In the Congo

Kuno, a male nurse in an old people’s home in Switzerland, has a new inmate: his father. In the isolation of the home, they finally start talking. Kuno had always regarded his father as boring, a man without a history and without a destiny—until one day he realizes that he had once risked his life in the war. His ageing father had a destiny, and what a destiny it was! This realization changes Kuno’s life, and he embarks on a journey into his own psyche which takes him to the depths of the Congo. Longings awaken and dreams come true—rays of light in the darkness, meetings with kings, seductive women and the songs of the jungle: the alluring far-away places which he once regarded as the ‘heart of darkness’ become an adventurous, exciting scene of lunacy, wildness and a test of his own inner strength.

In his characteristic manner, Urs Widmer spins yet another riveting yarn, but this time he threads through the many aspects of the relationship between Europe and Africa—an always timely tale.