book tip
“I wanted to live like the gods”
Gods in the queue – a journey through time into the recent German past
Travelers are waiting for baggage check-in at Mallorca Airport.
© Clara Margais/dpa
We travel far away again – but differently than before. With long lines and delays making waiting a leg of the journey, we also need new hand luggage. Ibraimo Alberto’s book “I wanted to live like the gods” is a few years old, but it’s just the thing for us gods waiting for.
Did you set off on your last trip much earlier than in previous years so as not to miss the start at the train station or airport? Getting through the security check on time or getting a seat on the regional train? What to do with the time in queues, at the platform or departure gate until the time has finally come? How about a little excursion – into the geographical distance and at the same time a journey through time into the recent German past and present from an unexpected perspective?
But beware! The book I would like to recommend to you is so exciting that you should set an alarm clock so you don’t miss boarding. You can continue reading on the train, bus or plane – on the way to a hopefully similarly interesting destination.
The gods, that’s you and me
“I wanted to live like the gods” is the name of the book by Ibraimo Alberto that I recently got my hands on and couldn’t put down. The gods, that’s you (or most of you) and me. His – true – story tells how he imagined our life and how he fought to achieve it. It starts in Mozambique, in the countryside, away from the cities, seaside resorts and even beyond the nearest village. At the time of the Portuguese colonial rule, going to school was the greatest thing for Ibraimo and unattainable for many children like him. He fights for this opportunity and has to walk a long way to school to get it – a very long time: anyone who has run a marathon can get an idea of their daily commitment.
Ibraimo Alberto: “I wanted to live like the gods”. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2014
© Kiepenheuer & Witsch
Of course, encounters with wild animals, lions and crocodiles, are part of the way to school; and yet Alberto describes a completely different Africa than we have in our heads, perhaps shaped by romanticizing films, perhaps by the news of catastrophes. Do you want an exciting safari novel from then and now Southeast Africa? Here he is. You want an authentic narrative about colonialism and how it continued in East Germany? Here she is. Would you like a look at the newly reunited Germany from the perspective of one of those people who felt what the majority of the population watched on television in horror and disbelief every day? You can find him here. Or are you looking for a story that encourages you to overcome the most unbelievable, terrible and sometimes the most comical experiences and obstacles? Then you’ve come to the right place with Ibraimo Alberto.
Not only the story itself is gripping, but also the unaffected, captivating language and the narrative structure that changes between places and times make the novel an experience in its own right. As if we were not spectators and listeners, but fellow travelers. Wherever you have to wait, whether you are on the way or already at your destination – let Ibraimo Alberto and his co-author Daniel Bachmann take you on this unusual journey: into yesterday and today, into the distance and home , right around the corner!
Ibraimo Alberto: “I wanted to live like the gods”. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2014