Beneath the Lion's Gaze
Ethiopia

Beneath the Lion's Gaze

by Maaza Mengiste

Revolution & Change Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Family Saga 2010

Summary

Addis Ababa, 1974. As protests sweep Ethiopia and Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign approaches its end, the Hailu family finds itself caught in a revolution that will transform the country—and destroy the fragile security of their lives. Hailu, a respected doctor, faces an impossible moral choice after helping a young woman who has been tortured by the authorities. His decision brings him into the machinery of state repression, while his sons take increasingly different paths: Yonas seeks refuge in faith and family, whereas Dawit joins the underground resistance, risking everything to fight for freedom.

As the monarchy falls and a brutal military regime takes power, the family’s loyalties, convictions, and relationships are tested by violence and fear. Moving between the intimate struggles of a household and the upheaval of a nation, Maaza Mengiste’s debut novel explores the human cost of revolution and the difficult choices people face under authoritarian rule. It is a powerful portrait of a country at a turning point, where the hope of liberation threatens to give way to another cycle of oppression.

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Country
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About the author
Maaza Mengiste
Maaza Mengiste

Maaza Mengiste is an Ethiopian-American novelist and essayist born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Her family left the country when she was a child, and her experiences of displacement and historical memory have influenced her writing. She studied English and creative writing at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned an MFA from New York University. Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze (2010), explores the impact of the Ethiopian Revolution on one family and was named one of The Guardian’s ten best contemporary African books. Her second novel, The Shadow King (2019), was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize and praised for bringing the experiences of Ethiopian women fighters during the Italian invasion into the literary spotlight. Mengiste has received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and a fellowship from the Fulbright Program. Her essays and fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, and The New York Times. She lives in New York City.

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Details
Published
2010
Author
Maaza Mengiste