Chika Unigwe was born in 1974 in Enugu, Nigeria, where she lived before continuing her studies in Belgium, and obtaining a doctorate in Literature. She now lives in the United States with her husband and their four children. Chika Unigwe is considered one of the five most important African authors of the past ten years. “Fata Morgana” is her second novel. Translated from English (Nigeria) by Marguerite Capelle, it has just been published by Globe editions.
“The offer is raw, direct: It’s 30,000.
30,000 euros to leave Lagos and the desperation that kills.
30,000 euros to reach Europe overflowing with wealth.
A debt to which is added the rent that must be repaid in monthly installments by working ten hours a day in a street in the red-light district of Antwerp. Sisi, Ama, Efe and Joyce left Nigeria, driven by this universal desire: to survive to build a better life. In the meantime, they share a modest apartment and join the windows of the red light district every evening, their eyes riveted on the promises of Europe.
But suddenly, the brutal murder of Sisi shatters routine and silences. And it is their whole story that then emerges from the depths of humanity.
In this breathless novel brimming with vital energy, Chika Unigwe recounts with verve, grace and passion, the trajectory of her heroines battered by life, but determined to take their future into their own hands. She thus delivers a rare look at female migration, the price of uprooting and the brutality of the Western dream.” (Presentation of Globe editions)