In the Sea There are Crocodiles (Italian: Nel mare ci sono i coccodrilli) is a 2010 novel and the third book by Fabio Geda. It is loosely based on the life of Afghan refugee Enaiatollah Akbari and is taken from a series of interviews Geda conducted with Akbari. The novel follows Akbari from his birth in Afghanistan to his arrival in Italy.[1]
The book's release in the United States and Great Britain marks it as the first of Geda's works to be translated into English. Amnesty International UK has also recommended the book as a way to teach human rights to children.[2]
Publication history
editIn the Sea There are Crocodiles was first published in Italy on April 22, 2010 through Milan, Baldini & Castoldi.[3] An English language translation was released the following year through Doubleday, translated by Howard Curtis.[4] This marked the first time that one of Geda's books had been published in English.[5] It was released alongside an e-book edition and an audiobook adaptation narrated by Mir Waiss Najibi, issued through Books on Tape.[6]
Reception
editIn the Sea There are Crocodiles has received reviews from the Independent and the Guardian, the latter of which stated that it was a "frank, revealing and clear-eyed testament of the experiences faced by a young asylum-seeker in the contemporary world".[7][8] Joseph Peschel of the Boston Globe had both praise and criticism for the book, stating that it was "an intriguing story, but absent from it is any deep, convincing sense of how Enaiat feels about the events that befall him."[5]
References
edit- ^ "In the Sea There Are Crocodiles: a child alone on the road to freedom". The National. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ^ "Book and Activities: In The Sea There Are Crocodiles". Amnesty International UK. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ^ Geda, Fabio (2010). Nel mare ci sono i coccodrilli: storia vera di Enaiatollah Akbari (in Italian). Milano: B.C. Dalai. ISBN 978-88-6073-647-5. OCLC 961140839.
- ^ Geda, Fabio, 1972- (2011). In the sea there are crocodiles : based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari : a novel (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-53473-4. OCLC 711777266.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Peschel, Joseph (2011-08-02). "Harrowing tale of young Afghan refugee". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ^ Geda, Fabio, 1972- (2011). In the sea there are crocodiles : [based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari : a novel]. Curtis, Howard, 1949-, Najibi, Mir Waiss. (Library ed.). Westminster, Md.: Books on Tape. ISBN 978-0-307-94420-7. OCLC 725247172.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "In the Sea there are Crocodiles, By Fabio Geda, trans. Howard Curtis". The Independent. 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ^ Samuels, Diane (2011-08-26). "In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-14.