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Prayer for the Living
Is what you see all there is? Look again. Playful, frightening, even shocking – the stories in this collection blur the lines between illusion and reality . This is a writer at the height of his power, making the reader think, making them laugh, and sometimes making them want to look away while holding their gaze. Stories here are set in London, in Byzantium, in the ghetto, in the Andes, in a printer's shop in Spain. The characters include a murderer, a writer, a detective, a man in a cave, a man in a mirror, two little boys, a prison door, and the author himself. There are twenty-three stories in all. Each one will make you wonder if what you see in the world is all there is...
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2019
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1249 people want to read
About the author
Ben Okri
86 books987 followersPoet 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
May 16, 2021
Audiobook…. Read by Ben Okri 2 hours and 40 minutes.
One of my favorite things about this audiobook-for me-(while in my own space of mystery, intrigue, and insecurity)….was the smooth steady calmness of Ben Okri’s voice.
But….
I only understood about a third of these stories.
I listened with interest and curiosity.
There were so many stories —at least twenty- or more - They’d fly into each other faster than I could catch my thoughts —
eerie- odd - mysterious- dark - funny - stories moving from one to the other - almost as fast as a speeding peregrine falcon in the sky.
Ha….ha…..
in other words,
I don’t feel confident in being able to interpret them.
All I can possibly do - with my own limitations- is try to share a mixture of what I heard - and my feelings and thoughts from what I took away —
But did they fully comprehend them?
I doubt it.
A father and his two sons were driving in a car. The car broke down and they found themselves in a ghetto. People of many types looked at them - laughed at them, rather than jump in to help.
A group of young pretty girls did eventually help try to push the car.
But the father told his sons—“you must always take care of yourself because nobody helps you in life when you need it. They only help you when you don’t need the help”.
With a mixture of reality and illusion —
There was violence, death, guns, murder,, flowers, conversations about tulips, walking off into the mountains, walking at night sharing about art, paintings and depression, theater, ( which do you prefer better “The Cherry Orchard” or “The Crucible”), poetry, authors, actors, doctors, philosophers, builders, etc
In one of the stories— a young man was trying to get a woman to tell a story.
She kept saying she couldn’t, she couldn’t, she couldn’t ( she was too shy), but she did remove her top.
She asked the young man to tell ‘her’ a story—
He did…. “He saw a Tiger”
The end!
Did I understand anything about what I read?
Heck — I’m just not sure —
Maybe - ‘a little’.
I guess what I took away most — is that life really is strange -it’s a strange entity that we live— it’s raw dangerous— unpredictable-
sweet at times -
Our time together - our conversations - our awareness provides us with some hope. Illusional or not: that’s life!
I’m new to Ben Okri, the Nigerian Booker Prize novelist for “The Famished Road”.
Next time I venture into Okri’s world - and I’d like to - I’ll make sure to read his work
That said - I like his voice!
4 stars — but other readers more comfortable with magical realism - might be able to comprehend his work better than me.
One of my favorite things about this audiobook-for me-(while in my own space of mystery, intrigue, and insecurity)….was the smooth steady calmness of Ben Okri’s voice.
But….
I only understood about a third of these stories.
I listened with interest and curiosity.
There were so many stories —at least twenty- or more - They’d fly into each other faster than I could catch my thoughts —
eerie- odd - mysterious- dark - funny - stories moving from one to the other - almost as fast as a speeding peregrine falcon in the sky.
Ha….ha…..
in other words,
I don’t feel confident in being able to interpret them.
All I can possibly do - with my own limitations- is try to share a mixture of what I heard - and my feelings and thoughts from what I took away —
But did they fully comprehend them?
I doubt it.
A father and his two sons were driving in a car. The car broke down and they found themselves in a ghetto. People of many types looked at them - laughed at them, rather than jump in to help.
A group of young pretty girls did eventually help try to push the car.
But the father told his sons—“you must always take care of yourself because nobody helps you in life when you need it. They only help you when you don’t need the help”.
With a mixture of reality and illusion —
There was violence, death, guns, murder,, flowers, conversations about tulips, walking off into the mountains, walking at night sharing about art, paintings and depression, theater, ( which do you prefer better “The Cherry Orchard” or “The Crucible”), poetry, authors, actors, doctors, philosophers, builders, etc
In one of the stories— a young man was trying to get a woman to tell a story.
She kept saying she couldn’t, she couldn’t, she couldn’t ( she was too shy), but she did remove her top.
She asked the young man to tell ‘her’ a story—
He did…. “He saw a Tiger”
The end!
Did I understand anything about what I read?
Heck — I’m just not sure —
Maybe - ‘a little’.
I guess what I took away most — is that life really is strange -it’s a strange entity that we live— it’s raw dangerous— unpredictable-
sweet at times -
Our time together - our conversations - our awareness provides us with some hope. Illusional or not: that’s life!
I’m new to Ben Okri, the Nigerian Booker Prize novelist for “The Famished Road”.
Next time I venture into Okri’s world - and I’d like to - I’ll make sure to read his work
That said - I like his voice!
4 stars — but other readers more comfortable with magical realism - might be able to comprehend his work better than me.
December 20, 2021
Era da tantissimo che volevo leggere Ben Okri, sin dal suo Il venditore di sogni.
Questo scrittore nigeriano, vincitore del Booker Prize, ha una scrittura poetica e magnetica al tempo stesso.
Se dovessi definire con degli attributi questa raccolta di ventitré racconti, direi: onirica, magica e mistica.
Alcune frasi di Ben Okri sono folgoranti per la saggezza racchiusa in esse:
“Il vero amore arriva solo dopo la disillusione.”
“Perché?”
“Il primo incanto è follia e fragilità. La follia di uno sciocco e la fragilità di un fiore primaverile. Il secondo incanto è lento come la crescita di un grande albero e più profondo dell’oceano. Ma per arrivare al secondo incanto bisogna sopravvivere al deserto e al fuoco. Poi bisogna costruire un nuovo cuore, perché il primo muore con la disillusione.”
Alcune di queste storie hanno i contorni indefiniti come nei sogni, altre sono piene di meraviglia e scoperte, altre ancora hanno inaspettati colpi di scena del destino e, infine, altre ancora sono terrificanti come fossero incubi.
Le storie viaggiano attraverso il mondo: sono ambientate a Londra e Istanbul, in Africa e nelle Americhe. Sono rimasta ipnotizzato dalla prosa di Ben Okri e dalle trame di questi racconti che approfondiscono i regni scintillanti delle realtà duplici, le prospettive sulla verità, la metafisica e sull’atemporalità.
“Siamo come siamo per come sono gli altri,” disse poi con tranquillità.
“È difficile da capire.”
“È molto semplice. Io sono come sono per come sei tu. Creiamo la nostra realtà a vicenda.”
“Ci devo pensare. Dimmene un’altra.”
“Tutte le persone, anche quelle che amiamo, reprimono alcuni aspetti di noi.”
“Questa è una legge o un’osservazione?”
“Scoprirai che è vero qui.”
“Qui dove?”
“Nel mondo in cui ci incontriamo.”
“Ci sono altri mondi?”
“Ci sono mondi in cui ci incontriamo senza saperlo.”
Sorprendente la storia su Don Chisciotte in una tipografia africana, dal titolo “Don Ki-Otah* e l’ambiguità della lettura”:
“Diamo per scontato che ci sia un solo modo di leggere. Ma un libro letto in un modo nuovo diventa un nuovo libro.”
Mentre parlava mi sembrava che mi leggesse.
“E tu hai la faccia tosta di dirmi che sto leggendo troppo piano. Uno dei problemi del mondo, mio giovane borioso amico, è che l’arte della lettura è quasi morta. La lettura è il segreto della vita. Leggiamo il mondo male perché leggiamo male. Tutto è lettura. Il mondo è come tu lo leggi. Come leggiamo, così siamo. Tu ora stai cercando di leggermi.”
Mi stava fissando di nuovo e io riuscivo solo a stare zitto.
“Tu sei un paragrafo vivente di storia. Intorno a te ci sono tutti gli orrori del tempo e le meraviglie della vita, ma tu non vedi altro che un vecchio che legge con tutta la sua anima. Lo sai cosa sto leggendo?”
Scossi la testa come in trance.
“Sto leggendo il testo di uno spagnolo che parla delle mie avventure nella Mancia.”
Indovinò che i miei tentativi di capire erano vani.
“Non hai idea di quello di cui sto parlando e osi farmi delle critiche per come leggo?”
Gli scappò un risolino.
“Io non leggo piano. Ed è da tempo che ho lasciato la lettura veloce a quelli che continueranno a fraintendere tutto ciò che hanno intorno. Adesso leggo come leggono i morti. Leggo con la pianta dei piedi. Leggo con la barba. Leggo coi ventricoli segreti del mio cuore. Leggo con tutti i miei dolori, le mie gioie, le mie intuizioni, con tutto il mio amore, con tutti i colpi che ho ricevuto, le ingiustizie che ho sopportato, leggo con tutta la magia che filtra dalle crepe dell’aria. Osi tu pertanto giudicare come leggo?”
L'ultima storia di Ben Okri consente al lettore di immergersi nella contemplazione dei molti metodi di lettura, del valore della lettura e della bellezza della lettura e della scrittura.
“Nelle strade albergano storie segrete e di pubblico dominio. Una strada ha le sue abitudini e le sue ripetizioni. Se in una strada è successo un fatto significativo, quel fatto accadrà di nuovo con modalità nuove.
Ci sono strade in cui la gente tende a farsi male, strade in cui la gente tende a innamorarsi, ci sono strade suicide. Ci sono strade in cui la gente impazzisce, strade che sono fonte di ispirazione, di rivelazione.”
Perché è l’irrealtà a rendere reale il mondo
“Ti ho dimostrato che è l’irrealtà a rendere il mondo reale.”
“Non capisco.”
“Tu dai ogni giorno per scontato. È questa per te la realtà. Se smetti di dare la realtà per scontata, la realtà diventa irreale. È l’irrealtà a rendere reale il mondo. Se riesci a ricordarti che il mondo è irreale, non avrai problemi.”
Nota a margine: Ho scritto la recensione (commento di lettura) tre volte, il giorno in cui ho finito il libro, dal cellulare. E tutte e tre le volte l’ho persa perché si è chiusa l’applicazione prima che salvassi tutto. Alla fine ho rinunciato/rimandato.
Questo scrittore nigeriano, vincitore del Booker Prize, ha una scrittura poetica e magnetica al tempo stesso.
Se dovessi definire con degli attributi questa raccolta di ventitré racconti, direi: onirica, magica e mistica.
Alcune frasi di Ben Okri sono folgoranti per la saggezza racchiusa in esse:
“Il vero amore arriva solo dopo la disillusione.”
“Perché?”
“Il primo incanto è follia e fragilità. La follia di uno sciocco e la fragilità di un fiore primaverile. Il secondo incanto è lento come la crescita di un grande albero e più profondo dell’oceano. Ma per arrivare al secondo incanto bisogna sopravvivere al deserto e al fuoco. Poi bisogna costruire un nuovo cuore, perché il primo muore con la disillusione.”
Alcune di queste storie hanno i contorni indefiniti come nei sogni, altre sono piene di meraviglia e scoperte, altre ancora hanno inaspettati colpi di scena del destino e, infine, altre ancora sono terrificanti come fossero incubi.
Le storie viaggiano attraverso il mondo: sono ambientate a Londra e Istanbul, in Africa e nelle Americhe. Sono rimasta ipnotizzato dalla prosa di Ben Okri e dalle trame di questi racconti che approfondiscono i regni scintillanti delle realtà duplici, le prospettive sulla verità, la metafisica e sull’atemporalità.
“Siamo come siamo per come sono gli altri,” disse poi con tranquillità.
“È difficile da capire.”
“È molto semplice. Io sono come sono per come sei tu. Creiamo la nostra realtà a vicenda.”
“Ci devo pensare. Dimmene un’altra.”
“Tutte le persone, anche quelle che amiamo, reprimono alcuni aspetti di noi.”
“Questa è una legge o un’osservazione?”
“Scoprirai che è vero qui.”
“Qui dove?”
“Nel mondo in cui ci incontriamo.”
“Ci sono altri mondi?”
“Ci sono mondi in cui ci incontriamo senza saperlo.”
Sorprendente la storia su Don Chisciotte in una tipografia africana, dal titolo “Don Ki-Otah* e l’ambiguità della lettura”:
“Diamo per scontato che ci sia un solo modo di leggere. Ma un libro letto in un modo nuovo diventa un nuovo libro.”
Mentre parlava mi sembrava che mi leggesse.
“E tu hai la faccia tosta di dirmi che sto leggendo troppo piano. Uno dei problemi del mondo, mio giovane borioso amico, è che l’arte della lettura è quasi morta. La lettura è il segreto della vita. Leggiamo il mondo male perché leggiamo male. Tutto è lettura. Il mondo è come tu lo leggi. Come leggiamo, così siamo. Tu ora stai cercando di leggermi.”
Mi stava fissando di nuovo e io riuscivo solo a stare zitto.
“Tu sei un paragrafo vivente di storia. Intorno a te ci sono tutti gli orrori del tempo e le meraviglie della vita, ma tu non vedi altro che un vecchio che legge con tutta la sua anima. Lo sai cosa sto leggendo?”
Scossi la testa come in trance.
“Sto leggendo il testo di uno spagnolo che parla delle mie avventure nella Mancia.”
Indovinò che i miei tentativi di capire erano vani.
“Non hai idea di quello di cui sto parlando e osi farmi delle critiche per come leggo?”
Gli scappò un risolino.
“Io non leggo piano. Ed è da tempo che ho lasciato la lettura veloce a quelli che continueranno a fraintendere tutto ciò che hanno intorno. Adesso leggo come leggono i morti. Leggo con la pianta dei piedi. Leggo con la barba. Leggo coi ventricoli segreti del mio cuore. Leggo con tutti i miei dolori, le mie gioie, le mie intuizioni, con tutto il mio amore, con tutti i colpi che ho ricevuto, le ingiustizie che ho sopportato, leggo con tutta la magia che filtra dalle crepe dell’aria. Osi tu pertanto giudicare come leggo?”
L'ultima storia di Ben Okri consente al lettore di immergersi nella contemplazione dei molti metodi di lettura, del valore della lettura e della bellezza della lettura e della scrittura.
“Nelle strade albergano storie segrete e di pubblico dominio. Una strada ha le sue abitudini e le sue ripetizioni. Se in una strada è successo un fatto significativo, quel fatto accadrà di nuovo con modalità nuove.
Ci sono strade in cui la gente tende a farsi male, strade in cui la gente tende a innamorarsi, ci sono strade suicide. Ci sono strade in cui la gente impazzisce, strade che sono fonte di ispirazione, di rivelazione.”
Perché è l’irrealtà a rendere reale il mondo
“Ti ho dimostrato che è l’irrealtà a rendere il mondo reale.”
“Non capisco.”
“Tu dai ogni giorno per scontato. È questa per te la realtà. Se smetti di dare la realtà per scontata, la realtà diventa irreale. È l’irrealtà a rendere reale il mondo. Se riesci a ricordarti che il mondo è irreale, non avrai problemi.”
Nota a margine: Ho scritto la recensione (commento di lettura) tre volte, il giorno in cui ho finito il libro, dal cellulare. E tutte e tre le volte l’ho persa perché si è chiusa l’applicazione prima che salvassi tutto. Alla fine ho rinunciato/rimandato.
June 9, 2024
This collection grew on me. Either I became more attuned to Okri's style as I progressed through the book, or else the stronger stories really are in the latter half of the volume. When I began reading the book I feared that I had stumbled on a dud. The stories seemed aimless, far too lightly written, badly structured. I was especially exasperated with 'Dreaming of Byzantium', which I have elsewhere seen described as the best story in the book. It seemed to me very weak indeed, a random ramble through dream imagery (though I must confess that the final line was beautiful).
I was on the verge of abandoning the book... Then suddenly the stories grew more enjoyable. 'The Lie' was the first to win me over completely: a brilliant fable. 'Alternative Realities are True' is a superb weird crime story (it reminded me strongly of Michael Moorcock's seminal short story 'The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius'). 'The Secret History of a Door' is a genuinely creepy Gothic tale. 'The Offering' is another powerful story about magic. Best of all, however, is 'Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading', which is a further adventure of Don Quixote in an African setting and is utterly marvellous in every way.
I was on the verge of abandoning the book... Then suddenly the stories grew more enjoyable. 'The Lie' was the first to win me over completely: a brilliant fable. 'Alternative Realities are True' is a superb weird crime story (it reminded me strongly of Michael Moorcock's seminal short story 'The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius'). 'The Secret History of a Door' is a genuinely creepy Gothic tale. 'The Offering' is another powerful story about magic. Best of all, however, is 'Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading', which is a further adventure of Don Quixote in an African setting and is utterly marvellous in every way.
April 4, 2021
This book of short stories feels like a series of dreams, some full of wonder and discovery, unexpected twists of fate, and some read like nightmares, sharper and more terrifying than life. The stories travel through the world, set in London and Istanbul, Africa and the Americas.
There's a story about Don Quixote in an African printer's shop, a story about a father and his two sons trying to get their broken-down car home in Lagos, several brief, horrifying stories involving the Boko Haram, and a fairy tale involving an enchanted doll house. A London detective uses his intuition to find the culprit, a lonely man dreams of Istanbul, a curious man witnesses the power of a magical mirror held by a cabal of Rosicrucians and, in the titular story, the living envy the dead.
I enjoyed my first encounter with this Booker Prize-winning author.
There's a story about Don Quixote in an African printer's shop, a story about a father and his two sons trying to get their broken-down car home in Lagos, several brief, horrifying stories involving the Boko Haram, and a fairy tale involving an enchanted doll house. A London detective uses his intuition to find the culprit, a lonely man dreams of Istanbul, a curious man witnesses the power of a magical mirror held by a cabal of Rosicrucians and, in the titular story, the living envy the dead.
I enjoyed my first encounter with this Booker Prize-winning author.
May 5, 2020
I usually don´t pick up books with short stories but this was available at my local library and I was doing a challenge to only read Black authors during Black History Month, so I picked it up.
Some of the stories I didn´t enjoy as much but there were quite a few that I really liked "Alternate Realities are true" (the one with the murder by the canal in London definitely being one of them) and the story about Don Ki-Otah. I liked that a lot of the stories weren´t straightforward and had me thinking about them to figure out what they meant, and I also liked that some characters reoccured throughout.
I think Okri is a wonderful writer and poet and I might have to keep an eye out for more of his work.
However, I have to say it might be good to include a warning about the Boko Haram chapters. It isn´t necessarily what he says but what he doesn´t say that made my mind go to places I´d rather not take it without being prepared for it (I saw a play called Far Gone last year - highly recommend - that centred Boko Haram too but knowing this meant I could prepare myself for what was coming, Okri´s first chapter, by comparison, took me by surprise).
Some of the stories I didn´t enjoy as much but there were quite a few that I really liked "Alternate Realities are true" (the one with the murder by the canal in London definitely being one of them) and the story about Don Ki-Otah. I liked that a lot of the stories weren´t straightforward and had me thinking about them to figure out what they meant, and I also liked that some characters reoccured throughout.
I think Okri is a wonderful writer and poet and I might have to keep an eye out for more of his work.
However, I have to say it might be good to include a warning about the Boko Haram chapters. It isn´t necessarily what he says but what he doesn´t say that made my mind go to places I´d rather not take it without being prepared for it (I saw a play called Far Gone last year - highly recommend - that centred Boko Haram too but knowing this meant I could prepare myself for what was coming, Okri´s first chapter, by comparison, took me by surprise).
January 17, 2021
Short story collection of strange, surrealistic stories, merging reality with a "parallel reality." Often dreamlike. Many made no sense, but I enjoyed the ones which had a "normal" beginning, middle, and end.
"The Lie": a king sends out various courtiers to find out the biggest lie. Each returns with a different answer. Only when the king dies will he find out for himself.
"The Standeruppers": how early Man becomes able to stand on two feet rather than 4, and the advantages of bipedalism.
"The Raft": refugees on a sinking raft.
"The Secret history of a door": the door of Newgate Prison and the rise of crime in London and how the crime wave is finally stopped.
The 3 Boko Haram stories: a child suicide bomber; confrontation between the nation's army and Boko Haram; an execution staged for a cameraman.
"The Lie": a king sends out various courtiers to find out the biggest lie. Each returns with a different answer. Only when the king dies will he find out for himself.
"The Standeruppers": how early Man becomes able to stand on two feet rather than 4, and the advantages of bipedalism.
"The Raft": refugees on a sinking raft.
"The Secret history of a door": the door of Newgate Prison and the rise of crime in London and how the crime wave is finally stopped.
The 3 Boko Haram stories: a child suicide bomber; confrontation between the nation's army and Boko Haram; an execution staged for a cameraman.
February 2, 2021
In these stories, Okri traces the limits of real and unreal, leading the reader in what feels like circles without ever really revealing the true heart of most of the tales, while with others he invites us to peruse and question.
Some stories' meanings are quite clear while others appear to be read through a veil, with prose that accentuates the lack of lucidity and ambiguity of the themes and characters portrayed.
It sometimes felt as if the stories are aimless and I found myself questioning their points and why I was reading them, but then I thought 'how different are these stories from the instances when our minds wander and wonder about and around mere distractions, the inconsequential'?
The stories that had my full attention were: The Lie, Alternative Realities Are True, The Secret History of a Door, A Street, and Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading.
Some stories' meanings are quite clear while others appear to be read through a veil, with prose that accentuates the lack of lucidity and ambiguity of the themes and characters portrayed.
It sometimes felt as if the stories are aimless and I found myself questioning their points and why I was reading them, but then I thought 'how different are these stories from the instances when our minds wander and wonder about and around mere distractions, the inconsequential'?
The stories that had my full attention were: The Lie, Alternative Realities Are True, The Secret History of a Door, A Street, and Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading.
May 8, 2020
Prayer for the Living is a very interesting collection of short stories. There is a variety in this collection; the stories can be shocking, haunting, or thought-provoking. The most important thing about this collection is the way Ben Okri writes it. There's an adjustment period to Okri's style- it's unique and because of that it's distinct. I would love to read another work of his just to see how he writes it. In Prayer for the Living I didn't necessarily love every story, but that's not to say they weren't good, there was just an assortment inside and it has something for everyone.
If you begin this book and you aren't sure this is the collection for you, at least hold out until "The Lie" before deciding to be done with it.
If you begin this book and you aren't sure this is the collection for you, at least hold out until "The Lie" before deciding to be done with it.
November 12, 2023
rating: 4.5 stars
I took the dedication by heart and read the book slowly. Each page contains a dream-like adventure and makes the heart and mind ponder. I will definitely read more by Ben Okri in the future because "Prayer for the Living" was a special collection. It's truly poetic, life-changing, profound and captures dark corners of or world as well as nightmarish dreams and makes us question our own reality. I'll not forget this magnificent collection of short stories soon. You will find Gothic tales as well as modern stories in this collection and some lines will never let you go. Some stories reminded me of "The Grand Budapest Hotel", it also shared the same involuntary narrative aura and I really liked that.
Beautifully written, truly poetic.
I took the dedication by heart and read the book slowly. Each page contains a dream-like adventure and makes the heart and mind ponder. I will definitely read more by Ben Okri in the future because "Prayer for the Living" was a special collection. It's truly poetic, life-changing, profound and captures dark corners of or world as well as nightmarish dreams and makes us question our own reality. I'll not forget this magnificent collection of short stories soon. You will find Gothic tales as well as modern stories in this collection and some lines will never let you go. Some stories reminded me of "The Grand Budapest Hotel", it also shared the same involuntary narrative aura and I really liked that.
Beautifully written, truly poetic.
March 6, 2021
This is a magical, mystical collection of short stories. I was mesmerized by Okri's prose and the plots of these tales which delve into the glimmering realms of dual realities, perspectives on truth, metaphysics, and ideological complacency. Okri's last story and poem allow the reader to drift into contemplation on the many methods of reading, the value of reading, and the beauty of reading and writing. There is a timelessness and flexibility of place in Okri's writing which is profoundly thought provoking. What a deeply felt pleasure to read this collection!
November 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories.
it's been a while since a read anything by Ben Okri (chance rather than choice), and I enjoyed both the familiarity and difference of this collection compared to other writing of his I've read in the past (Incidents at the Shrine, The Famished Road...).
I also really enjoyed the circling stories within it - smaller stories, part of a series, appearing at intervals between the longer short stories (that often had parts). I liked the circling nature, and all the parts of the whole.
it's been a while since a read anything by Ben Okri (chance rather than choice), and I enjoyed both the familiarity and difference of this collection compared to other writing of his I've read in the past (Incidents at the Shrine, The Famished Road...).
I also really enjoyed the circling stories within it - smaller stories, part of a series, appearing at intervals between the longer short stories (that often had parts). I liked the circling nature, and all the parts of the whole.
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December 22, 2020"Besides, there was nothing left in me to save. Even my soul was dying of starvation."
"the sadness was like the weight of centuries"
"It's what you do that counts, not whether they are looking."
"Tell him to go slowly, and to take things easy. These roads are lonely and want blood."
"No-one has ever left a room the way he did: he left it altered forever."
"It is by aftermaths that we most truly judge greatness."
"the sadness was like the weight of centuries"
"It's what you do that counts, not whether they are looking."
"Tell him to go slowly, and to take things easy. These roads are lonely and want blood."
"No-one has ever left a room the way he did: he left it altered forever."
"It is by aftermaths that we most truly judge greatness."
August 11, 2021
An intriguing collection of short stories. Some made me chuckle, some made think and write quotes to ponder at a later time and others had me scratching my head and raise an eyebrow in confusion.
December 19, 2022
I love a book that subverts my expectations and Ben Okri’s story collection, “Prayer for the Living” is one such book. This book came highly recommended from a friend and though I was expecting the book to be excellent, the form it took was unexpected and captured my imagination and emotions.
I enjoy a compilation of short stories from time to time. The genre is not my absolute favorite, or something I reach for often, but when I have indulged I have never regretted it. I was expecting much the same from Okri, but I was pleasantly surprised. “Prayer for the Living” is not so much short stories but simply stories…right there in the title. The stories are of various lengths and subjects. Some of them connect to one another while others stand alone. They range from two pages to fifteen. Many read like parables, or stories that every time you read it, new and different things jump out at you. There are lessons, morals, hidden truths in them that cannot be fully understood or uncovered in a single reading.
I borrowed this book from the library, but I think I may have to purchase it as I want to come back to many of these stories and chew on them anew. I love a story that helps me to see the world, people or a situation from a new angle offering fresh insight and perspective. Okri’s stories offer this time and time again throughout this collection.
If you enjoy stories that are not necessarily obvious but offer space for interpretation and various understandings I highly recommend you pick this book up. Warning, it starts with a gut wrenching few pages, but stick with it, not all of it is as emotionally draining. Promise.
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I enjoy a compilation of short stories from time to time. The genre is not my absolute favorite, or something I reach for often, but when I have indulged I have never regretted it. I was expecting much the same from Okri, but I was pleasantly surprised. “Prayer for the Living” is not so much short stories but simply stories…right there in the title. The stories are of various lengths and subjects. Some of them connect to one another while others stand alone. They range from two pages to fifteen. Many read like parables, or stories that every time you read it, new and different things jump out at you. There are lessons, morals, hidden truths in them that cannot be fully understood or uncovered in a single reading.
I borrowed this book from the library, but I think I may have to purchase it as I want to come back to many of these stories and chew on them anew. I love a story that helps me to see the world, people or a situation from a new angle offering fresh insight and perspective. Okri’s stories offer this time and time again throughout this collection.
If you enjoy stories that are not necessarily obvious but offer space for interpretation and various understandings I highly recommend you pick this book up. Warning, it starts with a gut wrenching few pages, but stick with it, not all of it is as emotionally draining. Promise.
Want more book content? Follow me at thebookwar.com
November 2, 2023
I think all dreams have meaning, but not all meanings have to be profound. Sometimes dreams might indicate that you’re going through a major shift in your life, that people or things may no longer serve you or that you aren’t being fulfilled. They can show you through a story what your logic isn’t willing to accept. But other times dreams might indicate that you’re stressed about a presentation at work, so it gives you a story about you presenting at work. And nothing is figurative and nothing is a surprise.
The stories in this collection feel like dreams. Both kinds.
Also, we know from the song that Istanbul was Constantinople. But did you know Constantinople was Byzantium? I learned that from this book. City of dreams.
The stories in this collection feel like dreams. Both kinds.
Also, we know from the song that Istanbul was Constantinople. But did you know Constantinople was Byzantium? I learned that from this book. City of dreams.
June 1, 2025
I enjoyed this collection. The stories here are mostly really short, so they're less about plot and more just about concept or language. I felt I enjoyed it more if I wasn't really trying to understand the "point" of the stories, but more just enjoying the experience of reading them. My favorite was "Alternative Realities are True", about a detective trying to solve a murder that involves parallel realities.
January 28, 2023
Stunningly beautiful. My third Ben Okri work. This gem is a moving collection of magical, poetic and relevant short stories that reflect as a mirror back to us the ethos of our wold. I would always suggest the Audible versions of his writing as the author himself reads in his incredible voice.
November 23, 2024
Favourites were Prayer for the Living, The Lie, The Standeruppers, Alternative Realities Are True
May 6, 2021
4.5/5 - I started off reading the physical book and I was enjoying it, but I wasn't in love with it. I switched over to the audio book because I was doing some house work and needed something to listen to. Oh my, this is what changed the book from like to love. Ben Okri narrates it himself and it just elevated the whole thing. He has such a clear and soothing voice and he just drew me into the book. Like any book of short stories there were a few that weren't my favorite - but those were few and far between. Each story is so unique and they don't take place in the same "universe", but they also feel like they belong together. I cannot recommend this book enough - especially the audio book.
May 22, 2022
An eclectic collection of short stories and poetry...profound, emotional, evocative, horrifying in equal measures. Myths, fairy tales, current affairs-this book has it all.
April 6, 2021
Couldn't quite connect with most of these. Real interesting sci-fi vibes though.
April 7, 2020
Beautiful stories, some really sit with you, others not as good but haunting and thought provoking, i think this is possibly one of those books you should really take time with, i smashed through it on audio book but i am going to get a paper copy and read slowly to really feel each story to my core.
If i had read this slowly it could have been a moment of prayer, but for me in 2x speed audio book it didnt hit me like i knew it should.
If i had read this slowly it could have been a moment of prayer, but for me in 2x speed audio book it didnt hit me like i knew it should.
October 8, 2020
I am new to Ben Okri and I did not know what to expect at all. I am also not the biggest short story reader. I loved this book and it intrigued me so much, so many things left to consider and think about. He is definitely on my must read list.
August 18, 2020
A brilliant series of reality blurring stories from one of the most current writers.
November 11, 2020
Masterfully written. 5/5 for skill.
December 28, 2020
I can't claim to understand it all but it was a beautiful challenging variety of stories.
January 14, 2021
A bit of a mixed bag for me; some of these stories were solid gold some barely even reached a meh level. Overall an interesting collection and well worth reading for the gems.
February 1, 2021
Beautiful short stories but narration perspective slightly odd at times
February 9, 2021
Here's my review from THE WOVEN TALE PRESS:
https://www.thewoventalepress.net/202...
https://www.thewoventalepress.net/202...
June 25, 2021
'Maybe we've drained away from the world the mystery with which it is made.'
A book of short stories with dream-like qualities from Ben Okri.
3.5
A book of short stories with dream-like qualities from Ben Okri.
3.5
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