Thursday, February 9, 2012

Thieves Everywhere!

"Thieves abound in Lagos, and in this book. Every minute, every page is for the thief-- the pickpocket, the dubious petrol station attendant, the murderous armed robber, the compact disc pirate, the hostage-taking area boy, the bribe-taking police, customs and embassy officers, the thieving politician whose actions and inactions account for power failures and fuel scarcities... [all of it written] in prose that is at once precise and haunting, even long after the final word."

In the Guardian (UK), Tolu Ogunlesi reviewed Teju Cole's Every Day is For the Thief (2007), a novella with photographs about life in Lagos, Nigeria. Cole visits tomorrow 2/10.

Picture: Oil pirates clash with oil companies in the Niger delta.