasn't a fan of how grumpy and self-righteous the protagonist was...and never once challenged on his beliefs. The social commentary on and meditation about Ethiopian politics and society were very interesting, although I fear that my ignorance prevented me from appreciating them fully. I do think though that it would be possible to criticise the activities of Chinese companies and individuals in Ethiopia without resorting to reproducing racist stereotypes - that one felt kind of lazy.
Want to read
March 16, 2020Now
August 5, 2020
It's nice but, make it easy to download
Currently reading
February 15, 2021i heard that thier is name od corona virus iso i want to see the date i can't beleive that
January 5, 2021
Such supernatural story with a strong cultural background.
March 4, 2019
I
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