The Lost Spell

“While researching a book of spells, a wealthy man transforms himself into a dog. We follow the (now) canine protagonist as he journeys to Addis Ababa, and through his eyes we witness the sublime beauty of the Ethiopian landscape. The story of one man’s literal dehumanization allegorizes the abasement our narrator witnesses around him as he simultaneously lauds and laments his country… Worku presents a fly-on-the-wall (or a dog-on-the-road) view of contemporary Ethiopia that is at once a critique and a bittersweet love letter.” - Asymptote Journal

Unable to remember the spell that will make him human again, Dore takes the road home to Addis Ababa stripped of his status and language. As he travels fearfully through the towns along the way he sees Ethiopian history and politics from a new perspective. He strains to keep himself at the centre of his world.

“Yismake Worku is an Ethiopian novelist who is known for his prolific writing as well as for experimenting with new writing styles. When his bestselling novel Dertogada was released, Amharic novel readers received it with great enchantment. Yismake is not the kind of writer who always sticks to one genre, just because it was a success. He is set to explore new ways.

The Lost Spell is a result of such exploration. In this book Yismake sometimes narrates a single event to what seems like an eternity, and at other times summarizes what happened in one era in a moment. At times he uses his linguistic skills to present poetic narrations that are breathtaking; at other times he lets his ideas slowly flow like a river.

The precise social, political and cultural critique he outlines at a time when the country was going through political turmoil is witness to his brilliance as well as bravery.” - Dr. Admasu Meshesha

Bethlehem Attfield, translator of Adam Reta’s Requiem For Potatoes, continues to bring contemporary Ethiopian writing into English. Her translation of The Lost Spell reveals a radically different psychogeography, as beguiling in Amharic as it is in English.