{"product_id":"the-last-gift-of-the-master-artists-by-ben-okri-9781803285689","title":"The Last Gift of the Master Artists","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A magical take on Africa before the arrival of the Atlantic slave ships – a world of art and artists, lovers, storytellers and philosophers... The beauty of Okri's prose is [...] the overwhelming star of the show.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eIndependent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This is a story of a people on the eve of catastrophe. Others can tell of the catastrophe itself. I want to see the people in the last days of their innocence.'\u003c\/strong\u003e Ben Okri\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy a riverbank in Africa, two lovers meet for the first time. They make a promise to meet again the next day, same time, same place, but only one of them shows up. This sounds like the beginning of a love story, but it's more than that, for this breath-taking tale takes the reader into the heart of a vibrant world, a complex and intriguing civilisation of warriors and kings, philosophers and artists, parents and lovers. A world and culture which is about to end, for glimpsed on the horizon, seen but unsuspected, beautiful ships with white sails are waiting...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published as \u003cem\u003eStarbook\u003c\/em\u003e in 2007, Ben Okri has spent many years rewriting this epic novel, set just before the arrival of the Atlantic slave trade. He has sought to bring to it a greater simplicity, to make the political and historical implications of the story clearer. Now titled \u003cem\u003eThe Last Gift of the Master Artists\u003c\/em\u003e, this is a work still more dazzling and unforgettable, and more relevant to our world than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for Ben Okri:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Ben Okri is that rare thing, a literary and social visionary, a writer for whom all three – literature, culture and vision – are profoundly interwoven.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAli Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487612682476,"sku":"9781803285689","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/cd71fcb72d9b1985464bc157788d46cd.jpg?v=1775788073","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-last-gift-of-the-master-artists-by-ben-okri-9781803285689","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}