The Multiple Narrative Strategies and Thematic Implications in Abdulrazak Gurnah's Admiring Silence

Abstract

Abstract: Abstract: Admiring Silence, the fifth novel of Abdulrazak Gurnah, tells the story about a Zanzibari refugee who visits his hometown after20years of exile in Britain, but returns to Britain shortly afterwards. By setting its plot in the space, time of the narrative that alternates, interweaves between Zanzibar, Britain during the1960s, 1980s, the novel relies on multiple narrative strategies, such as dual narration, embedded narration, silence, to establish a dynamic balance between speech, silence, between characters, readers as narratees for the sake of delivering a series of thematic implications, from the criticism of racism, colonialism to the attack on the dark side of postcolonial society, the sympathy with, reflection on immigtants' plight, identity anxiety

Key words: Gurnah, Admiring Silence, narrative strategy, interior monologue, silence, identity anxiety

Zhang Feng. The Multiple Narrative Strategies and Thematic Implications in Abdulrazak Gurnah's Admiring Silence[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2022, 44(2): 55-67.

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[Zhang, Feng. “Memory, Language, Heterogeneity,Locality in Postcolonial Literature: A Review of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Thought on Writing and Criticism.” New Perspectives on World Literature, no. 2, Mar. 2022, pp. 5-17.]