Apollo

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ragnar Strömberg (Översättare)

Jag stirrade på Raphael fylld av den oväntade glädjens djupa upphetsning. ”Jag såg filmen när jag jobbade i det förra huset”, sade han. ”Kolla in det här.”
Han gjorde en liten piruett, hoppade upp och sparkade med benet utsträckt och högt, kroppen var smidig elegans i varje fiber. Jag var tolv år och hade inte förrän då känt igen mig i en annan människa.

Att se upp till någon trots klasskillnad, att komma någon så nära trots åldersskillnad, att känna sig besläktad med någon – och sedan uppleva sig lämnad för någon annan. Är det därför man själv sviker? Förråder?

I sin novell Apollo riktar Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie sin genomträngande blick mot en ung pojke och hans vänskap med en av familjens alla tjänstepojkar, och ger oss en historia om lojalitet, utanförskap och om hur ens öde kan beseglas på en enda eftermiddag.

Översättning av Ragnar Strömberg

Den här novellen (nr 151) säljs enbart i asken Vänskap

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Africa, Nigeria, African Literature, Read For School

22 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2015

About the author

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Best of the Best” award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief, and Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a children’s book written as Nwa Grace-James. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.

Reviews

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| 3.5 stars ||

➛First read: February 2023 | ★3.5 stars
➛Second read: March 2023 | ★3.5 stars

This is a sad story about a man, Okenwa, who reminisces about the time when he was a young boy; he did not feel connected to his parents and never felt like he could relate to anyone in his life. Then he met the new houseboy, Rafael, and everything changed.
Despite their class difference, they bonded over something silly and started playing together in the garden, watched movies they both liked and taught each other fun new skills.
Okenwa quickly grew incredibly fond of Rafael and experienced a sort of childlike wonder over being able to feel such a connection to another person. After some time, Okenwa started to notice certain things about Rafael that implied he might view him as more than just a friend.
This eventually led to an alteration that would push these two childhood friends away from each other forever.

The story shows that people might no longer fit together in the adult-like world when other things, such as attraction and privilege, start to interfere, and it displays how these things ultimately destroy the pure bond only children can have with each other.
It also shows that one emotion-fueled decision can ruin everything.


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie books:
We Should All Be Feminists - 4.0 stars
Apollo - 3.5 stars

[John Hatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sad tale of childhood friendship—and how quickly such friendships can be destroyed forever by the world of adults.

[Sangeetha Ramachandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This simple, short yet a great story can be read at: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/13/apollo

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story about the friendship between a young boy and one of the servants of the family. The differences in age and class make the friendship unequal and the ending not that surprising...?

[Marritt Claassens · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐'s. A quick enjoyable short story - and of course a lesson to be learned.

[Foe · Rating 2 out of 5]

De lo poco que he leído de Adichie, quizá sea lo que menos me ha gustado. Conserva muchas características de su estilo, tanto en las situaciones como en el ligero tono humorístico que subyace en muchas de las escenas, y temáticamente hila perfectamente el costumbrismo y la crítica social.

Sin embargo, no me ha convencido la estructura narrativa: creo que la introducción es demasiado larga y alejada del nudo del relato, en lugar de servir para dar perspectiva al lector y orientarlo en la dirección de la trama principal, posee sus propios temas, como si fueran en realidad dos relatos que cuentan cosas distintas. Uno de ellos se queda a medias con el cambio de línea temporal y el otro tiene un final muy precipitado, y el intento de atar cabos al final es tan confuso que da la sensación de que ni siquiera el protagonista se ha enterado de que tendría que haber pasado por un conflicto y un cambio.

Me da la impresión de que la excusa para el flashback lastra el relato. Es demasiado compleja, por lo que la autora necesita más tiempo para llegar hasta ella de forma creíble, y tiene demasiado significado, de forma que abre no solo la historia que se cuenta en el relato sino otra historia oculta con otro protagonista. Esta dualidad temática reduce la cohesión narrativa y debilita la historia principal. Con una excusa más trivial el relato habría sido más simple y directo, y posiblemente alternando entre las dos líneas temporales la perspectiva que da el presente a la historia principal se habría reforzado.

[Akylina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's work and I'll make sure it's not the last.

I really enjoyed this short story. The writing was simple, yet magical, and its flow was great. It kept my interest throughout, wanting to read more and more. The only thing I disliked was the ending - it was too abrupt and it seemed to me like the author simply left it unfinished. I would have liked at least one more paragraph to be included, just to wrap things up properly.

I'm really intrigued to read more of Adichie's works now, and even more so since some people say this story doesn't even belong to her best works.

[anotherbritinthewall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite nice short story about classism and privilege and the way it can blind you towards what's really important (✨gay✨love)

[Mary Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okenwa was privileged. Raphael was the houseboy.

Basically, there was a friendship built despite the difference in social class. Okenwa’s family always treats Raphael as someone who is inferior to them. Numerous scenes from the story depicted this claim, most especially, when Raphael was eagerly compliant with what the Okenwa family, specifically the mother, demanded of him. He accepted every insult thrown at him, and despite those words, he silently followed their orders.

So about Apollo. It was an infectious disease related to eye tissue sickness or something. So when Raphael was infected, Okenwa was forbidden to get close to him despite the fact that they shared a bond that no one really knows of. Even the restraint, Okenwa still goes to his room just to take care of him by dropping fluid in Raphael's eyes. Raphael, at some point, didn’t really want to make himself better but Okenwa said otherwise.

But then, Okenwa was infected. He denied to his family that he got it from Raphael, saving him from harsh remarks. The catch was… Raphael never visited him or took care of him the same way he did.

This drove Okenwa to his action. As I have said earlier, Okenwa was privileged. He has the power to turn everything to his advantage and the fact that Raphael accepts the fact that he’s inferior to everyone else, it made it easier for Okenwa.

At the end of the story, they both had a confrontation. But then, Okenwa framed Raphael for pushing him to the ground and it was seen by his parents. Okenwa lied. He claimed to be the one who is the victim despite the truth that he was on the ground solely because of himself. He remained silent rather than taking back his lies in exchange for Raphael’s oppression.

I seriously hate those who had the privilege to make a change but still chose to ride their waves towards greediness. Like, they always thought of themselves in the end and leave those deemed to be below them, in the pits of the ground. *ROLLS EYES*

[A ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this at class today and I liked it. Yet, because it is a short story I cannot give it a too high rating. An issue I have all the time with short stories it that they are short; which yes, that is the whole point of a short story but it is the same reason why I am not a huge fan of them. I always think that any short story can develop into more and because it is so short there are so many things that end up unanswered which bothers me a lot.

But I adore Chimamanda and I really like her writing, so I guess I'm being more generous with the rating. I'm going to give it a 2.5, because it is some thing between "it was okay" and "i like it". I have read non-fiction from Adichie but now I really want to try more of her fiction work, especially novels.

[Kirsty Mcdougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love her writing and I am always sad when the story ends.

[kas☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit goofy

[Laura Kuhlmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fin novelle

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 tror jag.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A captivating short story, it reminds us that parents will, at some point in the future, return to being like children, unlike their prime years when they were free to engage in intellectual pursuits, exchange ideas, and give some comment on the latest news.

[val · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH MY GOD, THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i read this for my ap lit class, and i am so grateful my teacher assigned this! i loved reading through okwena's eyes, seeing him distance himself from his parents and idolize raphael was so 🥰 🥰 🥰 (hate raphael though. don't get me started.)

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a short story packed with subtext, and this does the job quite well. I wish there were a little more to it but this is probably my favourite piece of Adichie’s I’ve read so far.

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that one of the points of short stories is for them to be short, but this was just too brief for me. Establishing Okenwa's relationship with his elderly parents and then flashing back to his childhood, in which his only friend was house boy Raphael, I was expecting Chimamanda to take the story full circle and to rejoin Okenwa in the present day with his parents.
Unfortunately, because that didn't happen it just felt too abrupt for me to fall in love with it as wholly as I otherwise would have.
Because this is wonderful.
The only other piece of Chimamanda's writing that I've experienced was 'We Should All Be Feminists', the transcript of her legendary TED talk. This was the first piece of her fiction that I've read, but I absolutely adored the friendship between Raphael and Okenwa contrasted with the fraught relationship between Okenwa and his parents. The dynamics are built beautifully. It's strongly hinted that Okenwa might have liked Raphael as more than a friend, it's written so subtly that you can't help but yearn to read more of Okenwa's story. As I said earlier, if this had gone full circle and returned to the scene established at the start of the story, it would have been impossible to give this a less than perfect rating.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story about a man visiting his aging parents. At one point they tell him that their former houseboy was caught committing a crime and nearly necklaced (a pretty term for a terrible way to die). This launches the narrator into a remembrance of the boy, who was pretty clearly his first crush, and who he got fired for flirting with a girl.

It's well-written, as to be expected with a Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie story. The themes of filial duty, class consciousness, and homosexuality are all worked together subtly and deftly. It's a quick read, available for free online. I recommend it to anyone looking for something to read for a few minutes.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story from the New Yorker is filled with regret, repressed sexuality and the knowledge that some things can't be made right no matter what you do.
I feel like it could have been more, but at the same time it was what it was, and it left you with that sense of a lack of fulfilment which is what the character did to himself, not what the story did to me.

[sarahrosea · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this from my friend’s close friends story in which she was detailing how in her english class they read this but no one wanted to say it was gay (bc sometimes it’s awkward bc of stigmatization and shit) so the teacher said “guysss he’s gayyy…gay is ok! gay. is. ok!” and i had to read it.

i loved it 😊

[Konstantin R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast and slightly sad tale of a boy who falls in love with another boy, or thinks he has, when he gets suddenly sick. Of course the irony is that the person the narrator falls for is the one that passed the disease on to him, pink eye or something. Well-written and intriguing phycology.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story read for class! Full review maybe to come later

[Bia Bueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of short story that is great but makes you want more.

[Noah Sim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apollo is a short story written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Spoiler alert this story is about a guy named Okenwa visiting his parents for their sake. As he was conversing with them he notice that they changed in personality. After catching up with their lives, his mother talked about a news on the robbers and their leader happened to be his childhood friend. From this talk he began explaining his childhood life to the reader. I totally recommend this story to those who wants to read something short and gain something from it. This story is around five pages and a lesson that I took away from this is that people change as time goes on. I could kind of relate to the characters in this story because long time ago I also got betrayed by my friends. A quote from the story that caught my attention said,"The houseboy before him, Hyginus, had been sent home for insulting my mother”(Apollo). This quote caught my attention because you know that there is conflict between the past workers and the mother. As the result I can relate to how Okenwa was feeling when he was betrayed. Overall this is a great story for those who just want to pass time.

[Khadijah E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very powerful piece. I was so immersed into it, I was surprised that it had ended and wanted to read more.

It effectively showed the abuse of power dynamics and class within Nigeria through the eyes of a complex character who is coming to terms with their sexuality, filled with jealousy and curiosity.

I wonder the use of Apollo as a tool in this novel. Is it to demonstrate the divide between the poor and the rich? Or the interesting relationship between the two characters that would be seen as immoral in their culture? The strength of desire? We see a power imbalance in terms of class between Raphael and the main character, however there is potentially a power imbalance in desire which shifts to the main character. Interesting.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for class

This was actually a really interesting short story and led to a really in depth conversation in class. Sometimes I like reading things like this, especially short stories, in a class setting because discussing them brings out more details that I would pick up on my own because I usually just read for the vibes

In this, our main character, Okenwa, reflects back on his childhood and the summer he spent with his houseboy, Raphael. Equal parts coming of age and romantic awakening, this story really packed a punch in its short pages

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I denne novelle får vi, via hovedpersonens minder, historien om et forbudt venskab mellem en rig dreng og hans tjenestedreng.
Adichies skrivestil er helt unik og fangende. Jeg var interesseret fra begyndelse til slut, og kunne sagtens have læst en hel roman. Den giver et rigtig godt indtryk af hvad et barndomsvenskab vil sige, og hvordan tingene kan ændre sig hurtigt af ugennemtænkte handlinger.

[Qua-niesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of my first meeting with a Short Stories club at my local library. I talked about it with four other people, and it was a productive conversation! I really loved what everyone had to say because it worked my brain up and made me think about stuff I was scared to talk about it. They talked about it effortlessly, and it was just nice to hear that in-person. I was so happy to be in that group on that Monday, and I can't wait for the next meeting.