Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field is a set of short stories that show the broad experience of Angolans through a charming and intrusive narrator.

I admittedly don't know much about the history of Angola, but this story collection was a really personable little introduction.

Typically I have a really hard time with short story collections, but I actually enjoyed most of these and found myself giggling at the narrator/author intrusion into the stories. The narrator was so snarky and witty which I really was not expecting. It was obvious to me that the author had a very playful outlook on his relationship with his readers which made for a unique and engaging experience.

Even though I read this with my eyes, the stories felt like I was listening to oral stories told around a campfire. Most of them had a clear beginning/middle/end which made it easy to follow along - compared to a lot of other short story collections that drop you in the middle of a story without any context.

I have a lot of great things to say about this collection, but in the end it just didn't grip my attention as much as I would have liked. I also didn't love the portrayal of women in a lot of the stories.

"The contemporary world is not, therefore, a very pleasant place, but it is the place in which we are fated to live."

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This collection is my early foray into satire, wit, and absurdist poetry that handled some heavy and dark issues. I'm still getting used to this writing style but I enjoyed being challenged by it and the spirit of levity throughout.

This collection has a varied range in terms of content and even the size of each individual chapter – some are very short, while others are longer. On the whole, the book was shorter than I imagined going in. The narrative voice is of the author talking about the individual stories, and that worked for the kind of book it is.

The revolutionary and counter revolutionary duck
This was the first story I encountered, and was quite surprised by it. It is a very unique viewpoint, one where revolutionaries from other countries were ‘trained’ in North Korea and almost felt like non-fiction. There was an almost old world feel from this story. I liked it the best, and would recommend reading this, even if you do not read the rest of the collection.(5 stars)

Just a fiver, Sir
This a tragic but realistic story of a man begging in Angola who is having to explain his actions to someone else. He himself is unable to come to terms with it, and the narrative overlaps with his past. (3 stars)

The Portuguese Women are coming.
The Portuguese men have left their women at home when they set out to Angola for ‘work’. The wives have been hearing things about their husbands and want to set out and find them. The language is a little rough, but the ending is a twist(3 stars)

Why Aunt Lourdes still has no Teeth
A roundabout story that covers some more history of Angola while seemingly talking about a woman who survived a lot but still has no teeth.(3 stars)

Sheesh
A man with time on his hands begins the story in one way, but the ending is mysterious enough to match the man we are originally introduced to. (4 stars)

The Secret
A woman managed to conceal her deafness from her husband, an action which sends the narrator into extensive introspection.(3 stars)

Violence
A seemingly quiet mother and daughter were living in a building when patterns seemed to emerge. It is only when a breaking point emerges that we know more of the story (3 stars)

Three Endings
This is more of a rant about the life of a prodigy (of sorts). I have always had a fascination for prodigies and what the responsibilities are for the people around them. It is a well-written story, but not overall satisfying for me because of the endings.(3 stars)

Portrait of a Character in Search of a Writer
A person with a lack of proper memories is wondering if someone can fill it all in. Was not excited by the actual focus of the retrospection, but liked the concept. (3 stars)

Caricature of The Author as a Young Man
This was more a thought process on how language is viewed by the people of countries ruled by colonial powers at some point. I just did not get the ending. (3 stars)

Maria
Maria had a lot to say, but in the end, she did not manage that. (3 stars)

The Nordic Engineer
An ex-pat engineer who ends up getting more than he bargained for (3 stars)

Death is punctual
A war time medical situation, a lot deeper than the few pages would have otherwise indicated.(3 stars)

Canivete has gone White
This story took a while to get going, but the ending and the overall content are definitely one for discussion.(3 stars)

Aunt Holly
The narrator spends a lot of time speculating on their Aunt Holly’s suspicious fidelity to her husband. Although the writing was entertaining, it was too long for the kind of ending we got. (2 stars)

Charlatan
I did not enjoy this conversation with a misogynist and philanderer who was meant to be a villain, but we spend too long in his head. (2 stars)

The Baptism
In the midst of all the previous serious ones, we have a funny tale of a man who ends up baptizing his children very late for the most random of reasons. (4 stars)

Angola is Wherever I plant my Field
This is probably the most serious of all the plots. It is a look at war and the impact of it on the people and the land. Its tone stands out from the others, and it was a pretty solid way to end the book.(3 stars)

All the stories are based in cultures and places I had no prior knowledge of, and it was a very entertaining read. I would recommend this book to others who like short stories and are looking for something different from what they are used to.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

“In an age of imploding boundaries and stolen patents, of general eclecticism, unknown compounds, of cell transfusion and cloning, only those who are poor in spirit can afford to lose time and energy on the grotesque attempt to remain glued to identities that are fixed and closed, even to themselves.”

There is something for everyone in this collection of stories by João Melo, formerly a top politician and journalist in his native Angola who was a founder member of the Union of Angolan Writers and the Angolan Academy of Letters. This impressive pedigree shines through in his writing. Many of the stories are funny or absurd, others show grittier sides of life and hark back to the injustices of colonialism. I also gleaned a little bit of Angolan history here and there.

One of my favourite stories was the very first one in the collection, The revolutionary and counterrevolutionary duck. A clever Angolan youngster training in North Korea to become a guerrilla fighter makes a fool of his overzealous teacher in a hilarious fable about a duck. In The Portuguese women are coming, there is a TV news report that Portuguese women are going to storm Angola to save their husbands, there for work, from the sinful clutches of sexy Angolan women. Terrified that his wife will find out what he’s been up to, Joaquim Manuel da Silva hurries back to Portugal, only to be surprised at what is really happening back home.
The author pokes fun at both politics and literary criticism. For instance, this passage:
“This story took place in the 1960s, the high point of the two main metanarratives that had been fighting each other for the past two hundred years. Back then, nobody knew what a metanarrative was because, in the name of the two great ideologies of the day—liberalism and Marxism—men confronted each other physically, on the battlefield, and the deadly weapons they used to eliminate each other were obviously not simply for linguistic games.”

Three endings tells the story of a man who lived his life too fast. The author breaks in to say he can’t decide on his character’s fate after he retired, so offers three alternatives and leaves it to the reader to choose; he is in too much of a hurry to get on to the next story. In Caricature of the author as a young man, he pokes fun at a famous poet who changed his name to one in a local language, yet writes his work in Portuguese, the language of the colonisers. The fictional young author feels he must change his Angolan name to a Portuguese one, but which language should he write in? In another story, the author complains that his characters won’t do what he wants them to do, or he can’t decide what to do with them. Sometimes he feels he has to comment on something his character has said, to distance himself from their views. And if they write something down, he cannot read their handwriting. It’s all very comical.

However, not all these stories are light and humorous. In Just a fiver, sir?, a young street child attacks a man who is using his car to have sex with a young girl. In the course of the story, we learn how difficult it is living on the street, and the horrific tale of what he witnessed before he came to the city. This is echoed in the title story, Angola is wherever I plant my field, which portrays the terror of a child in a village attacked and burned by rebel soldiers, with everyone fleeing for their lives, not knowing the fate of family members. This becomes a lifelong trauma.
“this memory has not let go of me, it has glued itself to my skin, speaks through my mouth, looks through my eyes, shakes my legs, and explodes in my ears whenever I hear a bang, no matter how meaningless, a thunderstorm, the exhaust pipe from an engine, a door thrown open to its miserable fate by the wind; all of a sudden we were terrified”.
We had a friend who grew up very near a famous border crossing between the Republic of Ireland and the north, regularly the target of terrorist attacks. He described precisely this scenario, hitting the ground when a car backfired, even though he was in a safe country.

This collection of short stories really was exactly what I am looking for in translated fiction: a little history, a little social commentary, stories about different types of people. I couldn’t help but feel the influence of the colonisers, who in Angola were the Portuguese. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t set in South America because the style of writing reminded me so much of Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian novelist. Perhaps it’s the combination of the absurd with a gritty reality. In any case, take that as a wholehearted recommendation! Also, all credit to the translator, who somehow managed to translate into perfect English, yet leave a subtle flavour of the original Portuguese. Perfection!

Disclaimer: This is my honest review of a digital ARC I received free from NetGalley.

Angola is whereever I plant my field is a collection of 18 short stories that span Angola, North America and North Korea. They also weave together post modernist, post colonialist and Angolan histories in humorous yet informative way.

I can't say that I knew much about the history of Angola before reading this book, and I'm not sure how much of what I read was true (purely due to the comical way in which much of it was told). But I can say that I'm now interested to find out more.

Some of the stories made absolutely no sense to me but I loved them anyway. Each one had enough depth to the character to make you enjoy it within the short amount of pages avaliable to it. Definitely one to pick up if you want a laugh and some quick short stories to read.

When I request this book I didn’t expect it to be profoundly funny. But the satire almost made me feel bad to be laughing at it, because while the stories are comedic, they are also heartbreaking. This book made me realize that I know nothing about other countries histories, and I am so glad I stumbled upon this book because then I can learn more about it… I took some notes on what happened in Angola and made myself research on it. This book really unveiled the part of history of the world that are rarely mentioned.

This collection of stories are written in a way that the teller feels familiar, like becoming reacquainted with an old friend who has come back with tales after some traveling adventures. Sheesh was a stand out for me. I still want to know where Mister X is. The stories invoke varied emotions from laughter to utterly speechless. Overall, a great read that readers will enjoy. A huge thank you to Iskanchi Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this DRC.

Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field – Joao Melo (translated from Portuguese by Luisa Venturini)



I am staying right here, at least for the time being, tomorrow I can go anywhere that the future takes me, Angola is wherever I plant my field.



A diverse collection of short stories, “Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field” covers a lot of ground with a satirical, witty eye. We get 18 stories here that cover a wide range of aspects of Angola and its national identity – history, politics, sexuality, gender, post-colonialism, all of them get touched upon at some point.



It’s quite an experimental collection, with an intrusive narrator often breaking the fourth wall or actively intervening in the stories. At times I thought this worked well, but it did cause other stories to fall flat for me, like any single-author collection, I suppose.



As someone who knows very little about Angola (beyond one Kapuscinski book), I do feel I learned a lot here. The author draws connections to both Portugal and Brazil in various stories, the colonial power and the former jewel in its crown who cannot escape its links to an African past. The horrific civil war and the displacement of people is covered in the title story, one of the best, yet we also get humorous tales of Portuguese women trying to protect their husbands from seductive Angolan women, a clear stab at the exoticism that still prevails in some areas.



An interesting collection, but not perfect. I’d love more people to read it though, so pick it up if you get a chance. At the very least, you’ll learn something. My thanks to @netgalley and @iskanchipress for a chance to read it in exchange for an honest review.

Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field is a very interesting short story collection, providing great insights into the variety of things it means to be Angolan & the wide range of modern Angolan experiences.

While it sometimes felt hard to find a through line between the stories, the major themes included Angolan identity, politics/corruption, sexuality and gender, Angolan history, colonization, & the influence of outside powers. Some stories carried more emotional weight than others—my favorites were Why My Aunt Has No Teeth, Violence, and the final story, Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field.

The author’s choice to have a fairly intrusive narrator was interesting to me. sometimes questions/talking were directed right at the reader and i switched between loving it and being made uncomfortable by it.

Thank you to Iskanchi Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review :)

A superb collection of absurdist short stories, each packed with ironic humor and keen insight. I enjoyed every single story, but two stood out for me: "The Revolutionary and Counter-revolutionary Duck," in which an Angolan guerrilla expertly trolls a North Korean professor; and "Angola Is Wherever I Plant My Field," which shows people not only able to survive but thrive in desperate circumstances.

Received via NetGalley.

This collection was quite experimental which I surprisingly enjoyed. The writer featured in a couple of the story as an active character; he shows us how he (as a writer/narrator) interacts with the characters he’s created and then make it seem like the characters themselves are driving their stories (without any input from him). I thought that sharing what writers typical experience when creating characters, as part of the stories he’s written, was a brilliant move.

Some of the stories got a little philosophical and the tone quite satirical — reminding me of Paul Beatty’s tone in The White Boy Shuffle — and this might not be everyone’s cup of tea — and while I did enjoy that, it got tedious in some stories, which is why this isn’t a 4 stars. I also can’t resolve whether the author was attacking ‘wokeness and canceling culture’ in some stories or just calling for a needed balance — this is in addition to the tone some of the characters took on when speaking about women; but maybe this is part of what he’s done by separating himself (as a writer and narrator) from the characters.

I did love how I got to learn about Angola’s history with war and the impacts of Portuguese colonialism (I also learnt about the Bicesse and Lusaka accords). Reading this book definitely made me feel closer to Angola.

The titular story, Angola is Whereever I Plant my Field is one of my favourite from this collection because it so encapsulate the horror of displacement caused by the war; how Angolans tried their best to strive forward regardless; and the hypocrisy of ‘international aids’. Other favourites include ‘The Revolutionary and Counter revolutionary duck’, ‘Just a Fiverr, Sir’, ‘Canivete has gone white’, ‘Why Aunt Lourdes still has no teeth’, ….. as I’m writing this, the realisation that I enjoyed almost all the stories dawned on me 🤣.

João Melo is a writer, journalist, poet, and Angolan government official (!). In this skillful collection of stories in various forms, from stream of consciousness narratives, to short vignettes of life in Luanda, to wry asides, Melo proves himself the author’s author of post-colonial literature.

Themes in the book include Portuguese colonialism, war and trauma, refugee life, “race”—with its implied caste system, and post-colonial politics, with that institution’s seemingly inevitable corruption. My favourite story, the title one—Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field—feels like the true summation of the whole collection: a man, displaced, disaffected, and bereaved, leaves the past behind, and looks to the future in the refugee camp that is now his home.

Melo’s stories are about the failure of liberation/independence to bring a better life for Angolans, something most post-colonial Africans can relate to. There are big-bellied men, and young people living on the street. There are women in precarity, and there is violence. But there is also much humour: the Portuguese women who are demanding government support to rescue their men from the seductive clutches of Angolan women. The intrepid Nordic engineer who eats market food. The war of wills between a priest and the man with scores of children.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Melo’s style tends towards wordiness, and the wryness does become a bit much, sometimes, but this is still a recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Iskanchi Press for this ARC.

This short story collection is an evocation of laughter, inspiration, and reflection, and cause pause and ponder as one considers conjuring the sheer amount of drive needed to emphatically say Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field.

The collection is well written and I enjoyed 13 out of the 18 stories total. My rating would have been 3.5 if some of the stories didn’t go completely over my head.

Please see my full review for more in-depth thoughts on this collection of stories: https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/book-review-angola-is-wherever-i-plant-my-field-by-joao-melo-translated-by-luisa-venturini/

Many thanks to Iskanchi Press, João Melo, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately attracted to the title: Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field. In a post-independence context, Melo's use of satire, wit, and at times dark and perhaps vulgar humor are cleverly woven in this series of short stories. Through satire, Melo subversively critiques the corrupt forces that betray the hope for justice in post-colonial Angola. Several stories written in the third person at points meander away from the plot, as though the reader is listening to a stream of consciousness that loses focus. The chapter titled "The Baptism" is among a few lighter and amusing gems describing the antics of an aloof parishioner who gets under the skin of a judgmental priest. The final chapter, with the same name as the title, was the highlight: here Melo illustrates the human capacity to live a resourceful and resilient life amid the absurdities of war and its aftermath.

I offer a rating of 2.5 stars rounded to 3 for the book as a whole.

Thank you Iskanchi Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field is an intelligent, sometimes belligerent, collection of absurdist stories that address issues like colonialism, poverty, and race relations in Angola. Darkly funny, this collection of stories is a highly literary (perhaps even meta-literary) book not to be missed.

The stories that drew me in were short and snappy, using humour, absurdity, exaggeration, wit, satirical leanings, and the existence of the truth mixed in to depict the complexity of Angolan society, history, and their present. With a lens aimed at his country through which he uses comedy to soften the edges of trauma and violence, Melo addresses the social and political mores of his nation. And they are all read as personal, because these observations and conversations by our omniscient narrator reflects a knowledge that come from experience, from one who knows and understands the imprint of colonialism, the fight for independence, the political and ideological segregation, and the civil war that still resonates within the very fabric of the nation.

Melo's collection has some gems that used satire, wit, and a dark, dry humour that really made the issues they tackled less traumatic. However there were a few stories that delved a bit too hard into the realm of the philosophical and meandered a bit too much for me and thus lessened my enjoyment.

Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field was a delightful collection of varied stories all told with great humour and a sense of whimsy that belied the sometimes more serious themes unpinning the tales. My favourite was by far the opening narrative of the North Korean duck, which had me laughing out loud, but there were plenty of good moments in the other stories too. If you enjoy humorous short stories, this collection is well worth a look. It gets 4 stars from me.

I was taken by the title of this book, "Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field," and it kind of reminded me of the feeling of staying true to your roots, so I requested to read it on Netgalley and let's just say that there are eighteen (18) stories to take you on a trip full of laughter, moments of reflection and most of all, keep you entertained.
My favorite stories include: 'Why Aunt Lourdes still has no teeth," in which she is displeased that there seems to be a lot of unnecessary services but not a dentist in Jamba.
Then immediately after there is the story 'Sheesh' that up to date, as I write this review we are still waiting to know the whereabouts of Mister X.
For someone who loves to travel, and has an ultimate list then reading 'The Secret' and being met with the opening line "This story happened in Haifa. I have never been to Haifa, but I've always wanted to write a story that takes place in the city."
Of changing times and the yearning for moments of reflection as a society, the author has quite some time for this with 'Three Endings.'
The writing style is something that also caught my attention, it reminded me of the kind of stories you could be told whilst in the company of a long lost friend, there's accounts of experiences here and there-some you laugh at, others you sigh, others you just nod and look away afraid that whatever you say would not do it justice. All in all, it was a pleasure reading this book.