A cardboard box mysteriously turns up in Australia. Inside it are hundreds of pieces of paper that contain entries for an encyclopaedia of the modern Pacific nation, Abaza. The would-be editor, an Abazian exile, gradually realises that the entries reveal the chaotic and secret history of Abaza, a nation at war with itself, thanks to the immortal and tyrannical President Nadu, and the jazz-loving President Sangana.
Enter also an array of characters including a beautiful murdered film star, the leader of the vicious and lawless children's army, the Keeper of the President's Clarinet, a famous poet, and the diminutive Aba - the mysterious power behind the throne, now living in Australia and who, it is said, holds the key to everyone's history.
Written in the form of an encyclopaedia, 'Abaza' is a darkly comic and original novel from one of our most acclaimed literary voices.
