In Arcadia

by Ben Okri

A group of angry and ill-assorted people accept an invitation to make a journey. Inspired by a painting and financed by a mysterious benefactor, they set off to discover the real Arcadia. Or what remains of it. Their journey begins in ignorance and chaos at Waterloo station and takes them through superstition and myth to harmony. In the Louvre, in front of Poussin's masterpiece, they begin to understand. 'In Arcadia takes that staple Shakespearean theme of appearance versus reality and uses it to explore the notion of paradise' Scotsman

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, African Literature, Nigeria, Literary Fiction, Africa

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.

He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).

His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.

In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).

A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.

In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.

Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Warwick Stubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was the best of words, it was the worst of words; it was an unskippable first half marred by a skippable second half; it was a failed novel, it was a successful novel; it was a time for talking too much and over-expressing oneself; it was the simplest of stories bogged down in over-exaggerations... and it had absolutely nothing to do with Dickens.

It was an author's contemplation on Arcadia.

For a long time the word 'Arcadia' meant little more than an undefined word in my vocabulary, but perhaps, something that belonged to the English, something pastoral. I was better acquainted with it over the last few years having heard it in a song by Gaz Coombes on his album 'Matador' (the album of which I absolutely recommend you listen to - now!). This book dives into the minds of a few characters as they attempt to undergo their own journey to some sort of Arcadia, and that, essentially is the point of this novel. It's hard to sit here and say it was meant t be anything else but an exploration of characters and meanings.

"We don't yet know how vast is this secret communication between butterflies, this secret speech [of their wing patterns]. That is what art is. It's the hidden speaking to the hidden. All art is a secret language, a double language. And it does something other than what it appears to do." (p.93)

I've picked up a couple of Okri's books, but this is the first I continued to read and finish. I was very much drawn in by the exaggerations that the main character expressed, it seemed to tie in with the idea that everyone on the journey was some sort of failure, and here was the narrator completely over babbling in a way that a hackneyed writer tries to express depth, failing to see that simplicity is sometimes the best way to create depth for a reader. The unfortunate part, is that this over-expressing of every idea continues for the entire novel. How it would have been nice to have had the character recognise that simplicity is sometimes better, and Okri write more simply as the story progressed. That, I believe, would have been extremely successful.

However, I expect some readers to absolutely adore this book for this reason: that words tumble out as though every aspect of one idea needs to be mined. By halfway, I was really over it and starting skipping pages, because, just like any hackneyed writer, there is very little depth in trying to convey every philosophical slant to the reader.

This book felt like an experiment by the author, something that sits outside of mainstream storytelling, something that sits as a contemplation, a non-novel that in anyone else's hands probably would have just been a novella - and perhaps it would have been better for it. Nevertheless, while little of the storytelling itself is interesting or involving, there are passages that really struck me as interesting, funny, humorous; engaged my thoughts, philosophical, and sometimes even worth re-reading.

[Nathaniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every page I turn to of "In Arcadia" justifies my decision to spare myself a close reading of the last 160 pages. All of my forays into the later parts and books and chapters lead me smack into the exhausting, uninvested, list-making and cranky ranting that this too self-involved novel obsessively churns out.

Okri can't seem to tell a story anymore--his threadbare shrug towards narrative is only a convenient vehicle for his reflections on modern life, on meaning, on art, on film--anything mentioned in the text is then discoursed upon, tiresomely or sometimes with anger that is neither sharp nor important.

What is this staccato rubbish: "Strangest creature I ever saw. Don’t quite know how to describe her. Small, wiry, full of a mad quirrel-like ampheteamine-driven panic-charged vaguely neurotic energy. Nice eyes. I hate to admit it, but nice eyes. I like them. I adore them. Charming, sweet, pretty eyes. Can’t make out how a weirdo gets to have such nice eyes."

What sort of hip, chatty tone is Okri hoping to approximate? Is it supposed to soften us up for passages like:

"They gained in menace, in untrustworthiness, in depth. These were thorough failures, desperate media people, haunted by the marvelous and crushing contempt that the great goddess of fame had heaped on them, haunted by their complete inability to make any sort of mark on the vile fabric of their age. They were, therefore, willing accomplices of the corporation of the devil, desperadoes of fame and urban fortune. I had no reason to think them incapable of anything." Or . . .

"Jim sensed their journey was an arcane voyage, the interviewsw and places forming an inner script, a sacred script even. He felt that they were all unwitting parts of a sublime riddle, a mystican conundrum, a travelling cryptograph."?

The novel changes its narrative perspective and form and still manages not to evolve: "I live in a permanent existential condition: most things conspire to deny me existence and historical validity. Sometimes I wonder if I exist or whether I am not an invention, a nightmare invention, a regrettable invention, in the mind of society . . . Don’t dehumanize me or insult my intelligence by trying to make up for the vile invisible laws that try to fuck up my pleasant existence."

"Death spoke from the design, from the attempt to create Acrcadia according to one’s image and command. Death spoke through the geometry of it. Death spoke through the excess of symbolism. Death spoke through the labyrinths. Death spoke through the mathematics."

It's sad that Okri's fiction has become an overwritten, underproven, conceptual pageantry. There's not a lick of authenticity anywhere. I think it may be time for me to give up on this man.

[Andreea Ursu-Listeveanu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foarte complexa si alambicata, cu multe idei si teme si filosofii, In Arcadia urmareste o echipa de inadaptati social porniti sa filmeze un documentar despre lumea utopica si despre ce inseamna ea pentru fiecare. Plecand din Londra cu echipa, Lao, personajul principal care in prima parte a cartii pare un Gica Contra axat in special pe falsitatea oamenilor si a mastilor pe care le poarta in viata de zi cu zi, pana ajunge la Paris, se transforma intr-un filosof ce contempla viata dintr-o persoectiva mai pozitiva, ca urmare a efectului Arcadiei asupra lui.

Am umplut cartea de sublinieri si stickere, insa dupa traversarea Canalului Manecii si transformarea lui Lao, mi-am cam pierdut interesul. Nu mi-a mai placut de el si mi se parea ca Okri incerca sa atinga toate discutiile iscate vreodata de subiectul Arcadia. Plus ca Malasso, personajul misterios care a comandat documentarul, nu apare niciodata si nici nu aflam ce e cu el sau cu biletelele cu mesaje care ii inspaimanta pe unii dintre ei.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a review; it is a note to self. (Which is basically what 93% of my reviews are.)

How delightful to meet my friends (aka the characters) as they were nearly two decades before Ben Okri's 2020 "The Age of Magic."

The low ratings of his book inspire me. It is a reminder that there aren't a lot of people who operate from this wavelength. This is not a judgment; it is something that I have come to understand and it allows me a permission of sorts to share and not be understood—to be judged, yet not be held captive by the judgements. It has been painful trying to blend and bend myself to fit into (a rather sick) society because doing so was essentially rejecting my essence. Thankfully, I've slowly been putting an end to that self-abuse.

There is a profound gratitude for Ben Okri that has taken residence up in my heart.

#contemplative #philosophical #theinnerjourney #iamawarethatidontneedtousehashtagsonhere #haha

[Panou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cartea poate fi citită drept versiunea romanescă a unui eseu despre Arcadia, pe jumătate, povestea călătoriei unei echipe de filmare ciudate, pe jumătate, panseuri despre drum, viață, destine și... arcadii. Acestea sunt (fals) documentate, prin câteva reportaje despre oameni, locuri și monumente, precum: pajiștile englezești văzute pe geamul trenului care duce echipa spre Paris, mica curte din spatele casei unui conductor de tren, grădinile palatului Versailles și labirintul înfricoșător al Luvrului într-o zi când muzeul e închis vizitatorilor, cu pictura lui Poussin, Et in Arcadia Ego ca (oarecum) obiectiv final al expediției. Romanul devine tot mai apăsător (și un pic mai palpitant) pe măsură ce avansăm, datorită relevării diverselor probleme (drame, anxietăți, întâmplări bizare etc.) ale membrilor echipei de filmare, dar și datorită unor mesaje misterioase pe care aceștia le primesc de la coordonatorul necunoscut (creierul malefic) al întregii acțiuni, de-nimeni-văzutul Malasso. Această pistă enigmatică nu este continuată (nici măcar legată de controversata inscripție poussiană...) și în final putem fi dezamăgiți că nu am aflat misterul. Rămânem însă cu filozofiile despre viață (și moarte), reflecțiile (mai poetice sau mai din topor) și bizareriile găștii.

„Mă tot întreb cum a început totul? Din câte îmi amintesc, a început cu faptul că cineva a avut o idee excentrică, în perioada noastră sarcastică, că ar trebui să realizăm un film despre o călătorie în Arcadia, un loc de o liniște rurală, un fel de Grădină a Edenului, copilăria nostră universală pierdută. De ce ar dori cineva să facă un asemenea film ciudat, asta e ceva care mă depășește. Cui îi pasă că ne-am pierdut copilăria sau ne-am pierdut calea?” (p. 11)
„Am văzut frica ascunzându-se în siguranța tinereții, am văzut necazul devorând carnea dincolo de vârstă, oroarea ce însoțea pas cu pas fiecare umbră. Nimeni nu era singur. Cu toții aveam de cărat bagaje reale și bagaje psihice. Își aduseseră cu ei fantomele, fricile, eșecurile, problemele care îi bântuiseră pe tații lor, coșmarurile care le-au tulburat mamele lor.” (p. 33)
„... o călătorie de filmare cu subiectul extragerii unui sens al paradisului din dificultățile infinite ale unei vieți obișnuite – aceste lucruri ar fi trebuit să scoată la suprafață fericirea chiar și din cel mai îndărătnic om. Dar echipa, închisă în modul obișnuit de a fi al membrilor ei, părea imună la o asemenea joie de vivre” (p. 107)

Relatarea despre regina Marie Antoinette, care prefera să locuiască departe de artificialitatea vieții de la palatul din Versailles, și/dar și-a făcut un sat artificial în curtea domeniului versaillez, e tipică pentru „analiza” pe care o propune autorul: „Și când a ajuns aici, cu cei apropiați și cu servitorii, nu era regină, ci o ciobăniță. Dorea ca locul să fie cât de autentic se putea. Când a ajuns, urma să se schimbe într-un costum de ciobăniță și să se joace de-a viața simplă. Oile erau decorate cu panglici de mătase, vacile erau aristocrate, copacii și pietrele erau trucate cu mușchi întins cu mâna, și ciobanii și mulgătoarele erau costumați în false straie țărănești [...] Casa morii avea camere mici care nu fuseseră folosite și nici nu puteau fi, precum camerele caselor de păpuși. Regina mergea în sătuc călare, se juca și culegea flori în Arcadia ei, apoi pleca. Niciodată nu și-a petrecut noaptea acolo.” (p. 138)

[Jordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is amazing, but I don't understand why is put under the 'Africa' literature tag. It's set entirely in Europe and speaks of humanity. The author may be Nigerian, but the narrative sure isn't.

[Vanessa]

Ben Okri, as always writes beautifully.His books should be your only book when visiting islands in Mozambique,lodges in Zanzibar - magical books for magical experiences.

[Raluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cryptic, but fun. Maybe you'll like it or maybe you'll find it pretentious. Kinda short, so why not give it a try?

[Priscillia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Okri never fails to amaze me. Deeply magical and fascinating, gorgeous choice of words.

[Devanshi Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're in between stories, if you are walking away from violent systems and damaging narratives, if you're looking for an Eden but have no clue where it is and what it could look like, if you like beautiful prose and can read meditations on life, death and everything in between, then this book is for you.

A special marker for the 2/3 chapters in which the protagonist talks of his experience as a black man. It is a monologue for generations, for people across identities who have known what it means to belong to any marginalised identity. That monologue cuts to the core of the matter and illustrates that tender moment of transformation where two people of different identities can and must meet for this world to get anywhere.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Când a sosit mesajul, fiecare în felul lui eram la limita unei căderi nervoase. Trebuia să urmăm nişte inscripţii care ar conduce la comorile ascunse din Arcadia. Desigur, nu era aşa de simplu şi uşor. Aşa cum sunt lucrurile. Continuau în alte direcţii, ca un labirint într-o continuă schimbare. Mesajul a ajuns în fragmente, ca sfărâmăturile unui porţelan rar.

  Speram, fiecare în felul lui, că va apărea ceva şi ne va salva din abis. Puţin noroc, un miracol, un nou tip de adevăr care ar putea îndrepta dezordinea nefericită a vieţilor noastre.

  Eram cu toţii ruinaţi, abandonaţi pe marginile distruse ale oraşului. Toate nenorocirile se agăţau de ultimul nerv al seninătăţii. Eram sortiţi pierzaniei, fără nici o speranţă, cuprinşi de frică, de sentimentul eşecului, ascunzându-ne ratarea cu demnitate, când pe neaşteptate a apărut invitaţia.Era un proiect interesant, un film despre un loc de care nu auzisem niciodată nimic, numit Arcadia, un loc despre care se presupunea că este încărcat de o atmosferă clasică, de care puţin ne păsa. Tot ceea ce ne doream era să muncim, să călătorim din nou departe de toate problemele, eşecurile, relaţiile noastre încurcate. Voiam să ne descotorosim de încercările istovitoare de a reface viaţa nefericită, să scăpăm de plictiseala epuizantă a zilelor din acest infern pe care îl numim lumea modernă. Ne bucuram aproape de orice, chiar dacă ar fi însemnat să mergem în Arcadia. Dacă ar fi trebuit am fi mers până la capătul pământului cu vreun Columb nenorocos sau cu vreun Sinbad. A evada, a face ceva, orice, ar fi de ajuns munca adevărată.

  Şi aşa am obţinut invitaţia. A venit de la un tip pe nume Malasso, un nume cu o tonalitate nefastă. Dar numele nu contează decât ulterior. El trebuia să fie omul nostru de contact. El trebuia să coordoneze toată aventura.

  Asta este. Aveam o persoană de contact pe care nimeni nu a mai văzut-o şi nu a auzit-o vreodată. Şi totuşi, era coordonatorul nostru şi ştia traseele. Slujba părea simplă: a conduce nişte interviuri, a filma nişte locuri străine, a le permite unor străini să călătorească cu noi, fără nici o întrebare, a urma inscripţiile, a suporta întâlniri bizare, a sosi în Arcadia, a filma capre şi oi care aparţineau gospodarilor, a le îngădui străinilor să sorteze comoara, fără implicarea noastră în treburii? Lor, fără abateri, iar când filmările ar fi fost gata, întoarcerea acasă şi plata.

[♡ venus ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book managed to invoke a lot of feelings in me, most of all frustration. In Arcadia was not an enjoyable read for me, but it wasn't entirely bad either, and it managed to be an interesting one at points. The main character, Lao, was quite the unconventional narrator. He provided an interesting perspective from which to view the other characters and story, but I couldn't overlook how incredibly frustrating it was to read things from his perspective. Most of it was the incoherent ramblings of a madman, and this made the first fifty or so pages of this book utterly unbearable to read. Thankfully (and rather confusingly), we soon switch from a first person perspective to a third person one for the rest of the book. Reading this was less like reading a story and more like reading a treatise on twenty different topics at once. The plot itself was lackluster, but this book was never about the plot. It was about the journey and the characters, which I both found rather bland. In multiple instances I found myself counting down how many more pages I would have to slog through until the end.
The "climax" of In Arcadia is the scene in which the characters go to the Louvre to see the title painting. That's the scene where the past 250 pages of rambling words finally started to make some sense. I think this might be a book that needs to be read a few times before you can fully grasp its ideas and intentions. It wasn't a horrible book, but I can't say I enjoyed my experience.

[Darren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book is the narrative doesnt know what its trying to be. It starts like an awful Agatha Christie, plot driven and with little empathy for any of the characters. Its style is more like a bad McEwan or Barnes novel. Then just as you get past the point when most sane people would give up and pick up a different book the author seems to give up with the idea of the plot. The last 40 odd pages which read like pure non linear research into his material give you a much better idea of what he was trying to achieve and goes some way to achieving it. If i had to guess what went wrong here it was bad direction, its like someone was either trying to get Okri to write a book that could be adapted for tv or film, or he tried himself, then it became plain it wasnt working but the book needed finishing. Shame, either way needed a better editor to keep him on track.

In the end i learnt a bit about Arcadia, a painting and artist i'd never heard of and am interested in reading some Virgil. There is definitely a good book trying to break out of this.

[Angela Kutlwano · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator is brutally honest, it was like I am sitting in a therapy session hearing all multi-personalities I have unfolded for me to understand them. I laughed a lot during this read, some moments I got confused and lost because I couldn't figure out where arcadia was or so I was also imagining it like the characters in the book. As a person immersed in the artworld, I was intrigued by all sorts of ideas, definitions and philosophies of what art is and can be. I could not help but daydream, wonder and yes, I also caught the anxieties of some characters.
I will be visiting some parts of this book because of its descriptive adventures and the dark humor.

[Victoria Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure really what I’ve just read. Baffled is a good word, I’m not cross or annoyed for investing time in it as I did find most of it very interesting (not sure enjoyed is the right word, but it certainly didn’t feel like a chore either). I felt that the attempt to weave all the very compelling perspectives on art, journeys, death, into a narrative sort of detracted from them slightly, aside from giving it a little bit of structure so he could provide different perspectives. As a story, it felt quite lacking: as a set of essays they were great but I personally didn’t need the story to drive it.

[Cybelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never finished this book, I left it halfway. I will say, part of my dislike of the book was because I was expecting something else. I had read the synopsis and thought it would make for an interesting plot, and I wanted to read to see where it led. But unfortunately for me, the plot was so deeply embedded in blocks and blocks of endless philosophical text, talking about human nature, the world, feelings, and whatnot. I think this book definitely has an audience, but I was unfortunately not part of that demographic.

[Ms Conway · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a group of people on their way to the Louvre to film a journey about reaching Arcadia. Based on the painting by Poussin: Et in Arcadia Ergo - I am also in Arcadia. The idea that death is always present even in the midst of Arcadia. Highly philosophical - how we all have our own personal Arcadias - it can be a place, time or feeling. Interestingly follows the form of Virgil's epic poem. Some very thoughtful musings over the value of painting and what it represents.

[David Gagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first 50 pages I thought I was reading the greatest book ever written, but eventually found this such a tedious reading experience. Micro-analyzing every single thought became tiresome. Like being trapped in a lift with someone who won't shut up, there is no escape from the relentlessness of this style of writing. Lacking much of a narrative, this is ultimately a failure of a novel, although there are passages of interesting writing sprinkled throughout.

[Jennilee Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

When verbosity gets in the way of storytelling, it’s a loss.

To listen to Ben Okri reciting this would be great, as it reads like Slam poetry at times, but as a novel? No.

If you are looking for a meandering, hard to follow story that doesn’t really go anywhere, I recommend this book.

Otherwise, steer clear.

[Marie (UK) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book which truly illuminated but as much that left you wondering what Okri was aiming at. A group of film makers, misfits all, set off on a journey in search of Arcadia. There are mysterious disappearances and messages appearing in red ink from out of the neverwhere.

[Tagnahoor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished it out of respect for the work I saw Okri do in Famished road. I spent most of my reading time trying to figure out what had gone wrong in Okri's life and how he would recover from this book. I hope he does, as Famished Road is still the best work I have ever read. In Arcadia, well...

[Amirah Enn · Rating 4 out of 5]

All on the man and his beliefs of the hypocrites and wrongs of the world. A ranting it out book. Something about a guy called Lao but I was so deep in focus with your words of wisdom and perspective of people no person has confidence to say. Thank you.

[Karen]

This was hard going to begin with...but it was a lovely rush to the end.

[Urška Anumanchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started so well. Loved the language and all. Then it lost the wind in sails and it was just really hard to finish it.

[Alex Hulst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heel matig, erg pretentieus

[David Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok a bit dreamy

[Chioma Chuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

[Cathy Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love Ben Okri’s use of language-so colourful and evocative. The plot wasn’t as engaging and the ending didn’t really reach a conclusion.

[Mara Corduneanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Recenzie: *In Arcadia* de Ben Okri**

*In Arcadia* de Ben Okri este o lucrare complexă și provocatoare care se învârte în jurul tematicii „aparentului versus realității” și a căutării unui ideal utopic. Publicat în 2002, romanul combină elemente de realism magic cu o explorare profundă a miturilor și simbolurilor.

**Intriga și Tematica**

Povestea începe cu un grup de personaje diverse, fiecare cu propriile frustrări și conflicte personale, care primesc o invitație misterioasă pentru a porni într-o călătorie de descoperire. Inspirați de o pictură și finanțați de un donator necunoscut, aceștia pleacă de la gara Waterloo pentru a explora ceea ce a mai rămas din Arcadia – un loc legendar de armonie și paradis.

Pe parcursul călătoriei, grupul trece printr-o serie de întâlniri și experiențe care îi provoacă să reflecteze asupra miturilor, superstițiilor și realităților personale. În fața capodoperei lui Nicolas Poussin, „Et in Arcadia Ego,” în muzeul Louvre, începe să se contureze înțelegerea adevărată a ceea ce înseamnă Arcadia și a căutării acestui ideal.

**Caracterizarea și Stilul**

Okri este cunoscut pentru stilul său poetic și filosofic, iar în *In Arcadia*, el îmbină elemente de realism magic cu o proză introspectivă. Personajele sunt adesea simbolice și reprezentative pentru diverse aspecte ale societății și ale naturii umane. Călătoria lor nu este doar una fizică, ci și metaforică, explorând teme de căutare a sensului, idealuri și iluzii.

Stilul narativ al lui Okri este dens și plin de imagini evocatoare, ceea ce poate face lectura provocatoare pentru unii cititori. Însă, pentru cei care apreciază explorările filosofice și simbolice, romanul oferă o experiență profundă și complexă.

**Temele și Interpretările**

Romanul abordează teme de natură filosofică, cum ar fi contrastul dintre aparență și realitate și idealul de paradis pierdut. În căutarea Arcadiei, personajele se confruntă cu realitățile dure și iluziile personale, fiind provocate să reevalueze ceea ce consideră a fi adevărul și împlinirea. Okri folosește călătoria ca un cadru pentru a explora aceste concepte profunde, îmbinând mitologia și realitatea într-un mod care invită la reflecție și interpretare.

**Concluzie**

*In Arcadia* este un roman provocator și filozofic care explorează idealul de paradis și căutarea adevărului printr-o lentilă de realism magic. Ben Okri reușește să creeze o poveste care este atât complexă cât și provocatoare, punând în discuție conceptele de realitate și idealuri. Este o lectură recomandată pentru cei care sunt interesați de explorări filosofice și de o abordare neconvențională a căutării sensului și a idealului. Cu toate acestea, stilul dens și simbolismul profund pot face ca romanul să fie mai accesibil cititorilor care sunt pregătiți pentru o experiență literară mai complexă și mai reflectivă.

[Nandini Pradeep J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheer Randomness - Likable at places, and at others, tiring, very tiring.

It's like a film which's seemingly a novel attempt on the medium but there's nothing too flashy in it to grab the audiences' attention - they don't really care about it. Maybe in 50 years people might tear it apart, looking for the unseen; maybe not? It's a Waiting for Godot-esque narration; stark resonance, you see. But the approach to chapter division & content reminds one of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. Seems pretty much Imagist in approach. But if you were a friend and you'd asked me about the book, I'd tell you to not bother unless you're prepared for some quasi-spirit-exploration - an aimless search for Arcadia.