A Novel.
In 1837, two young African princes arrive at the court of Willem I in the Netherlands. They have been given to the Dutch by the King of the Ashanti as surety in a deal they have brokered over illegal slave trading. The two boys think they have been sent to acquire a European education, but time passes. They forget their native language and traditions and become exiles. Treated as curiosities by white people, their friendship suffers and their paths diverge. Kwasi strives desperately to fit in; Kwame clings to his African identity and the idea that he will one day return to his people. Years later, as the twentieth century dawns, the elderly Kwasi, now owner of a tea plantation in Java, sits down to write his story.
The tale of Kwasi and Kwame is a true one. Around the few remaining details of their lives, Arthur Japin has written a novel of extraordinary power and imagination. Both a brilliant piece of storytelling and a moving portrayal of the search for identity and belonging, this book was an instant bestseller when first published in Holland.
