Product Description
The Book of Chameleons
Author: José Eduardo Agualusa
Format: Paperback
WINNER OF THE INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FICTION PRIZE
Félix Ventura trades in memories, a slippery character selling new pasts to people whose bright futures lack only a good lineage, and wiping clean the slate of their identity.
In a narrative that darts between past and present Angola, a bookish albino man, a beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner and a witty talking lizard come together to discover their real origins. For theirs is a world where the truth seems to shift from moment to moment and where history itself is up for grabs . . .
Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.
‘Ingenious, consistently taut and witty’ — TLS
‘Humorous and quizzical, with a light touch on weighty themes, the narrative darts about with lizard-like colour and velocity’ — Independent
‘Strange, elliptical, charming’ — Guardian
‘A poetic, beguiling meditation on truth and storytelling . . . from the dreamscapes of magical realism to a gripping political thriller and even a murder mystery’ — New Internationalist
‘A work of fierce originality’ — Independent
‘Without doubt one of the most important Portuguese-language writers of his generation’ — ANTÓNIO LOBO ANTUNES
‘Cross J. M. Coetzee with Gabriel García Márquez and you’ve got José Eduardo Agualusa’ — ALAN KAUFMAN
For custom orders and quotes: shop@schoolspace.co.za
© 2026 Schoolspace. This product description is the exclusive intellectual property of the publisher, protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, adaption, or copying is strictly prohibited.
