On Black Sisters’ Street
At the house on Zwartezusterstraat four very different women have made their way from Africa to claim for themselves the riches of Europe. Sisi, Ama, Efe and Joyce are prostitutes, the girls who stand in the windows of the red-light district, promising to make men’s dreams come true — if only for half an hour and fifty euros. The murder of Sisi, the most enigmatic of the women, shatters their already fragile worlds and as the women gather to mourn, the stories they have kept hidden are finally told.

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Although originally written in English, On Black Sisters’ Street first appeared in Dutch translation under the title Fata Morgana, published by Antwerp- and Amsterdam-based Meulenhoff Manteau in 2007. The original English version was released by Jonathan Cape in 2009. Further editions were published by Random House (New York), Vintage (London) and Ohio University Press (in collaboration with Swallow Press).

On Black Sisters’ Street won the 2012 NLNG Prize. It has been translated into several languages, including German, Spanish, Italian and Polish.

“This powerful book will leave you haunted.”
  — Ali Smith, author of The Accidental

“An important and accomplished novel that leaves a strong aftertaste. Unigwe gives voice to those who are voiceless, fleshes out the stories of those who offer themselves as meat for sale, and bestows dignity on those who are stripped of it.”
  — Bernardine Evaristo, author of Blonde Roots

“Lively and engaging... On Black Sisters’ Street is a pleasure to read: fast-paced, lucidly structured and colourful.”
  — Times Literary Supplement

“Brilliant.”
  — Daily Telegraph

© 2016-2023 Chika Unigwe. Website: Daria Tunca.