In *The Fabulous and Sad Destiny of Ivan and Ivana* , Maryse Condé tells the story of twins united by an inexplicable force and a unique love. The Brazilian edition also features a foreword by philosopher and Black feminist Djamila Ribeiro.
Ivan and Ivana are twins so similar that a casual glance might confuse them. Born in Dos d'Âne, a poor village in the small Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, they brought endless joy to their mother, Simone, already accustomed to the arrival of multiples in her family. Inseparable, they enjoyed the delights of the world in their early years: the sea, the sand, music, and affection.
Time, however, has left very different marks on each of them. Ivana soon reveals herself to be sweet and submissive—dreaming of becoming a nurse or a police officer to help people. Ivan, on the other hand, is revolted by the conditions in which he sees himself and his family—poverty and racism deeply wound him, and he can't understand why the world is this way. Despite the distance that grows between them, the siblings' love is so strong that it frightens and even raises suspicions.
Their fate is drawn between the fatal and the arbitrary. What paths can a single soul in two bodies trace? What choices shape the consequences of our actions? And what factors are beyond our control? How many versions can fit into one story?
Maryse Condé, the award-winning Caribbean writer, combines the wonderful and the tragic in these pages, blending her singular life with major global issues. The author lyrically addresses themes such as racism, sexism, social and economic inequalities, migration, and jihadist terrorism. Contemporary chaos emerges amidst doubt, faith, violence, and love. A fabulous and sad book that will resonate with everyone—even long after its pages are finished.
"Maryse Condé's prodigious fictional universe is founded on a radical and creative disregard for geographic, religious, historical, racial, and gender constraints. As we follow the twins on their fateful journey from the Caribbean to Africa to Europe, we learn about love, happiness, calamity, and, ultimately, the survival of hope." - Angela Davis
"I've never read anything so powerful and passionate, so tender and brutal. Maryse Condé is one of the best writers in the world." - Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
“With this story of a young man from Guadeloupe who finds himself persuaded by the call of jihad, Condé has written one of the most impressive novels of recent years, which undoubtedly resonates with the problems of our time.” - Le Monde
“Maryse Condé has a gift for telling stories with an unwavering faith in her characters and a biting sense of humor.” - New York Times
