ISBN 9789991642352
ePub ISBN 9789991642369
Pages 202
Dimensions 216 x 140mm
Published 2017
Publisher University of Namibia Press, Namibia
Formats Paperback, eBook

The Lie of the Land

by Jaspar David Utley

The Lie of the Land is a novel set against the background of the German colonial wars in Namibia in the early 1900s. The central character is an academic in linguistics who occasionally acts as a British agent. He is a cynical, private individual who sees himself as a neutral observer but is eventually forced to take sides when he witnesses the atrocities of the Herero and Nama genocide and, above all, meets a young Nama woman who enchants him. The novel explores the shifting nature of the oppressor and the oppressed. 

Despite the unfolding tragic events, the story is lightened by surprising bursts of humour, and is ultimately a love story.

Book Preview
Paperback
£18.70
eBook
£18.70

Reviews

"A compelling story that pulls the reader in from the very start. Utley is especially adept at creating realistic settings backed by his obviously ample research. A tightly plotted and fast-paced novel."

Lauri Kubuitsile, author of The Scattering

"A very well researched historic novel, it makes events which shaped the subsequent history of Namibia accessible. The strength of the novel is the rich and evocative use of language to paint landscapes and characters and its enthralling use of humour."

Dr Jeremy Silvester, Historian at the Museums Association of Namibia

About the Author

Jaspar David Utley

Jaspar David Utley was the first director of the British Council in Namibia from 1990 to 1995. His first books Allsorts and other stories and Ngoma and Click were published in Namibia where he also wrote and recorded over 30 stories for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. From Namibia he was posted to India where he wrote and published books and plays for both children and adults. Currently living in Britain, he regularly directs, produces and acts in amateur dramatics and at present is working on a novel set in modern Afghanistan.