1. "Sozaboy is a war novel, the narrative of one young man's helpless and hap less journey through a terrifying African war… Sozaboy - as the hero, Mene, is dubbed (‘Soza' means ‘soldier’) - is one such uncertain conscript and he meanders through the novel in an almost permanent state of ignorance; clar ity beckoning from time to time only to be occluded promptly … The lan guage of the novel is a unique literary construct … I cannot think of another example where the English language has been so engagingly and skillfully hijacked… Sozaboy is a novel born out of harsh personal experience, but shaped with a masterful and sophisticated artistry despite its apparent rough-hewn guilelessness. With equal skill and deftness, it also carries a profound moral message that extends beyond its particular time and setting. Sozaboys are legion, and their lives are being destroyed on the planet. Sozaboy is not simply a great African novel, it is also a great anti-war novel, among the very best the twentieth century has produced." From the Introduction by William Boyd, in Sozaboy (London, 1994). The extract is from pp. 45-46 of the novel.